Fighter

Although Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a male dominated sport - and will be for the foreseeable future - the female population is still quite significant, and growing rapidly. Odds are you will train with a woman or girl at some point in your early career. Here's a little cheat sheet of things to do... and not to do...

Remember the size-strength differential

Most men who train jiu jitsu are generally bigger and stronger than the women on the mat. And even if they do happen to be the same size, a man will still be far stronger than a woman... by two and sometimes three-fold. That's just a fact. This is why women tend to pick up technique at a faster pace. They basically have no choice. They can't rely on strength to get them through challenging situations, whereas a man in the same situation might be able to blow out of a submission or force a sweep. For the most part, jiu jitsu enables a smaller, weaker person to prevail over a bigger, stronger opponent, but when both parties have an understanding of jiu jitsu, the odds often tilt again in favor of the stronger opponent. So remember, when you're getting your butt handed to you by someone of the "fairer" sex... yes, you can hulk out of a submission or overpower her technical attacks, but it will neither do your nor her jiu jitsu any good. 

Treat her with the same respect you would a male training partner

There is an hierarchy in jiu jitsu, and your belt color indicates where you are in it. The most important thing to understand is that your level in jiu jitsu is determined by how much knowledge you've acquired... not by how many people you've tapped. That female purple belt in the academy has just as much experience and knowledge as that male purple belt. So be conscious of how you treat her and what you say to her. Would you do the same with a male purple belt? If the answer is no, just don't do it. For example, you wouldn't say "good job" to a higher ranked male training partner and risk sounding condescending? Probably not. So don't say it to a higher ranked female training partner. 

Keep the drama off the mat

When you put a bunch of people with shared passion together, it's just natural that sparks will fly somewhere in the mix. We're only human. But it's not cool to act on those feelings while you're still on the mat. Whether you're testing the waters to see if she's interested, already in the midst of a steamy romance, or you're in a full-blown tiff with your significant other... keep it off the mat. The mat is where you and your teammates go to learn, train, and often to get away from whatever craziness life is throwing at them. The last thing they need is for "crazy" to infiltrate their sanctuary. Not only that, but if said woman does not reciprocate your feelings, you may make things very awkward for her if, or when, she has to partner with you. 

Especially if you're a lower belt, your female training partner has a lot to offer you. As I mentioned before, she will likely be far more technical than many male training partners, because she has never had the luxury of strength to compensate for any lack in technique. As long as you treat her with respect and as a fellow teammate, and as long as you be conscious of your size and strength relative to hers, you'll find she will be one of the greatest resources in your own jiu jitsu journey. 

Train on. Oss. 

No-Gi season is upon us! Which means time to shed the gis and rock out with our spats out. But what's more exhausting and infuriating than finding a nice pair of jeans that fit? Finding a nice pair of spats that fit... and don't sag off your bum... and perform well during training... and don't fall apart... and... the list goes on. 

Fear no more! Here at Fighters Market, we have the opportunity to test out the best gis and gear in the business... and we've found a brand that delivers some of the best spats we've seen yet. Introducing Virus. 

Virus caters to a wide variety of athletic sports. If you haven't been living under a rock lately, you've probably noticed that they've been taking over the Crossfit world, has infiltrated the martial arts world, and is worn by some of the best athletes in the jiu jitsu world.

For a reason. 

Virus puts out a lot of great stuff, but we thought we'd focus on their compression pants, seeing as spats are the most difficult pieces of athletic apparel to get right. In particular, we suggest you check out their Stay Cool Compression Pants, available in both men's and women's cuts. 

First of all, Virus' Stay Cool series compression pants are made from some seriously high-tech material. Made with their patented CoolJade™ fabric, which is infused with recycled jade material, these spats are designed to wick away excess moisture and provide a cooling effect against your skin... which is really nice during a high energy activity such as jiu jitsu. Secondly, Virus' compression pants provide just the right amount of compression - not too tight, not too loose - which helps reduce inflammation and keep your muscles feeling energized.

