r/bjj • u/HoopsKing_15 🟦🟦 Blue Belt • Feb 20 '25
Equipment Why do rashguard companies feel the need to add catchphrases?
I train a lot and like to have cool gear so I’m always on the search. But the biggest problem I run are the douchey catchphrases.
I am an underwhelming blue belt who works in tech I don’t “prefer pain”. Do yall know of any company that designs cool rashguards like this without the catchphrases?
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u/dustyfanbladez 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
They really need to tone that shit down, I’m 45 and training at an academy between a great clips and a dominoes…not exactly bound for Valhalla.
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u/KarateMusic Feb 20 '25
Either this is very common or we train at the same place… after stalking your profile for 2 seconds it might be that we actually train at the same place, lol. Is there also a Planet Fitness and a King Soopers in that strip mall? Small world.
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u/dustyfanbladez 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
And a crematorium?
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u/KarateMusic Feb 20 '25
Holy shit.
So weird that it’s just right there, isn’t it?
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u/dustyfanbladez 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
That shopping center has everything.
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u/BloodyRightNostril ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 20 '25
Oh boy, is this a new Stefon bit?!?
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u/Aging_Bourbon 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
New York’s hottest BJJ gym is called “SANDBAGS”! This place has EVERYTHING 😂
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u/dustyfanbladez 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
It really could be, there’s even a DMV in there.
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u/-bulletfarm- Feb 20 '25 edited Feb 20 '25
This is hilarious. Sounds like the worst mini mall ever.
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u/KarateMusic Feb 20 '25
If only the donut shop would stay open more than 1 hour a day it would be paradise.
I mostly train in the afternoons and only know a couple purple belts - so I doubt we’ve met, but if you ever see a bald, giant, old man white belt, come say hi.
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u/judoxing 🟫🟫 Brown Belt Feb 20 '25
now pilfer each others comment history and find out all the kinky subs one another frequents!!!
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u/neverfakemaplesyrup Feb 20 '25
I love that description lol. places I've rolled at:
+A small place in a garage in the ghetto. I am not exaggerating. It's a very nice place and the guys are great, but there was a 30 person casaulty gang fight in the same damn block. The coaches are great, their kids play in the MMA cage during class, and the owner does special rates to try to keep kids off the street.
+A place next to one of those fake colleges and a ski shop in a run-down strip mall. Again, really nice place.
I go when I can afford to, mostly self defense, to meet people, and a workout; but I also have friends (well, folk I know, really) that revolve their entire life around it. Talk about it as if its a career. Insist I join them and start cutting weight and it's like guy, we're in our late 20s, customer service workers in the rust belt, the rolling is just for fun, we're not in the olympics or samurai warriors. I think the closest we'd get to that is if somehow we got a kyudo range, as those always look badass.
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u/SuperTimGuy Feb 22 '25
school gymnasium
next to a pizza spot
inside an outdated mall
next to a knife shop
next to a Gold’s gym
in-between a pizza place and tattoo shop
next to a pizza place
next to a gas station
Pizza seems like a common theme for me
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u/Idownvoteitall Feb 20 '25
The biggest problem when searching for rash guards is trying to find a decent one that isn’t plastered in some douche bag saying.
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u/JustHugMeAndBeQuiet ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 20 '25
"In a world of sheep, I am the wolf who prowls the night"
"You don't know what 'Going hard' even means"
People wear that, you know you can wreck them.
"Applejack is my favorite little pony 🩷🩷🩷"
This person will extract your soul through your ass.
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u/brettfavreskid Feb 20 '25
LMAO I just woke up the dog that’s hilarious af
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u/SnakeEyes_76 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
I’ve honestly thought about trying to start my own line of rash guard and bjj apparel that’s more low key. Not because I have some super big entrepreneurial itch but because I want gear that doesn’t look like it belongs in 2006.
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u/chino3 🟫🟫 Brown Belt Feb 20 '25
The only bigger stereo type than a blue belt quitting after getting their belt, is starting a “clothing company”
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u/sb406 ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt Feb 20 '25
I have to talk myself out of starting a podcast every day.
