Rash guards were originally made available due to the popularity of surfing. The idea of the rashguard was to do as its name says – guard against rashes. By wearing this over your skin you are less likely to get cuts, sunburn or rashes, not to mention mat burn. The rashguard acts like a second layer of skin and will help keep out infections and other unwanted things from your body. Often popularised by John Danaher who is very rarely seen without one, they are sometimes worn outside the gym by those who are brave enough to wear them.
Although you might not want to wear a rashguard to a wedding or an awards ceremony like Danaher did. They are definitely comfortable and offer fast drying when wet, but still manage to keep you warm when it’s cold. A rashguard is a must for no-gi and most gyms have hygiene policies to make sure you also wear one under your gi.
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What are the differences?
The main difference is that a BJJ rashguard has reinforced stitching along the seams and is also tapered to fit and stay in place.
Due to the difference in stitching, you will generally find that a BJJ rashguard will last a lot longer when grappling compared to a surfing rashguard or compression shirt. A rashguard for BJJ will generally last around 4-5 years if you’re wearing it regularly. Poorly stitched rashguards or compression shirts not made for grappling will probably start fraying within a year and last 1-2 years in total.
Depending on the brand, sometimes a BJJ rashguard will also have a thicker and rubberized texture compared to a compression shirt. You probably won’t be able to tell due to the difference being millimeters but this will have quite a big impact on long term durability.
Why do people wear rash guards in BJJ?
In short, the rashguard is designed to keep the skin healthy and as hygienic as possible. This is why some gyms enforce a policy that make people wear them even whilst training in the gi. As the title suggests, the main idea is to protect against skin rashes. If you’ve been training hard and sweat lots, your skin could rub on the mat or against the gi.
This could potentially create mat burn or become uncomfortable. There are other benefits such drying quickly compared to a regular t-shirt. Compared to other pieces of clothing, they are generally lighter and easier to store too. Basically, they are very convenient.
How should a rash guard fit and should it be tight in BJJ?
Usually, rashguards are a fairly tight fit. There’s a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, if they’re too baggy then there’s a greater chance of the material catching on fingers and causing injuries. Secondly, if it’s tighter the rashguard will help store sweat better and stop it dripping onto training partners. Let’s face it, no one wants that.
Some people also like the idea of a tight rashguard from an aesthetic perspective. For vanity purposes – some like the look that it gives them, especially if it shows off their impressive muscles.
Cost
In general BJJ rashguards are also more expensive than standard compression t-shirts. One part of this is already discussed above, they will be slightly more expensive to make since the stitching is reinforced and the material is slightly thicker.
However, the price differential can also be impacted by the designs available. There is a wide range of BJJ brands and some are very cheap whereas others are more expensive. Generally, this will be due to the design of the rashguard. Brands such as Meerkatsu and Scramble often have had a painstaking amount of hours put into drawing the original designs, so you’re paying for artwork as well as the rashguard.
Gi vs No-Gi
If you’re doing a lot of Gi and your gym has a rashguard policy then you may as well buy a cheaper compression shirt. This is because there is not much point investing in a more durable and expensive BJJ rashguard since it is not going to get as much wear. If your gi is going to take the wear and tear of rolling around on the mat then there is not any need to have something durable underneath since it will never touch the mat.
Obviously, if you’re doing a lot of no-gi this point is reversed. Your rashguard will have a lot of wear and tear from the mats and other people’s bodies. Therefore you may as well buy something more durable.