And finally, we can't say enough about the cut! The brains behind Virus have to be performance athletes themselves, because man do these things fit nicely. Both the men's and women's cuts feature an ergonomic design, which shapes to your body and stays put, no matter what crazy inverted position you might be doing. With nice wide waistbands and seams in strategic places (i.e. NOT straight down the middle, which has the uncomfortable tendency cut into your most delicate bits and pieces), they don't ride up... or down. 

Don't believe us? Take a chance and buy a pair. They might not be the cheapest spats in the market... but sometimes you get what you pay for, and spats aren't a piece of equipment we take any chances on. 

Train on. Oss.

If you don't know the name Maeda Brand, then you've probably been living under a rock. In fact, this isn't the first time we've blogged about Maeda Brand. Their Akashio and Red Label gis recently made our shortlist of jiu jitsu gear reviews. Needless to say: we're fans of this California-based company. 

While Maeda Brand  has been around for several years now, they've really only started to make an impact in the jiu jitsu gi and gear industry in the last two years. If you know your jiu jitsu history - and you should... shame on you if you don't! - you'll know that the brand derives its name from Maeda Mitsuyo, the Japanese judoka who made his way to Brazil in 1914, where he eventually came to teach the art of judo to members of the Gracie family, who themselves are credited with the creation of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Essentially, without Maeda Mitsuyo, there'd be no BJJ... Mind. Blown. 

So, back to the brand. Its motto is "tradition within", which we love because it speaks not only to the brand's inspiration - Maeda - but also alludes to its aesthetic. Maeda likes to keep their designs classy and timeless, yet at the same time, they also cater to today's jiu jitsu practitioner with modern cuts and high-tech materials. 

Their Akashio Jiu Jitus Gi, for example, is the perfect example of this seamless meshing of traditional and modern. The Akashio features a 100% cotton jacket, made from 480 GSM Pearl Weave Plus - which is a tighter, stronger weave than a standard pearl weave - and mid-weight 10 oz drill cotton pants. Both the jacket and pants have a tailored, competition-style cut, which fits slightly more snug than an old school gi, and helps deter your opponents from getting, and maintaining, a solid grip. The outside of the gi is simple and understated, featuring gold contrast stitching and custom-designed woven patches. The inside of the jacket is where all the excitement is: lined with fully sublimated Cool Max fabric, which is designed to keep you cool and dry during training, it depicts a slightly modified ancient Japanese artwork, featuring a Samurai in the midst of intense battle on the beach. Blood red accent details nod to the gi's name; "akashio" means "red tide" in Japanese. 

While this might be - hands down - one of our favorite gis in the warehouse, that's not the only great gi that Maeda Brand makes. Their entire gi lineup is pretty top-notch. In fact, the Red Label is probably the best "basic" gi on the market today (in our opinion). And they recently began dabbling in the no-gi market, putting out some great rashguards, shorts and spats, both for men and for women. 

If you haven't checked out Maeda Brand... now's probably a good time. 

Train on... Oss. 

If you're a competitor, you know the importance of a solid ultralight gi. Because, really now, when are we ever NOT close to weight?? Jiu jitsu is a demanding activity, so you gotta constantly fuel up... But maybe you had one too many tacos with your acai bowls, and now you're looking at the scale with more than a little trepidation. 

Never fear... The Ultralights are here! Here are some of the best lightweight gis we offer: 

Kingz Nano

When almost all ultralight gis in the market featured ripstop pants, Kingz was one of the first brands to offer a super lightweight gi with cotton pants. In order to keep the Nano light enough to compete with the ridiculous lightweight-edness of a their traditional Kingz Ultralight gi, they made a few smart design and construction decisions. For one, they chose the lightest materials they could, without going too light and risking a flimsy, easy-to-tear gi. With this in mind, they chose a lightweight 370 GSM pearl weave jacket and 8 oz drill cotton pants. And while most ultralight gis at the time featured sewn-on logo patches, Kingz chose to give the Nano a little class with embroidered details, but kept it minimal to keep the weight of the gi down.