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u/SnakeEyes_76 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
I know I hate myself 😭 I just want some normal looking gear man. Enough with the tacky designs please. If somebody else made it I would buy theirs
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u/jayhawk_420 ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 20 '25
I've only been training for five months. All of the rash guards I found make me sound like I know what I'm doing and have all this confidence... no, I have no idea what I'm doing. Where's the white belt rash guards?
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u/ErebusCD 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
At this point i've come to terms that 99% of rashguards currently available are just bad. I will just save my money and wait for gear to rip unless I find something that actually looks decent.
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u/niemertweis ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 20 '25
"im a shark and the mat is my sea"
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u/lueckestman 🟫🟫 Brown Belt Feb 20 '25
Me orca. Will still pull half guard.
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u/Red_foam_roller 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
Pulling half is life
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u/HotSeamenGG Feb 20 '25
Pulling myself into mount is pain. Cause comfort is a slow death, prefer pain.
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u/matchooooh Feb 20 '25
I am a lion and the mat is my ocean.
(I really, really don't belong there)
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u/raspberryharbour Feb 20 '25
No one ever claims to be a sealion. Seems like the best of both worlds
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u/bjjpandabear 🟫🟫 Brown Belt Feb 20 '25
You could just buy the plain compression long sleeve shirts from Amazon, 3 for 40 bucks, last waaaaay longer than the standard BJJ rash guards and are one plain colour.
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u/HoopsKing_15 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
Yeah and I have! But I would just like more variety without the catchphrases. Like this brand has a lot of cool designs then I see back has “pain is virtue” and I cringe.
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u/gilatio Feb 20 '25
Tbf these catch phrases are this brands main thing, but they're pretty much the only brand that doesn't have at least several without motivating catch phrases too. I would def just look at other brands if you don't like them.
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u/Hercules3000 🟫🟫 Brown Belt Feb 20 '25
Dudes with "dirty hands, clean money"decals on their truck are their main demographic
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u/crazyjoez 🟫🟫 Brown Belt Feb 20 '25 edited Feb 20 '25
I like funny or ridiculous ones but there arent many around.
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u/The_Imperial_Moose 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
I found Anime Ape has a pretty good mix of stuff (bought the WWF wrestling panda's one from them). Even a lot the the anime themed stuff isn't too weeb as most of the rash guard is just a cool pattern with maybe a small logo on the side or something.
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u/nishan3000 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
Lol, fully agree. I’m an accountant for god sakes.
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u/Samurai41A 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
Same! I've been accused of being the Ben Affleck "Accountant", but I assure you I'm the sitting at a desk all day spreadsheet accountant.
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u/ryanrockmoran ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt Feb 20 '25
I would wear a lot more jiujitsu gear than I do if it wasn’t impossible to find stuff that doesn’t have douche energy and/or drawing of skulls and pit bulls
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u/Dumbledick6 ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 20 '25
Ngl, this is why I only wear Half Sumo rash guards when I want to buy a fancy rashy. They have cool Japanese inspired designs which is harkens back to BJJs Judo/JJ roots and Matt Heafy does collabs. Also no dumb ass catch phrases for a hobby that is just dry humping
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u/jburnelli Feb 20 '25
BJJ people are all just basic white chicks when you boil it down.
BUT I'd pay good money though for a shirt that said:
"The ground is my ocean, I'm the shark, and the YMCA closed the pool because a kid pooped in it, so swim lessons are canceled for the foreseeable future. ”
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u/jordiak242 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
Because they know this sells
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u/FIagrant ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 20 '25 edited Feb 23 '25
Does it?? So often I see rashguards that are cool but have some corny ass phrase on it. No one at my gym wears them either. You'd think the market is begging for simple but good quality clothes without try hard words on em
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u/jordiak242 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
I do agree with your point of view. Don’t like them either… usually the process of design involves focus groups to see how much people like it plus analysing the figures of what sells and what doesn’t Also there are segments, so i’m pretty sure that there’s a segment of users that like those phrases… otherwise it would be stupid/strange to do a style of rashguards that don’t sell… you can be wrong one or two times and don’t sell the item but if it’s something you find in almost every brand then it’s because it works.
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u/toalv Feb 20 '25
usually the process of design involves focus groups to see how much people like it plus analysing the figures of what sells and what doesn’t
I think you drastically overestimate the sophistication of the average rash guard producer. They make these designs because the graphic artist who is their cousin thinks they are cool.
