Fighter

So you've tried a class or two - have suffered the indignity of the "loaner" gi - and have now made the life-altering decision to join a jiu jitsu academy. Welcome to the party. But exactly what kind of training gear do you need?

Here's our "starter pack" list of key items for the beginner practitioner: 

• Gis - Unless you've joined an academy or gym that only offers no-gi training, you'll need a gi. Actually, make that two... At least. Yes, gis can be expensive, but if you plan on training more than once every few days, you'll need a fresh, clean gi to wear while your other dries.
• Rash Guards - Even if you don't plan on trying no-gi - which is silly, you should at least try it - some academies require you to wear a rash guard under your gi, for sanitary reasons. If you do plan on doing no-gi, rash guards help keep you from getting mat burn, ringworm, or other mat-bourne illnesses. Again, at least two is advised. 
• Grappling Shorts - For those open to no-gi training, especially if you're male, a couple of grappling shorts to pair with your rash guards is necessary... Unless you plan on rocking the rash guard/spats combo, which is cool, too. 
• Compression Shorts/Spats - Regardless of whether you're going to train only gi, only no-gi, or plan on training both, compression shorts and/or spats is absolutely necessary. For gi training, you will want to wear something under your gi. Your training partners will thank you. 
• Flip-flops - If someone hasn't already told you, you shouldn't walk around barefoot while you're off the mat. Between traveling from the locker room and back, and getting on and off for water breaks, you'll need something to slip your feet in and out of easily.
• Reusable Water Bottle - Unless you enjoy standing in line for the water fountain during water breaks or in between rolls, you'll want to have your own water nearby. 
• Anti-Bacterial Soap - Whether you shower at the academy - if you're lucky enough to have one there - or you shower at home, you'll want a good anti-bacterial soap. You may have the cleanest academy in the world, but the fact is, you're rolling around in close contact with other people whose hygienic practices are not known to you.  
• Nail Clippers - You should already have these, but it's not a bad idea to carry an extra set with you. With your busy life, and likely close-toed-shoe job, it's easy to forget about the last time you clipped your toenails. Don't risk scratching your training partner with your gnarly ogre feet. 
• Gear Bag - Considering all of the above, you'll want a separate gear bag just for your jiu jitsu gear. This not only helps keep everything in one place (so you don't forget some crucial piece of attire while you're rushing out the door in the morning), but it also keeps that sweaty, pungent post-training smell from infecting the inside of your car on your way home. 

Of course, as you continue on your jiu jitsu journey, you'll find you might need a number of other things, but these are the core things that every jiujiteiro should have.  

Train on. Oss. 

Especially if you've never done it before, the thought of "yoga" might conjure images of long-haired, new-age hippies contorting themselves into strange positions while incense trails billow about the room. Indeed, you may even scoff at the idea of integrating yoga practice into your training regime.

However, many jiu jitsu athletes - many high-level performance athletes in general - have found yoga to be incredibly beneficial to their training. Here are five reasons why: 

Flexibility - Whether or not you're a 10th Planet nut - and a fan of all guards rubbery - increased flexibility is immensely important to your jiu jitsu training as it improves your range of movement. This is important not only for techniques that you might employ, such as berimbolo, or other inverted positions, but also those that your partner/opponent employs. Greater flexibility will help keep you from hobbling home like a 90 year old after he/she folds you like an accordion. 

Balance - A lot of yoga movements, even those that may look pretty easy, require a significant amount of balance, especially those in which you move slowly from one form into another. The more you do yoga, the more your balance improves. This directly translates into your jiu jitsu "base", allowing you to maintain greater composure and control over your body, particularly your center of balance. Of course, this helps most in preventing your opponent from sweeping you or taking you down, but it can help in your passing game as well (think the Flamingo pass). 

Muscle Endurance - Increased muscle endurance isn't restricted to the realm of strength training. Because yoga consists of a lot of balancing, slow movements, and holding positions for long periods of time, it is extremely useful in increasing your muscle endurance. Indeed, because yoga involves eccentric contraction of the muscles, while strength training primarily involves concentric muscle contraction, it develops endurance in a distinct and - if you already supplement your jiu jitsu with a regular strength training - complementary way. 

