Welcome to the return of an annual tradition that has been, um, dormant for the last few years: The Grappler’s Gift Guide! It’s the triumphant return of gift ideas for people who do jiu-jitsu.
Maybe you do jiu-jitsu and are looking to add to the list — or maybe you have a grappler you love, and have no idea what would make a Pajama Wrestler or a practitioner of Death Swimwear happy. In either of these cases, read on!
I’ll make some local notes for those of y’all near Bellingham, Washington, but most of these will be applicable to everywhere in the country. Let’s break them down by expense, with some low- and no-cost options down at the bottom!
SPENDIER: $40+ GIFTS
A New Gi: This is a gift everyone digs. The more gis you have, the more you can train without falling victim to the laundry monster. If you’re a Bellingham BJJ student (or shopping for one), we’ve got tons of styles and colors in stock for $110. E-mail me for details! One cool thing about our custom gi order is that we can tailor it to your body style (lanky, stocky, etc.).
For non-Bellingham BJJ students (or for folks who want a different model), we recommend Toro BJJ, a family-owned company with a focus on quality. For lanky body types, we recommend Lanky Fight Gear, and Fenom makes great gis for women.
Instructional Sites / Video Subscriptions: Some folks love video subscription sites. I’m one of them: I’ve learned tons from online video. But, as I tell my students both at Western Washington University and at Bellingham BJJ, the great thing about living today is that there is more information out there than ever before. The terrible thing about living today? That there is more information out there than every before. Let me curate a bit for you so that you can be sure your favorite grappler gets great material from terrific instructors.
First up for you audiophiles: A BJJ Mental Models audio subscription. I’m a pro member, and the content is terrific (and not just the stuff I’ve produced!). Jozef Chen is also a prominent advocate for BJMM. If you’re a podcast person, this is a slam dunk, and even if you’re not, there are other benefits to the premium service, like video review and access to coaching from some of the best in the world.
If you’re more a video person, I can’t recommend Jake Whitfield’s Patreon enough. Jake is one of the most well-rounded instructors in the martial arts, and he has a monthly subscription site with a super-valuable archive. It’s especially valuable for folks focused on jiu-jitsu for self defense that want to do this for life, but Jake is also a successful competitor in gi, nogi and MMA, so he’s knowledgable there, too.
Cody Maltais of Elevate MMA taught a tremendous and well-received seminar here. Cody has an instructional on his Guillotine System out, and at $40, it’s a steal and a tremendous value for anyone who attended the seminar and needs a refresher, or anyone who missed the seminar and is getting choked by everyone who went. Lots of great content in the world, but I swear by all of these.
Finally, if you’re interested in jiu-jitsu history, I’m teaching a class at Western Washington University this winter that explores that story starting in 1600 … and I’m adapting that class for online education, to make sure people from all around the country who are interested can have access to lectures, text, video, audio, art and other materials we’ll be studying over the course of the term.
I’m committed to keeping the class affordable, and the whole 12-hour class will be available for just $75. If you sign up by Dec. 7, you can get the whole thing for $50! It’s available through BJJ Mental Models, and the introductory video is up now. We’ll post classes weekly, starting Dec. 8 until all 12 classes are online. You can see more at BellinghamBJJ.com/history too. (You can e-mail me at jeff at bellingham bjj dot com if you have any questions)
But maybe audio and video aren’t your bag. Everybody needs gear, so why not try …
Bellingham BJJ Hoodies: It’s fall. Winter is coming. We all want to stay warm, and our hoodies are gloriously soft. They’re also just $50, and great for sharing with loved ones.
Custom mouthguard: Gladiator Guards makes custom mouthguards. It’s a big up-front investment compared to the $10 boil and bite, but so worth it, from a comfort, fit and safety perspective. Plus, they keep your tooth mold so if you lose it or run it through a dryer (yes, I did this) it’s easy to replace. Plus, it’s fun to do the kit.
BJJ Seminar Entry Fee: At Bellingham BJJ, we believe in bringing in incredible instructors at a low cost. Nikki Sullivan is here this Saturday, and we have David Porter and Jake Whitfield in December. For most seminars, we charge $40ish for members and $60ish for non-members: We don’t make a profit on these. The idea is to bring in world-class teachers so that we all get better, and by keeping that price point where it is, we can get our seminar teachers paid while also making sure as many students as possible get access.
