Is a rashguard any different than a normal Under Armour/Nike compression shirt?

[Klondike145]

Or are they the same thing?

Gonna be starting BJJ soon, gonna need some gear.

Also do you guys wear cups/mouthguards to BJJ? It seems like a good amount of people don't.

 

[Konijo]

I personally just roll with my UA compression shirt but that's just me. For a cup or mouthguard, its personal preference. If you decide to not wear one of them, you'll probably decide to wear one once you take a stray knee to the head/between the legs lol

 

[PJL]

Some rashguards don't fit as tightly as normal compression wear, at least for me. I had the same Gameness short sleeved rashguard for about 3 years until it got holes in it. At the same time, I used it interchangeably with UA and Nike products and didn't notice any significant performance difference. Because of the generally looser fit, though, the Gameness stayed in place (i.e., didn't ride up) a little bit better while rolling than the regular compression shirts. Currently, I'm mainly using a Nike pro combat shirt and long-sleeved UA cold gear shirt as my rashguards and they work fine.

 

[Dim Sum Punch]

Some times Rashguards are a little bit thicker but that might just be a brand thing. I roll in both as well, usually what ever is on sale unless I really like something. Cup is a must for rolling IMO, most of the time I wear a mouth piece when I grapple too but not always.

 

[BeastoftheEast]

I think UA is supposed to protect against cold/heat. That's the only difference i can think of.

 

[BigCP84**]

I always wear a mouth guard... Dentists are expensive. Never a cup though, I hated wearing one when I played baseball, and could never wear one rolling.

 

[sandmann]

A lot of grappling rashguards are made with some extra stitching around the neck area and ends of the sleeves. Some also have a waist band so that they dont ride up. Other than that I can't think of any big differences. I wear both grappling rash guards and UA ones and they pretty much perform the same.

As far as a cup I would say you dont need one. You arent allowed to wear them in competition. It is also really annoying for your training partners when you have thier back and its digging into thier spine.

Always wear a mouthguard. The one time I didnt I chipped a tooth. The boil and bite mouthguards made by shock doctor arent bad but once you get a custom mouthguard made for you by your dentist you will never go back to a boil and bite. The custom ones dont restrict your breathing at all like the boil and bites do.

If you are just starting out I would say go with the cheaper stuff for now and if you really decide you are going to stick to this for a while then you can upgrade your gear as it wears out.