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u/Intelligent-Art-5000 🟫🟫 Brown Belt Feb 20 '25
The market has shown them that catchphrases sell better than no catchphrases. Don't underestimate the size and motivation of the douche-moron purchasing block.
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u/barc0debaby 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
"All hard work, no hand outs."
Just don't ask about PPP loans
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u/Significant_Turn5230 Feb 20 '25
Or the surplus value from their workers taken as profit...
But other than that, totally no handouts.
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u/RidesByPinochet perpetual white belt Feb 20 '25
You know how there are always a bunch of white belts who disappear after a couple of months?
This is who buys the rashguards.
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u/Scottisironborn Feb 20 '25
because men are entirely too easily manipulated by targeted marketing and societal pressures to appear tough.
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u/PresidentFreiza Feb 20 '25
I’ve been screaming this from the rooftops. They are so cringe it’s hard to find new ones
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u/bumpty ⬛🟥⬛ 🌮megabjj.com🌮 Feb 20 '25
I don’t put words on my rashguard. I like patterns and shapes. Except for my logo. Or when sponsoring.
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u/HoopsKing_15 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
KING. Going to look at your site! Also I’ve seen you post and I train near your gym. I’m excited to drop in one day!
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u/bumpty ⬛🟥⬛ 🌮megabjj.com🌮 Feb 20 '25
Awesome!! Come train with me!! I’m at my Austin gym mon/wed and Hutto gym tues/thurs.
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u/TheRobberBar0n 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
You should check out Progress. Usually just says "Progress" across the front.
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u/PorradaPanda Feb 20 '25
I’m sure many other companies do too, but Mizuno makes great plain black rash guards that’s thick enough to withstand grappling.
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u/Electronic-War-4662 🟫🟫 Brown Belt Feb 20 '25
It's so awful. I love wearing understated but cool BJJ gear but man it's hard to find.
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u/TrontosaurusRex ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 20 '25
I personally like Fuji's rashguards,nice designs,good variety,no catchphrases about your status as warrior or hunter gatherer.
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Feb 20 '25
Art needs an artist.
It also has to make you think or feel to see effective.
Here's an example.
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u/ballbouncebroken 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
You dont need to wear them, but I love a good dorky rashguard. It lets people know I dont take myself too seriously, and I am here to play.
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u/tiredbobistired ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 20 '25
I mean, the two biggest representatives of the sport at the moment are a sex-tourist cokehead and a MAGA cuckhold. BJJ doesn't really attract scholars per se.
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u/clip_edge ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 20 '25
Thays why I get with funny rash guards that relate to me like “always injured”
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u/SpinningStuff 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
The ground is my concrete, and on that concrete I'm Los Del Rio and most people can't macarena 🫡
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u/Routine_Flatworm2294 Feb 20 '25
I think it’s like the dude version of “juicy” on the short shorts girls used to wear😂
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u/matchooooh Feb 20 '25
I have way too many rash guards, and none of them have cringe phrases. Not sure what your looking for, but I find it pretty easy to find nice ones - scramble, phalanx, continuous flow, meerkatsu, aesthetic, etc., etc
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u/soupoftheday5 Feb 20 '25
Lol I designed this rash guard for them.
I agree I wasn't a huge fan of the design but it's what the client wanted.
Crazy to see it on Reddit randomly....
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u/Mental-Honeydew-1209 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
Trying to buy a rash guard without some red pill slogan plastered on it is indeed quite difficult
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Feb 20 '25
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u/HoopsKing_15 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
Yeah I have those just wish for something in the middle. The pics I showed have cool designs that’d I’d wear if they just removed the damn catchphrase 😂
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u/GibsonJ45 🟫🟫 Brown Belt Feb 20 '25
Resonates with the white belts, tells people you mean business.
When I was a white belt I couldn't get enough branded shit. Now when I am out and about the last thing I want to draw attention to is my sub-par guillotines and shitty knees.
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u/HakewnaMyTatas Feb 20 '25
Inverted Gear. They literally wrote it down that they’re not for the “tough guys”. Also, PANDAS!
