Rashguards as athletic wear — has the BJJ-only label loosened up?

This whole idea that rashguards were ever *only* for BJJ is revisionist history, full stop. I've seen a few takes in this thread about the "good old days," but let's be real, the rashguard as a distinct piece of athletic wear predates most of us ever stepping on a mat. Think early 2000s surf culture, or even before that, grappling's less formalized cousins like wrestling. Nobody was saying a dude in a singlet was "cosplaying" if he wore a compression shirt to the gym. The BJJ community, bless its heart, just absorbed a perfectly functional piece of athletic gear and, in its typical fashion, started gatekeeping it.

The real shift isn't that people are wearing them *outside* BJJ; it's that BJJ *normalized* high-quality, graphically diverse compression wear. For years, if you wanted a decent compression top that wasn't a plain black Under Armour shirt, your best bet was a fightwear brand. They were the ones innovating with flatlock seams, moisture-wicking tech, and designs that didn't make you look like you were about to run a marathon. The "BJJ-only" label was less about etiquette and more about market availability. If you wanted a durable, cool-looking compression shirt, you bought it from a company marketing to grapplers because no one else was really doing it that well.

So, when I see someone at the grocery store in an old Kingz or Tatami comp rashguard, my first thought isn't "look at this try-hard." It's "smart, that thing probably cost 60 bucks and is more comfortable than a cotton tee." It's no different than someone wearing their favorite hockey jersey or their running club's tech shirt. The idea that a specific piece of clothing, designed for athletic performance, becomes sacred once it has a jiu-jitsu logo on it, is pure BJJ-insular thinking. We're talking about a garment whose primary function is comfort and hygiene, not ceremonial regalia. Get over it.

Do you think a collegiate wrestler in 1998 felt a sacred obligation to remove his compression shirt the moment he left the wrestling room? Doubtful. We're just catching up to what other athletic communities have known for decades: good gear is good gear.

The question of the rashguard's origins and its place in contemporary grappling culture often leads to some interesting historical divergences, particularly regarding its "BJJ-only" label, as a few members in this thread have touched upon. It is worth noting that while the widespread adoption of the rashguard in competitive jiu-jitsu certainly solidified its identity within that specific context, its fundamental design and purpose extend beyond the confines of a single martial art.

The term "rashguard" itself, by reputation, derives from its utility in preventing skin abrasions and rashes, particularly in water sports such as surfing, where prolonged contact with boards and sand could lead to irritation. Companies like O'Neill, for instance, were manufacturing protective water shirts, functionally similar to modern rashguards, in the mid-20th century, long before their integration into grappling uniforms. The core concept of a form-fitting, moisture-wicking garment designed for athletic protection is not exclusive to jiu-jitsu.

When tracing its more direct entry into grappling, one might look to the late 1990s and early 2000s, a period when no-gi grappling began to gain significant traction, especially with events like the inaugural ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship in 1998. The ADCC ruleset, which allows for a wider range of submissions than traditional gi-jitsu and emphasizes continuous action, implicitly encouraged attire that would not hinder movement or provide grips, making the rashguard a practical choice. Prior to this, many no-gi competitors might have worn simple t-shirts or singlets, which offered less protection and could become saturated with sweat, impacting hygiene and comfort. The transition to specialized compression wear was a natural evolution driven by the demands of the sport.

The idea that rashguards were "only" for BJJ, as some have suggested, might be a byproduct of the strong marketing and branding efforts by jiu-jitsu-specific apparel companies that emerged as the sport grew. This created a perception that these garments were intrinsically tied to the art, rather than being a versatile piece of athletic wear adapted for it. HoG Drama Desk's observation about the rashguard predating most of us on the mat, especially in surf culture, appears to align with this broader historical trajectory.

The current trend of wearing competition rashguards casually may simply reflect the increasing integration of athletic wear into everyday fashion, a phenomenon not unique to grappling. Does this casual wear dilute the significance of the rashguard as a piece of competition attire, or does it merely signify its widespread acceptance as comfortable and functional clothing?

It's not about tradition anymore, it's about hygiene. When a new student asks me about wearing their compression gear from another sport on the mats, I tell them point-blank it needs to be laundered after every single use if they plan to roll in it. We have a strict policy here at Marcus Martial Arts on clean gear for every class.

The idea that a rashguard is just "athletic wear" now, as HoG Drama Desk mentioned, kind of sidesteps the specific demands of grappling. When someone wears that same piece of gear to the grocery store, then to the gym, then rolls in it, that's where the line gets blurred for me. We're a contact sport; cross-contamination is a real concern, especially with staph infections. We had a breakout scare back in 2018 that taught us a lot about being vigilant.

I don't get the comparison to a gi, since rashguards are actually comfortable and functional for training. No one's walking around in their gi top like it's a regular shirt because it's completely impractical.

And this idea that rashguards were "BJJ-only" feels pretty far off. I trained wrestling long before I ever thought about BJJ, and compression gear was standard. It's athletic wear. HoG Drama Desk had a point there.

The only "etiquette" that matters is hygiene, which Coach Marcus brought up. As long as it's clean, wear what you want. It's not like EBI rulesets care about your fashion choices; they care about submissions. Someone like Gordon Ryan isn't thinking about how his rashguard looks at the grocery store.

The "BJJ-only" label for rashguards really wasn't a thing at any serious academy. We’ve always trained in rashguards for nogi, but also for specific drilling in the gi. Nobody at AOJ in 2023 was ever told to take off their rashguard after a round to walk to the bathroom. This reads like a take from someone who doesn't actually spend that much time on the mats.

It’s just compression gear. People wear compression shirts for running, cycling, lifting. What’s the difference? It makes no sense to act like it's some sacred item that only belongs in a dojo. If I'm coming straight from a morning training session where we did 10 rounds of live rolling, then running errands, I’m not changing my shirt before getting in the car. It's just a shirt.

It's interesting to hear Alex say the "BJJ-only" label for rashguards wasn't a thing at any serious academy. Maybe it's because my gym in Austin is smaller, but I definitely remember hearing older purple belts talk about it when I started in 2021. It was more about "don't wear your grappling gear outside the gym" than just rashguards specifically.

Now, though, I see a few of our newer white belts wearing their team rashguards to the coffee shop next door before morning class. Coach Mark hasn't said anything about it. I guess as long as it's clean for rolling, it's not a big deal. For me, it's still just my training gear, so it gets washed and then put away until the next session.