Respiration - A lot of yoga styles - think Vinyasa - require that you pair your breathing with the movement of your body. Because breathing is such an unconscious bodily function, we often take it for granted during increased physical movement. Few deny that cardiovascular training is important for keeping you from getting out-of-breath during jiu jitsu, by strengthening your heart, lungs and circulatory system, but the kind of breathing involved in yoga also helps, by developing a lower respiratory rate, strengthening the diaphragm, and training you to employ conscious breathing techniques. 

Mindfulness - Mindfulness isn't just some feely-good yogi term. At its root, mindfulness is the "basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us." Sound familiar? This is definitely something that we exercise during regular jiu jitsu training. Yoga also helps to develop this, and combined yoga and jiu jitsu training can accelerate our ability to be mindful, whether we're on the home mat or the competition arena. 

Hopefully this article has given you some valuable insight into how yoga might benefit your jiu jitsu training. 

Train on. Oss... and Namaste.

The vast majority of jiu jitsu gis in the market today are relatively plain... aside from the logo, maybe some designed patches and nice embroidered details, there's usually not much more to it.

However, nearly every major brand offers at least one gi model with a fully designed interior. The Maeda Brand Akashio Jiu Jitsu Gi has to be one of the coolest we've ever seen. 

Like most of Maeda Brand's products, the exterior of the Akashio limited edition gi is streamlined and elegant. The adornments are never over-the-top, and the patterns and color ways are always very appealing. 

What makes the Maeda Akashio gi special, however, is the interior of the jacket. 

First of all, the name Akashio comes from the Japanese for "red tide", which alludes to this imagery of an ocean stained red by the blood of one's enemies. Kind of badass, right? Playing on that, the main image is from an ancient Japanese painting of two samurai warriors engaged in mortal combat on a pebble beach, into which the distinctive Maeda emblem logo and stamp logo have been incorporated. Across the yoke and the interior of the lower lapel is a pattern depicting seagulls over a blood red tide (patterns are highly popular in Japanese art, fabrics, and general iconography). 

Taken as a whole, the design appears as a work of art... you might even be tempted to frame it and hang it on your wall.

But it's far from being a delicate piece of wall adornment. The Akashio is constructed to withstand even the most rigorous training. The jacket is a relatively lightweight 480 GSM Pearl Weave Plus (a tighter, stronger weave than regular Pearl Weave), the interior sublimated lining is made from Cool Max fabric (a mesh type fabric that's lighter and wicks moisture better than a rash guard liner), and the pants are made from a mid-weight 10 oz cotton drill pants. 

Whether or not you plan on using it, the Maeda Akashio is an excellent addition to your gi collection. We give it a solid 5 stars out of 5. 

Train on. Oss.

So you've found yourself in this strange new world called the Brazilian jiu jitsu community, surrounded by sweaty people wearing pajamas, "oss"ing and bowing to each other, and speaking something that sounds like English.

Welcome. Now here are a few commonly-used words and phrases that you might find helpful as you begin to learn "jiujitsuese":

Oss: 

Pronounced "oh-sss", with as long an "s" sound as your little heart desires. This is one of the most versatile words in the jiu jitsu community. It can be used in greeting, in place of "thank you", as acknowledgement of a higher belt's mad skills, or as a general affirmation of solidarity with your fellow jiu jitsu practitioner.

Gi: 

Pronounced "ghee", with a hard "g" (like in grapefruit). This is that funny looking pajama set you wear to train in. Yes, it is a kimono, but if you call it that, you'll single yourself out as a serious newbie.

Roll: 

Somewhat interchangeable with "fight", "train" and "match", usually in reference to the actual live-sparring rounds with your fellow teammates. Can be used as a verb: for example, a higher belt will ask you "Want to roll?" before she proceeds to "roll" you into a little pretzel. Or it can be used as a noun: "We had a great roll, before he decided to hulk out on me."