• 370 GSM Pearl Weave jacket
• 8 oz drill cotton
• Women's and Kid's cuts, too

Tatami Elements

Meet one of the newest additions to Tatami's lineup, and one of the lightest it has ever produced: the Tatami Elements Gi. Weighing in at less than 3 lbs (for an A2), it's one of the lightest gis in the industry. Like the Kingz Nano, Tatami chose to feature an ultralight gi with cotton pants. Tatami decided to take it a step further by featuring a 300 GSM pearl weave jacket and 8 oz twill cotton pants. They kept the adornments of the Elements simple, yet stylish, with two matching patches along the shoulders and subtle contrast stitching. 

• 300 GSM Pearl Weave
• 8 oz twill cotton
• Men's/unisex cut only 

Hayabusa Pro Lightweight

For those of you seeking that traditional ultralight gi feel, with some modern touches, Hayabusa has got you covered - literally - with their Pro Lightweight gi. Featuring an ultra-lightweight 350 GSM cotton pearl weave jacket and 10 oz cotton/polyester blend ripstop pants, this gi is both light and indestructible. Keeping the gi light, yet distinctly Hayabusa, the Pro Lightweight features designed patches and embroidery adornments with the iconic Hayabusa falcon. 

• 350 GSM pearl weave jacket
• 10 oz cotton/polyester blend ripstop pants
• Men's/unisex cut only

Maeda Red Label

One of our favorite ultralight gis isn't even marketed as an ultralight! Comparable to Maeda's Fujin Gi, which was their original lightweight gi, the Maeda Red Label is actually their basic gi... so you get both a great, inexpensive gi and an ultralight gi in one! For the Red Label, Maeda chose a lightweight 350 GSM "super fine" pearl weave jacket and 8 oz drill cotton pants. As its name suggests, the "super fine" pearl weave is a tighter, more durable weave than a regular pearl weave. Keeping with their super stylish design aesthetic, the Red Label has minimal patch details, in a fresh pop of bright red color, and their custom-designed stamp logo embroidered on the shoulder and back of the jacket. 

• 350 GSM Lightweight Super Fine Pearl Weave jacket
• 8 oz drill cotton pants
• Women's and Kid's cuts, too

 Train... and eat... on! Oss.

Not everyone has aspirations of being a sport jiu jitsu superstar... that's not why we started jiu jitsu in the first place anyway, right? But it'd be a shame if you didn't try it at least once in your career. Exposing yourself to the unique stresses of the competition mat not only grows your jiu jitsu, but it also gives you a fresh view into yourself, particularly your vulnerabilities and your strengths. 

However, not all jiu jitsu tournaments are created the same. Their size, prestige and rulesets all differ a bit, so you can pick and choose which one suits your tastes. No need to waste energy looking them up... we've listed all the major ones below: 

IBJJF - The International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation is the oldest and one of the most prestigious promotions in our list, featuring large and small events across the globe. In addition to their yearly World Championships - both gi and no-gi - and their major continental events - the Brazilian, European, Pans and Asian Championships - they also offer more local "Open" events held in major cities around the world, as well as a huge event exclusively for competitors age 30 and above: the World Master Championship (which also happens to be one of their biggest events, with nearly 4,500 competitors in 2017). As the oldest competitive jiu jitsu promotion, they have set the standard for most points-based tournament formats. 

ADCC - The ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships is the oldest and most prestigious no-gi - well, "submission fighting" - events in the world. Launched in 1998 by Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the son of then-UAE leader Sheik Zayed and founder of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (hence, ADCC), the event is held every two years and features the top wrestlers, judoka, jiu-jitsu and sambo practitioners in the world. These fighters had either won an international ADCC qualifying event or were invited due to their notoriety in the sport. The ADCC ruleset is an interesting mix of sub-only and points, in which the first half of the match is sub-only (although competitors can still receive negative points for pulling guard during this period) and the second half is points-based, but calculated differently from the IBJJF. 

