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2014 BJJ Lovers Holiday Shopping Guide

Santa has asked us for gift ideas for all of the good boys and girls who train Brazilian jiu jitsu.

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It’s that time of year again. Santa has asked us for gift ideas for all of the good boys and girls who train Brazilian jiu jitsu. There were so many amazing products introduced this year it was hard to narrow down the list, but it had to be done.

Here are my recommendations for some of the best gifts for the BJJ practitioner in your life:

It’s that time of year again. Santa has asked us for gift ideas for all of the good boys and girls who train Brazilian jiu jitsu. There were so many amazing products introduced this year it was hard to narrow down the list, but it had to be done.

Here are my recommendations for some of the best gifts for the BJJ practitioner in your life:

Books and Magazines

Some of the books I’ve chosen are recommended because they will improve your mental game. Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman, can help you to self-motivate, be a better teammate, and manage your stress level. Focus, by the same author, will help you focus.

The Rise of Superman, by Steven Kotler Price, will help you to identify and create flow in your training. If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules, by Cherie Carter-Scott, will help you to be a better person and be kind to yourself and others.

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

  • Price: $20.20
  • Where to Get It: Amazon

Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence by Daniel Goleman

  • Price: $22.56
  • Where to Get It: Amazon

The Rise of Superman by Steven Kotler Price

  • Price: $20.69
  • Where to Get It: Amazon

If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules by Cherie Carter-Scott

  • Price: $15.88
  • Where to Get It: Amazon

It’s great to be mentally strong, but in jiu jitsu, we also need to keep our conditioning in tip-top shape. I recommend Joel Jamieson’s Ultimate MMA Conditioning and the Conditioning Blueprint DVD to those who want to complement their jiu jitsu training with strength and conditioning.

Not into heavy reading? That’s why we have magazines! I love finding Jiu Jitsu Style in my mailbox, and so will your loved ones.

Ultimate MMA Conditioning and Conditioning Blueprint

Jiu Jitsu Style Magazine Subscription

DVDs

The DVDs below are ones that I’ve heard good things about or have found to help my training a lot over the years. I love Ryan Hall’s in-depth explanations of jiu jitsu theory and how the body works in relation to other bodies.

Stephan Kesting is a huge asset to the BJJ community. Every DVD set of his I’ve seen answers questions I didn’t even know to ask, whether he’s alone or with Emily Kwok or Brandon Mullins. Mastering the Crucifix can help your entire game, and I love that you don’t have to worry about keeping track of DVDs. It’s all available online.

RELATED: Mastering the Crucifix (Product Review)

Beyond Technique, with Nic Gregoriades

Mastering the Crucifix, with Matt Kirtley and Marshal D. Carper

Non-Stop Jiu Jitsu, with Brandon Mullins and Stephan Kesting

Ryan Hall DVD Set

Takedown Blueprint, with Jimmy Pedro and Travis Stevens

Tournament Photos

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a framed photo from your competition? Fortunately, the BJJ community has some amazing photographers. Photographers like David Brown and Mike Calimbas capture our moments perfectly and offer prints for competitors and family members.

Supplements and Massage Tools

Supplements and massage tools are a big part of BJJ training for me, but you may not know what supplements your athlete might like. A gift card is always a great idea. I’m sponsored by Q5 Sports Nutrition so I’m most familiar with their products, but I hear some people would kill for a Quest bar. A box of Quest bars goes a long way. I’m still trying to finish the box I was sent to review. Another favorite for me is BioX protein bars. So delicious!

Other great gift items are massage tools from RAD roller and the Revolutionary Foam Roller from Epitome Fitness. And as always, I recommend BioForce HRV to ensure you’re getting the most out of your training.

BioForce HRV

  • Price: $247.00
  • Where to Get It: Bio Force HRV

Quest Bars

BioX Bars

Q5 Sports Nutrition

RAD Roller

LEARN MORE: RAD Roller (Product Review)

Epitome Fitness Revolutionary Foam Roller

  • Price: $35.00
  • Where to Get It: Amazon

Clothing

On Sundays, I don’t feel like wearing real clothes when I go to BJJ. I’m all about the hoodies and the gym pants. For slobs like me, unwrapping a Scramble hoodie or a pair of UA joggers would make Christmas the best day ever.

