You need very little to train with us here at puregrappling but for those of you with a keen eye for practical fashion or that are sadistic enough to want to bash each other then I've listed below some equipment that I can get through the club. If there's anything you want that isn't listed here then drop me an email and I'll do my best to recommend the best place for you to find it!

Look cooler than your mates and grab yourself one of these! Puregrappling.com 'Twist my Arm' T-shirts! £12.50


Club Hoodies now available in Ice Blue, Grey or White at £30 each. These have a decent sized hood and are winter warm. The front is fixed but you can have your choice of the design on the rear! The design is digitally printed directly onto the top. Since water based inks are used, this technology produces the best look and feel available for cotton printing today, and is far more environmentally friendly than traditional printing. Note: Direct printing doesn't print white so the white elements of the design are replaced by the colour of the material printed on.

 

Gauntlets of Battle! I've tried out about 5 or 6 different makes/types of MMA gloves and although most are ok I've found nothing better than these to train with. 'Primetime MMA Gloves'. They come in 3 types with varying degrees of padding. For training I personally recommend the level 4's as they are weighted at 8oz and come with enough padding for you to be able to work stand up, clinch and ground without fear of the usual cuts, bruises, scuffs and scrapes that you'll get from regular 4oz gloves. From personal experience I've found that if you put on a pair of 4oz then they're fine for light sparring on the ground, but if you want to start on your feet, box, then look for the takedown they can get a bit harsh and I've found people either shy away from them which can affect your training or go over the top with an "I'm going to hit you before you hit me" mentality. The patented padding on these if you believe the literature provides roughly the equivalent protection that you'd get from a 10 or 12oz boxing glove as well as being small enough to work 95% of your ground game unhindered. It is often rightly said that "the most important piece of equipment you'll ever have is your training partner" so use a glove that will look after them! These gloves are also comfortable and incredibly well made! If you don't believe me then Google them and read the reviews for yourself!

Rashguards -My personal views on them.
I like them. They are tight fitting and allow moisture to pass through them rather than soak it up in the way that a Tshirt does. I've tried a few and have had very mixed results. My first was a 'Hunter' rashguard - Mainly chosen for the design. I only used it for about 3 Months as after a very short period of time the design started to come off on the back, and by the end of the second month all I that was left of the design was a few white and red patches that looked tatty but refused to budge which made the top look old and worn. The material seemed fine however so I gave it to a friend of mine and he still uses it to this day. There's a more comprehensive review on the 'sfuk' site if you're interested but basically they say the same thing.
After being disheartened by how fast the design wore the next rash vest I bought was from 'fullcontactfighter' in America. This was black and white with no design to peel off. The material is good, and I still use it now. I'd recommend these but warn you that as this one came from America I got unlucky and was stung heavily for import. I thought I was getting a bargain, but as I've found out 3 or 4 times now it's often better to pay a little more and source things in the UK to avoid getting stung on the price.
Next I looked to Koral for a rashguard and was really pleased with the results. The designs are sublimated on so won't peel or wear off! Fantastic! They look good and come in long or short sleeved. I wear these all the time, but again I had to look outside of the UK to get these so it's pot luck whether or not you'll get stung with the price.

I'm going to start supplying 'Atama' rashguards through the website. I've opened up a trade account via the club so I'll be able to supply them at a competitive price for anyone that's interested. I've read several reviews and they're very highly rated. The logo is printed on, but from what I've read on the net is incredibly hard wearing and the top's are thicker than average so really give a lot of extra protection to your skin when you're rolling. Because they're thicker you'll get a little warmer when you're using them, but it will keep grazes etc down to an absolute minimum as well as the excellent 'draw sweat away from the skin' factor that you get from rashguards. Grappling is fantastic for all around fitness and at the end of the session when you get changed it's only then that you can appreciate how much water you lose when training and how good these tops actually are. Image coming soon...