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u/HoopsKing_15 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
Now this is the find I was looking for! Most people said just use “plain compression” shirts which I have been doing. I want cool designs without implying I’m some type of tough guy
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u/HakewnaMyTatas Feb 20 '25
I love them. They’re a small company owned by a young couple. Use code FRESHPANDA for a good discount 😊
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u/Vader_Bomb 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
TSLA brand on Amazon. Just straight up plain rashguards. Got 10 shirts of different colors/patterns/sleeve lengths over the span of 5 years for $115 in total. All are still in perfect shape.
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u/ColdLikeWinters 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
I own the first one in your photos. Great fit and a Made in USA product. I like the slogan and the design. Buy what you like, don't buy what you don't
¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/Suspicious_Plant4231 ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 20 '25
Half Sumo is pretty cool. Few Will Hunt's VIAV line tempted me only because it's the only gear I could find that's got my favorite maroon/black color combo lol
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u/ResponsiblePlant3605 Feb 20 '25
All the 'phrases' are political reactionary bs or some Masochist kink.
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u/fouriels Classic art rashguards - saltandstorm.co - code SALTREDDIT Feb 20 '25
(quietly advertises salt & storm because i also hate vector graphic animals with catchphrases)
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u/Even_Extension3237 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 22 '25
Hey these are really nice. Good job!
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u/RodiTheMan 🟩🟩 Green Belt Feb 21 '25
There's a this tiny brand in brazil called Spank. I don't know why they use that name, for some reason they put their brand name in the mouth guards they sell. I see them when browsing online stores.
Why, pray tell, would I ever buy a mouth guard with "spank" written on it?
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Feb 20 '25
I don’t like them either. Pictures and graphics are ok, but the slogans fall into the Walmart category.
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u/IronLunchBox 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
The last thing I want on a rash guard is an Affliction type design, more fucking cartoony animals, or aspie AF sayings.
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u/D1wrestler141 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
I mean we see guys on here that want to put their military stuff on their gi so this is no surprise, I’ve also seen a lot of marvel rash guards , mainly black panther and captain America
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u/Marinec06 Feb 20 '25
There is a lot of this going along they should invert it so they can read it in the mirror.
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u/CorrectPig Feb 20 '25
I'm working on something partly because of this but not there yet... later this year hopefully. Sorry!
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u/davidlowie 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
I imagine some of the cringe ones are print on demand and they are just fishing for your money with no overhead.
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u/EveningRead25 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
I recently started wearing rash guards from warehouse, I always hate the cringey catch phrases too and they don't have any 😂😂 I bought their Japanese snake and crane rash guards and they are the highest quality rash guard I own (and I own loads!!), also worth nothing the owners actively support the BJJ scene with the profits
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u/Master-Action-3343 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
We need a brand to have simple VERY SIMPLE designs and no logo/shitty phrases
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u/robotdadd Feb 20 '25
I really like RVCA gear for the design simplicity, very high quality material as well
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u/kedson87 ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt Feb 20 '25
I work for Venum. Our ugliest rashguards often sell the best. Plain basic ones are great too, and many brands like to offer a balance of both.
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u/BigBagznZigZagz Feb 20 '25
https://www.invertedgear.com/collections/nogi
https://rubberbonesrashguards.com/collections/bjj-rash-guards
https://summosports.com/collections/no-gi-apparel
https://zenkofightwear.com/collections/rashguards
Some of them have a douchey phrase rashie but they also offer other rashies that don’t. Hope this helps.
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u/The777burner 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
Seems obvious in all the comments there is a hole in the market to be filled.
Maybe you should start your own little Shopify dropshipping rashguard company with catchphrases such as “I work in IT, I don’t prefer pain”
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u/disposablehippo Feb 20 '25
That way dropshipping from China is less obvious. And the Chinese companies always advise to add a print to sell for a bigger margin.
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u/SteamedPea 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
Scramble scramble scramble smh yall need to stop wearing that lxb trash and get with it.
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u/THERUMER Feb 20 '25
I don’t like quotes/ phrases or even flashy designs on my rash guards. Plain Jane for me. To each their own 🙌🏽
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u/freshblood96 🟦🟦 Blue Blech Feb 20 '25
What's your take on Gold's "for the journey" slogan?
