BJJ T-Shirts: How to Choose a Tee for Training and Life Off the Mats
A good BJJ t-shirt fits close enough to stay out of your way, holds up to weekly washing, and carries a design that means something to you. Most grapplers wear their tees in three places: to warm up, on the walk to and from the gym, and everywhere else in their week. This guide covers what to look for in fit, fabric and design so the shirt you buy earns all three.
Can you train BJJ in a t-shirt?
You can wear a t-shirt to your first class or two, and most gyms will let you. For regular no-gi training, a rashguard works better. A loose cotton tee gets grabbed, stretched and pulled over your head during scrambles, and it holds sweat instead of moving it off your skin.
You can also wear your t-shirt over your rashguard. The rashguard sits close to your skin and handles the sweat, and the tee on top keeps you warm through warm-ups and gives you a little more coverage. Check with your coach before you roll in it, since some gyms ask you to take the outer layer off for live rounds.
Gi students wear a t-shirt or rashguard under the jacket. Here a cotton tee works fine, as long as the fit stays close enough that it doesn't bunch up at your waist.
Where t-shirts shine is everything around the roll. You wear one to warm up, to drill on an open-mat day, to sit on the edge of the mat and watch class, and out the door afterward.
What should you look for in a BJJ t-shirt?
Start with three things.
- Fabric. Soft cotton feels best against skin after training and holds a print well. Every Pressure Point tee is 100% cotton. Check the care label, because cotton washed hot will shrink.
- Fit. Pick your normal size if you want it for everyday wear. Size down if you plan to wear it under a gi, so it sits flat under the jacket.
- Print placement. A clean front with the main graphic on the back reads well in the gym and on the street. It also keeps the design off the area that rubs against straps and seatbelts.
What makes a good BJJ shirt design?
The best grappling shirts say something to the people who train and stay quiet to everyone else. A heavy logo or a joke about chokes gets old by the third wear. A design that holds a real idea from the mats keeps meaning something.
Each Pressure Point tee carries an idea from the mats:
- The Apply the Pressure Tee ($20) keeps the front clean and puts a fighter mid-throw across the back, the second where control turns into execution.
- The Art of Pressure Tee ($25) carries the Pressure Point logo on the chest and the Art of Pressure graphic on the back, built around control, timing and applied force.
- The Founder's Tee ($25) puts the Snake on the chest and the full Pressure Point logo across the back, and lets that simple design do the talking.
Pressure Point's founder makes the Art of Pressure Tee and the Founder's Tee by hand, in small batches, one shirt at a time.
How do you wash a BJJ t-shirt so the print lasts?
Turn the shirt inside out, wash it cold and hang it to dry. Heat is the main thing that cracks a print and shrinks cotton, so skip the high dryer setting. Wash your training clothes after every session, and never leave a sweaty shirt balled up in your gym bag overnight. Bacteria grow fast in damp fabric, and the smell sets in.
Which size BJJ t-shirt should you get?
Pressure Point tees come in XS through XL. If you sit between sizes, go up for everyday wear and down for wearing under a gi.
Pick a shirt you'll wear every day
A shirt you reach for every day becomes part of how people know you, on and off the mats. Pick one that matches the way you train.
Pressure is a privilege, so put it on.