Still comfortable but a million times more stylish is the epic track jacket from Grips Athletics. I’ve worn this a lot, but haven’t reviewed it yet due to my lack of running. Quick review: five stars. Pics and measurements are on my blog.

Grips Athletic Chill Out Track Top

lululemon Scuba Hoodie II

Scramble “IQ Wrestler” Full Zip Hoodie

  • Price: $79.99
  • Where to Get It: Scramble

Scramble “Relax-a-Tron” Joggers

  • Price: $74.99
  • Where to Get It: Scramble

Under Armour Legacy French Terry Pant

Under Armour French Legacy Terry Pant

Rashguards and Training Pants

I like the gi, but I like no-gi just as much. Mostly because the gear is so awesome. With all of those graphics and shiny fabrics, what’s not to like? My picks for no gi gear are below.

Combat Skin Combat Warrior Rashguard and Spats

LEARN MORE: Combat Skin Combat Warrior Rashguard and Tights

93 Brand Ugly Sweater Rashguard

93 Brand Ugly Sweater Rashguard

93 Brand Rollers ⅞ Sleeve Rashguard

Grips Athletics Flower Power Rashguard

Groundswell Grappling Rashguard

Scramble x Sakuraba “Water” Rashguard

  • Price: $55.00
  • Where to Get It: Scramble

JACO Hybrid Training Shorts

JACO Hybrid Training Shorts

JACO Women’s Training Tights

Manto Black Pro Logo Shorts

Mitmunk Leggings

  • Price: $79.00
  • Where to Get It: Etsy

Mitmunk Leggings

Gis

Finally, the most important item: the gi. But which one is best? There is no best. I always looked for “the one,” but there are so many awesome gis, it’s hard to choose these days. Below are both ones I have loved and ones I would love to try. I think they would be welcomed by any BJJ practitioner.

93 Brand x Meerkatsu Zodiac Gi

Adidas Gi

Adidas Gi

Fenom Gi

LEARN MORE: Fenom Pearl Weave Gi (Product Review)

Flow Kimonos Hemp Series Gi

  • Price: $200.00
  • Where to Get It: Amazon

Grab & Pull Premium Gi v3 

  • Price: $139.99 to $149.99
  • Where to Get It: Roll More

Grips Athletics Secret Weapon 2.0 Gi

Scramble Rebel Gi

Scramble Rebel Gi

Inverted Gear Gi

  • Price: $129.99 to $149.99
  • Where to Get It: Roll More

Killer Bee Custom Gi

Meerkatsu Heavenly Kimono

OK! Kimonos Adult Lightweight BJJ Gi

Tatami Estilo 4.0

Tatami Animal Gi (For the kids)

Tatami Animal Gi

Gear Bags

The gear is ready, but it has to be carried in something! What about an awesome new gear bag?

Tatami Meiyo BJJ Duffel Bag

lululemon Weekend Warrior Bag

Datsusara Gear Bag Pro

  • Price: $145.00
  • Where to Get It: DS Gear

Nupak

  • Price: $99.00
  • Where to Get It: Nupak USA

Grips Athletics Duffel Backpack

Grips Athletics Duffel Bag

Wow, making that list was so much fun. I wish I had the bank account to buy all of it! But I’ve always loved to watch other people spend money as well.

I hope my suggestions will help you to find something for that hard-to-buy-for jiu jitsu nut on your list. Maybe you’ll find something for yourself as well. Happy Holidays!

About Sally Arsenault

Sally Arsenault was not an athlete growing up and did not begin fitness training until she was 26 years old. Her first love was weight lifting, but after being robbed at gunpoint twice, she decided to learn self-defense to take back a sense of control over her own safety.

After trying muay Thai, MMA, and BJJ, she decided to focus on BJJ as it is a leverage-based martial art that was developed for small people, like her, to defeat larger attackers.

Now Sally is a BJJ brown belt under Kevin Taylor at Renzo Gracie Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. She founded a women's only program with hopes of introducing other women to the sport she loves.

BJJ is Sally’s passion and she is constantly researching training methods, techniques, supplements, nutrition, new training gear, and following leaders in the sport to learn their strategies to become a better athlete and competitor.

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