Fight2Win - What began as a small local Colorado tournament has become one of the most sought-after live event super fight promotions in the United States. Considered "the biggest party in grappling," Fight2Win brings UFC-style excitement to the jiu jitsu mats, where they feature one-on-one match-ups between local competitors. With the Fight2Win, you don't have to be a superstar to get a spot on their card... but you do typically have to be at least purple belt and above, or a juvenile. Fight2Win is a submission-only ruleset, under a specified time-limit, with three judges who will determine the result in case neither fighter gets a submission. Check out their fighter application here.

UAEJJF - The United Arab Emirates Jiu Jitsu Federation is basically IBJJF's biggest competitor on the world scale. As its name suggests, the UAEJJF was founded in the UAE in 2009, where several UAE big wigs - including Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahayan - had discovered and fallen in love with jiu jitsu, and subsequently began a national project to install jiu jitsu into all of the country's public schools, as well as create a professionalized promotion of jiu jitsu events around the world. Like the IBJJF, the UAEJJF is a points- based tournament, but unlike the IBJJF, the UAEJJF offers prize-money for athlete who make the podium. 

EBI - Launched in 2014 by the founder of the 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu system, the Eddie Bravo Invitational is a 16-person submission-only tournament. One of the few no-gi only tournaments, participation is by invitation only and the event is broadcast live on UFC FightPass. The EBI also features a unique format designed to maximize the chance of submissions: each match is 10-minutes, and if no submission is achieved by the end of time, the competitors go into overtime, where they each have to be put into a "dead-zone" position - spiderweb or back control - from which they have to escape. The competitor who is able to submit, and avoid being submitted in return, wins. If neither competitor submits during three overtime rounds, the winner is he/she who has the shortest accumulated escape times. Many smaller sub-only promotions have adopted this format. 

Polaris - Founded by the guys at Scramble Brand and Tatami, Polaris is Europe's longest-running professional grappling event, featuring both gi and no-gi matches. Polaris is invitation-only and features some of the best jiu jitsu competitors from around the world. Matches are 15 minutes long and submission-only. However, if a match fails to end with a submission, a panel of judges decide who wins via a tiered set of considerations, in which submissions attempts and aggression are weighed more heavily than positional control. This format makes for strong incentive for exciting matches.  

Copa Podio - A Brazilian-based super fight promotion, the Copa Podio is a live super fight event that pits ten of jiu jitsu's top athletes against each other for a grand prize. Instead of a traditional bracket system, Copa Podio uses a round-robin system, in which the fighters are split into two 5-person groups, and everyone in that group has to fight each other to determine who advances to the finals to face-off against the winner from the other group. The matches are six-minutes long and use the IBJJF ruleset, with the winners earning match points - five for a submission, three for a win by points, two for a win by advantages, and one to each fighter in the case of a draw. 

Absolute Championship Berkut - The ACBJJ jumped on the event bandwagon in 2017, featuring both open championship events around the world, as well as professional super fight events. Notably, the ACBJJ does not allow women to compete in their events. 

Five Grappling - Five Grappling is a California-based promotion that features both a professional super fight event, called the "Five Super League", as well as local tournaments held in states around the U.S. 

Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation - The only Brazilian jiu jitsu federation that has recognition from an international sport organization - the Association for International Sport for All - the SJJIF also boast both continental and country-level associations, which hold events across the globe. 

In addition to these more prestigious promotions, there are a ton of promotions that hold smaller, local tournaments in various regions across the United States. Entry fees are relatively inexpensive, and offer great opportunities to get some fights under your belt, especially for white belts to purple belts. Some of these are: 

• North American Grappling Association (NAGA) - across the U.S. 
• American Grappling Federation - across the U.S. 
• Fuji BJJ Championship Series - across the U.S.
• Jiu Jitsu World League - mostly Western U.S. and Texas
• SubCon - Southern California
• New Breed - across the U.S., but mostly the Southeastern U.S.
• Copa American Grappling Championships - Southeastern U.S.
• Grappling Games - Midwest and Eastern U.S. 
• Grappling Industries - across the U.S. and Australia
• US Grappling - Eastern U.S.

Train... and compete... on. Oss.