Tap: 

Learn to love this word, or find yourself visiting the emergency room... often. The "tap" is the physical or verbal resignation of defeat in a jiu jitsu match. It typically comes before the point of pain - as with an arm or leg lock - or passing out - as with a choke. It was also once used in the name of a really tacky clothing brand.

Drill: 

The part of training that consists of many, many... many repetitions of various techniques. It's not the funnest part of jiu jitsu, but it is an indispensable aspect of one's training regime. It is based on the idea of muscle memory; do something often enough, and it takes less conscious effort to do it in the future.

Rodizio: 

A training method in which a single person stays in the middle during a period of time while two or more opponents spell each other out against him/her. Depending on the intensity, this can also be known, lovingly, as a "shark tank". Because the person in the middle continually faces a fresh opponent, it gives him/her a much more intense training than a normal roll. 

Now that you're armed with some lingo, go forth, grasshopper, and make us proud. 

Oss.

One of the most terrifying - and rewarding - experiences in jiu jitsu is your first competition. Even if you had been active in some other non-martial art sport sometime in your life, competing in Brazilian jiu jitsu is an entirely different animal. It's just you, your opponent, and a fight to the DEATH! Just kidding... though for some of you, it might actually feel that way. 

We know your first competition can be daunting, made even more so by so many unfamiliar aspects. We're here to shed a little light into the competition scene, and what to expect, so you can perform your best and hopefully make your first competition a position one. Read on... 

"Am I Ready?" 

The biggest obstacle every first-time competitor faces is the "Am I ready?" question. This powerful query has prevented more jiu jitsu practitioners from registering for a tournament than any other reason combined. The truth of the matter is this: you don't know until you actually get out there. Jiu jitsu is a lifelong journey, in which everyone has their own path and their own pace. There are no milestone markers that dictate when you are or are not ready to compete. While your professor can counsel you on how ready you might be, the true gauge is out there on the competition mat.

Pre-Competition Jitters

EVERYBODY gets them; even those superstar black belts who have been competing since they were in diapers. The trick is managing your jitters so they don't get the best of you before you even step on the mat. Pre-competition jitters are entirely mental. Maybe you're worried about how "ready" you are, or you're afraid to fail in front of your professor, friends and family. The best way to combat these jitters is to identify the underlying fear, and convince yourself - through positive affirmations - that they are unfounded or out of your control. Feel like you're not ready? "I am as ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this." Fear that you might fail? "Everybody knows the hard work I've put in. Win or lose, nobody can take that away."

Uniform Requirements 

Every jiu jitsu promotion has a set of uniform requirements for competing. Make sure you are aware of what they are, and that your gi, rashguard, shorts/spats, etc. are fully compliant. The last thing you want is to go to check-in and get turned away because your gi is too small, your belt is tattered, or your patches are illegal. Not sure? Ask a higher belt (preferably someone who has compete often and recently). And regardless of whether you think you're on the borderline, it's always a good idea to bring a spare uniform that you know falls well within the requirements. 

The Bullpen

Oooo... scary. Not really. It can be confusing, however, if you've never experienced it before, which, if you're reading this, I assume you haven't. Here's the deal: get there about an hour before you're expected to fight, hang out until you're allowed to check-in and step on the scale (make sure you're on-weight because some competitions only give you one chance to weigh-in before disqualifying you), hang out some more until your mat person calls your name to bring you to your mat, you might hang out a bit more waiting for the fight before you to end. Don't leave the bullpen without telling your mat person, or you can be in for a scolding if he/she can't find you. Use all that hanging out time to loosen up and calm your jitters. You might only be there 15 minutes or you might be there 1 hour. Patience is a virtue. 

Win or Lose

The most important thing to consider when you're deciding to compete for the first time is this: win or lose, you will be among the 10-15% of jiu jitsu practitioners who have the courage to go out there and put their skills to the test. That's something to be proud of. And if that's not enough, know that it's widely agreed that a single competition is worth three months on the mat in your own academy. You find out where you stand among others of your same rank, you learn what you're doing wrong, and what you're doing right. And that is priceless. 

We hope you find this information useful and that it motivates you sign up for your first competition. See you on the mat!

Oss.