tournament gear...

[alexgncw]

what are everyones preferences (and why) as far as wearing rash guards, knee pads, mouth pieces, head gear, cups, etc in competition ... let hold on the you should compete with the gear you train with comments and just discuss the advantages/disadvantages of each one

 

[Balto]

Rash Guard
Advantage: Less risk of skin disease from gross competitors
Disadvantage: Gives your opponent something to grab

Knee Pads
Advantage: Protects your knees
Disadvantage: Can fall down and be distracting; easy to grab if it slips down

Mouth Piece
Advantage: Protects your teeth; is often mandatory
Disadvantage: Slightly impairs breathing

Head Gear
Advantage: Protects you from cauliflower ear
Disadvantage: Can make it harder to escape from certain chokes, e.g. guillotine

Cup
Advantage: Protects your balls; often mandatory
Disadvantage: Can dig into your thighs and cause pain

 

[alexgncw]

all good points ... so what do you prefer to use and not to use in tourneys

generally i just use the cup for obvious reasons and a mouthguard cause i've already knocked my teeth out and it costs mad money to fix each time so i don't wanna be worried about breaking them when i'm competing

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

I only use a rash guard under my gi and a cup....and if a mouthpiece is mandatory..then I'll sport one...the one I have (shock doctor) hinders my breathing more then I would like.

 

[alexgncw]

you should get a custom one made by a dentist it makes a huge difference as far as breathing goes and is a lot more comfortable

 

[Deathstomp]

I never wear anything but my gi and belt because thats how I train. I think the way you train is how you should fight. Although one day my balls might be hurtin real bad from no cup

 

[Smorra]

A guy who used to go to my school before he moved had a custom mouthpiece from a dentist that cost him a lot of money, yet it still only fully protected his upper teeth. I bought one from a sporting goods store that protects both my top and bottom teeth and has a hole in the center to breathe through. I molded it to my teeth by boiling it and biting into it. It may not be as perfect a fit as my friends was, but his obstructed his breathing, which resulted in him not sucking it into place and biting down on it untill he was about just about to do something, which telegraphed his moves, and left him unprotected whenever he needed to breath freely.
   I'm not sure if there are dentist-molded models that have the whole in the center, but if not, I would definately recommend one with a whole to breathe through. You can find a variety of brands online such as BrainPad, and models that cost a little more and come with larger dental work guarantee if they fail to protect you.

 

[Gsoares2***]

you should get a custom one made by a dentist it makes a huge difference as far as breathing goes and is a lot more comfortable

Ide go opro... much cheaper then the dentist.

 

[colinm]

i dont wear any extra protective gear. just rash guard and shorts or a gi with nothingunderneath. it probably isnt the smartest thing to do, but whatever.

 

[Happy Camper]

Rash Guard: Not legal in BJJ. Non-gay in submission wrestling


Knee Pads: Always use them, lets me go harder.

Mouth Piece: Always use it, dentist is expensive.

Head Gear: Never use it since people will grabb it and it makes it harder to get my head out from lots of stuff.

Cup: Always use it, obvious reason

 

[TJS]

I always wear a mouthpiece and cup in competition. I wear an under armor shirt aswell.

 

[SmashiusClay]

You'd never catch me not wearing a mouthpiece or cup to compete both are essential and if I'm competing in shorts then I slways have kneepads on. In my first sombo comp. I fought without them and afterwards had no skin left on the inside of my knees from going for double legs.

Incidentally I'm always the only person who wears a mouthpiece at my judo club or at most competitions, which i really find puzzling.

 

[TheHighlander]

Where are you guys seeing mandatory cup and or mouthpiece? I've never run into that for submission wrestling or bjj.

I know rashguard under gi isn't legal at many tourneys but I wear one frequently when I train because I switch between gi and no-gi opponents. Other than that, no equipment (cup, mouthpiece, pads, headgear) during training or competition, although I will wear headgear periodically if the cauli flares up (maybe 2 weeks a year) and wrestling shoes if I'm dealing with matburn (maybe 2 days a year), but those are only for training not competition. I always wear a rashguard and shorts when training or competing no-gi though.

 

[Joey Guidice]

I wear shorts...thats it...usually no cup or mouthpiece.....they are both very distracting to me...I Know that i am sacrificing my saftey but i just can't get used to using them....mabey i'll try to work it into practice and then see if i can use it in a tournament.

 

[mcbadboy170]

Board shorts-they give me magical powers
Rash guard- Comfort and guards against rashes
Cup-I like my nuts
mouth piece- my dental insurance sucks so I need to protect my teeth

 

[Bmonk**]

I usually just wear a rash guard and knee pads.

I can live without a rash guard. Knee pads are a must though.

 

[greasemonkey]

I only wear my gi, not a rashguard or anything, I'll probably get a mouthpeice soon since last tournament i got knee'd in the face while a guy was trying to pass my guard.

 

[RetiredWisFighter]

i come out to the rocky theme w/ a bathrobe on and when i take it off all i have on is my cup then i scream oh shit my nightmare came true and run

 

[phenomfan1529]

i just wear my board shorts and rash guard. im thinking about kneepads for the next competition though.

 

[vanguard_anon]

rash guards
I wear this in no-gi. I think I'm sensitive to getting hot so I just wear my gi top during gi work.

knee pads
I have no experience with these.

mouth pieces
It does inhibate my breathing but I always wear one and I've become used to it.

head gear
I train with head gear, especially if my ears are even slightly tender. I would never wear it in competition.

cups
I always wear my cup. It makes me less destracted about protecting "the boys" so I can focus on BJJ. Also, if I can flaten a guy out while I have it back I feel like it's an offensive weapon.