There are two types of grapplers.
The ones who show up prepared.
And the ones who borrow tape, stink up the room, forget their mouthguard, and somehow always ask, “bro do you think this is staph?"🤮
This isn’t about being obsessive.
It’s about being consistent.
A good gym bag doesn’t just help your training. It protects your skin, your performance, and how people feel about rolling with you.
Here’s what should actually be in it.
🥋 Training Essentials
1️⃣Rash Guard + Shorts / Gi
Obvious, but worth saying.
If you’re re-wearing sweaty gear, you’re not “hardcore”, you’re just increasing your risk of skin infections and being the guy people avoid in rounds.
2️⃣Mouthguard
You only forget this once… usually right before someone sprawls on your face.
If you train hard, this isn’t optional.
3️⃣Water Bottle
Hydration isn’t performance advice anymore. It’s survival.
If you’re relying on the gym’s shared bottle situation, you’re already losing.
4️⃣Tape
Fingers, toes, random injuries you pretend aren’t there.
Tape saves training weeks.
🧼 Hygiene Essentials (This is where most grapplers fail)
This is the section that keeps you on the mats.
5️⃣Face Wash
You don’t need a 10-step skincare routine.
You do need to get sweat, bacteria, and mat grime off your face after training.
👉 Grip Face Wash (post-training skin cleanser)
6️⃣Deodorant
If people notice your cardio before your technique, something has gone wrong.
👉 Grip Deodorant (long-lasting training-safe formula)
7️⃣Mouthwash / Breath Care
Close-contact sport. Enough said.
You can have world-class passing, but if your breath is questionable, people will choose not to be under you.
👉 Grip Mouthwash / Breath Mints
8️⃣Small Towel
Not just for sweat.
Also for hygiene, equipment wipe-down, and not using your rash guard as a napkin.
9️⃣Nail Clippers
If you’ve ever been sliced by a white belt with talons, you already understand this one.
Trim your nails. It’s basic respect.
1️⃣0️⃣Wet Wipes / Sanitiser
For quick cleanups between sessions, travel, or competition days.
Think of it as damage control for when you can’t shower immediately.
🧴 Recovery Essentials (Where longevity lives)
1️⃣1️⃣Recovery Cream
Your skin takes damage every session even if you don’t notice it.
Mat burn, friction, irritation, and dryness build up over time. Trust, you'll look and feel a lot better after just 1 week of using this stuff.
👉 Grip Recovery Creme (skin repair + barrier support)
1️⃣2️⃣ Protein Shake / Nutrition
You don’t recover in training. You recover after.
If you’re serious about improving, what you do after class matters as much as what you do on the mats.
1️⃣3️⃣ Electrolytes
Especially for hard rounds, competition days, or training in heat.
Cramping isn’t a badge of honour.
🩹 Emergency Items
1️⃣4️⃣ Bandages
Small cuts turn into big excuses to skip training if you ignore them.
1️⃣5️⃣ Athletic Tape
The difference between “I’ll train lightly” and “I’m sitting out for 2 weeks.”
1️⃣6️⃣ Spare Shirt
For when you finish training and realise your main shirt has entered biological hazard status.
Final Thought
Most people think getting better at BJJ is about adding more technique.
It’s not.
It’s about showing up consistently, staying healthy, and not losing training weeks to preventable problems.
The best grapplers aren’t just skilled.
They’re prepared.
They take care of their bodies.
They take care of their gear.
And they take care of their training partners.
That’s what Grip is built for.
Train hard. Stay on the mats. Don’t be “that guy.”
Justin.