Gym bag: I love a great bag, and costs and functions very widely here. The Toro BJJ mesh bag is on sale now, and I can personally attest to its awesomeness. At $30 or so, it’s an absolutely incredible deal. For a higher end item, I’ve reviewed the Datsusara Core Bag Pro on the blog, and it’s an excellent bag, but comes in $100 more expensive than the Toro. In the middle of that price range is a backpack style bag that I love from Gold BJJ. It’s a great travel bag that is especially good for people who train. Everyone needs to drag stuff places! Finally:
Private lessons are always a great choice: For white belt to black belt, everyone can benefit from private lessons. You can either get privates from your local instructors, or, if you know of a high-profile teacher coming through for a seminar, see about booking a lesson with one of them.
MID-RANGE $20-40 GIFTS
Rash guards and fight shorts: You don’t have to be John Danaher to appreciate the virtues of the rash guard. If your grappler focuses on no-gi, or just likes to wear these under the gi, we have FIVE STYLES, all designed by local artists, that are solid choices that clock in at the $40 range. All sizes should be in stock at Bellingham BJJ. Toro BJJ also has some super-cool custom rashies for you national folks.
Local Art: We’re lucky to have local artists in Bellingham that train with us, and you can find gifts in all price ranges at Brazen Shop & Studio. Stop by their downtown location or shop on-line. Also, you might have seen Immortal Imaginings at Gi To Sea last year, selling unique bone crafts for $7 and up. Check out their Etsy shop for a range of offerings!
Framed Photography from Great Moments Rolling or Competing: You might have seen the memory wall at the academy: I love printing fun photos using Snapfish, and whenever they have a sale on their canvas prints, I jump all over it. Don’t buy it at the regular price: wait until they do a 70% off deal, which happens with some regularity.
If you’re looking for photography services, our very own Phil of Monkey & Fox does all our in-house photography, and Phil can make photographic magic happen for you as well.
Endless sports bras and pony tail holders: If you’re a lady, you probably need sports bras. If you’re a lady or a longhaired human of any type, you probably need the ability to hold those luxurious locks in place. Betsy recommended a few brands for each, including Champion’s line of sports bras, and Goody’s Ouchless pony tail holders. You can hear her specific tips for how to find out what your partner likes if you listen to this old podcast!
Flip Flops: We have loaners for the academy, but if you want to guarantee that your grappler isn’t the dude who tries to walk in the bathroom in bare feet, there are some great pairs out there for cheap. The classic Brazilian Havaianas are one example, and some companies make belt rank sandals so you can rep your rank. I love the Rainbow hemp sandals, and I also rock Combat Flip Flops, a veteran-owned company that produces sandals out of recycled material and formerly used some of the money to fund girls’ education in Afghanistan — now they fund veterans’ surf programs.
ALL RANGES: LOW OR NO-COST GIFTS
Donate in their name to a good cause. This isn’t limited to grapplers, obviously, but times are tough out there, and it’s the holidays. Fighting Matters has a food drive through Feeding America that you can donate to, and $1 provides 10 meals for needy people. If you’re so moved, it’s a great option, and I’d be stoked if someone did this in my name.
T-shirts: Everybody can use a great shirt, and if your grappler already has a snazzy Bellingham BJJ model, Toro has a bunch of great jiu-jitsu shirts. Remember to check the clearance section for some incredible deals.
Time to Train, or Drilling time: You pay for everything with money or time. Time is the one thing you can’t really get more of, except in the metaphysical sense. What about a gift certificate for a certain amount of hours to drill moves on you? I’d sure appreciate that. If you’re not a grappler yourself, maybe create time and space for your jiu-jitsu practitioner to pursue their passion? Really, that’s what it’s all about.
Whew! I feel like I’ve just rolled 10 rounds with Kegan Mulholland, because that’s a lot of options. Hopefully you find something you love, and something for someone you love. Keep on training.
If you’re interested in previous Grappler’s Gift Guides: Here are the 2019, 2017, 2016 and 2015 iterations: 2014 and 2013 are a little outdated, but let’s include them anyway for the completists out there.