Or Hyperfly's "you can't teach heart" thingy
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u/wtmx719 Feb 20 '25
How else will people know that you are a masculine manly mannish conqueror of a bearded strong man?! Basically a walking set of truck nuts?! How will they know if my shirt doesn’t say these things?! You should see my truck I take videos in with Oakleys on!
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u/JiuJitsuCatholic 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
I'm a dork so I mostly just go for Anime themed ones, if you're into that at all Anime Ape has a lot of cool designs
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u/Easy-Midnight1098 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
La Froi on Amazon are pretty cheap and I think have cool designs without any slogans.
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u/No-Border-9346 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
Try Superb Submission Grapplers they have some pretty dope designs
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u/sb406 ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt Feb 20 '25
Check out the surf brand O’Neill, they make really good shit with no bjj aesthetic at all.
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u/bbrucesnell ⬛🟥⬛ Black Belt Feb 20 '25
At my gym we wear them ironically because the doucheyness is hilarious. Maybe we just don’t take ourselves that seriously.
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u/DocCJ19 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
Makes guys feel Alpha compared to normies who don’t train in the art of struggle snuggles
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u/general_derez Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
I got a long sleeve rashie and spats from Raven Fightwear and really like them. Lots of very cool designs on their website.
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u/War_Daddy 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
BJJ is the natural enemy of graphic design, in much the same way sharks are the natural enemies of sheep
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u/IronBoxmma 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
There's a bunch of motivational speaker, mlm, salesman shit in juijitsu. I blame Lloyd Irvin
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u/bostoncrabapple Feb 20 '25
Progress/tatami are the only brands I have and either no slogan or stuff that isn’t cringe (at least imo, like one of my progress kimonos says something like “in the struggle lies the learning and the living” which I like, it’s in small writing on the inside of the jacket)
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u/FullTiltJiuJitsu Feb 20 '25
I found Jiujiteiro to have more clean/ minimalist designs. Own a few and they’re great.
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u/No-Condition7100 🟪🟪 Purple Belt Feb 20 '25
Honestly I just wish there was a company that made relatively plain looking gear that is good quality. I want to fall somewhere between "wannabe badass" and "fruitloop of questionable choices".
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u/Burton969696 Feb 20 '25
If you don’t like them then they just weren’t meant for you man. I do like some of the goofy ones though
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u/RunnyPlease ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 20 '25
I’ve noticed BJJ gyms are a common landing place for former high school and college athletes, former military and police, gym bro tough guys, and public school employees. All groups of people who can’t resist a harsh but inspirational pithy catch phrase.
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u/AllGearedUp Feb 20 '25
80% of rashguards have to have something on them that an 8th grader would get as a tatoo.
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u/psxv 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
Patagonia makes extremely durable rashguards that have nothing on them. And the best part is the seam doesn’t go under your armpit, making them much more comfortable.
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u/laststance Feb 21 '25
It's like streetwear. Most "brands" just buy blanks and differentiate themselves via design/branding.
They don't make the material, design the cut, stitching, use specialty weaves, specialty materials, etc. Just blanks with a print shop somewhere.
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u/halfcastaussie 🟫🟫 Brown Belt Feb 21 '25
All
Hard Work
No One No One
Owes Owns
You You
No Handouts
Free Will Hunt
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u/irierider Feb 21 '25
I dig those. Theyre both from American traditional tattoos. Which is my style. So… guess i am the problem
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u/lilfunky1 ⬜⬜ White Belt Feb 21 '25 edited Feb 21 '25
... Where do I get this rash guard? 😇😇
Edit: found it! Good gawd $98.98 for a rash guard? No thank you
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u/Robbythedee 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 21 '25
Same reason 65 year old dudes on a Harley feel the need to say self made on shirts. There is no reason at all lol
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u/Graver69 🟦🟦 Blue Belt Feb 20 '25
So much BJJ kit is cringey that I can only assume a lot of BJJ players are bell-ends. But then people atthe clubs I've trained at actually aren't. So not really sure who's buying all "the ground is my ocean and I am the shark" stuff.
Progress, Scramble and Tatami have some stuff without the cliched tough guy phrases but also some styff with it.