Jiu-jitsu is a slow art in the best way. Adults can spend years at a single belt, earning stripes one at a time, and many never know promotion day is coming until the instructor calls their name at the end of class. That makes gifts tricky and also meaningful: what a BJJ player values most is recognition of the time they have put on the mat. Here are ideas for adults and kids who train, built around that long road.
What people who train actually use
Start practical. Anyone training several times a week goes through gear fast.
- A new gi. Ask about size, and whether the academy has color rules; some ask for white or blue in class or competition.
- Rash guards and grappling shorts or spats for no-gi classes.
- Finger tape, a good mouthguard and a gear bag that airs out. Training gear is washed constantly and wears out.
- Mat time. A seminar entry, a month of membership, or drop-in fees for an academy in a city they are visiting.
Then there are gifts that mark the journey itself.
The Journey: every belt and the date it came
The Journey draws every belt in its color, stripes included, climbing the print in order with the date each was earned and where. For a BJJ player that can mean the stripes on white, the day blue finally came, and every belt after. It works for the adult belts or the kids' gray, yellow, orange and green belts, in whatever order your academy uses. For a new purple or brown belt it shows how far they have come; for a new black belt it tells the whole story. From $45.
Gather the dates before you order. Most players remember their belt promotions but not every stripe. Old academy posts, photos from promotion nights and the instructor can fill in the gaps, and longtime training partners often remember more than you would expect.
The Record: for competitors
If they compete, The Record lays out a career on one print: their name, and a nickname if they have one, set big, the record, the tale of the tape, then every match with the date, the opponent, the result and how it ended, such as by submission or decision. It suits a grappler with years of tournaments behind them, and anyone who has crossed over into MMA. From $45.
Competitors often keep loose track of their matches. Many tournaments post brackets and results online after each event, so start there, and ask teammates and coaches who were in the corner.
For kids who train
Kids' promotions come more often, with stripes and new colors marking each step. My Belt Journey prints every belt in their academy's order with a line beside each for the date it is earned, and fills in the ones they already have. It hangs on the wall and gets a new date after every promotion, which gives a kid something to look forward to between them. From $39.
The Belt Ornament shows the current belt in its color, stripes and degrees too, with their name, the rank, the year and the academy, on a two-sided ceramic ornament. Adults like them as well, especially in the year blue or black came. From $24.
For promotion day
BJJ promotions are often handed out at the end of a regular class, sometimes followed by a line of teammates offering their own rough congratulations. Not every academy gives certificates. If your instructor would like to, the Rank Promotion Certificate draws the new belt in its color, stripes and degrees too, with the student's name, the date and signature lines for the instructors. Academies ordering for everyone promoted at once get 30% off. From $24.
For the professor
A black belt instructor who has watched a student go from white to blue or purple is often the person who appreciates a keepsake most. A group gift from the students, such as a framed Journey print of the instructor's own belts, or a card signed by everyone on the mat, says what a gift card cannot. The instructor's spouse or a senior student is the right person to quietly collect the dates.
Questions to answer before you order
- Which belt order does the academy use, and how many stripes go on each belt?
- For The Record, should gi and no-gi matches appear together, or just one?
- How should the academy name read? It prints only as the words you type, never as a logo.
- Is this for a minor? Then a parent provides the details and approves the proof.
Shop this guide
The JourneyFrom $45
The RecordFrom $45
My Belt JourneyFrom $39
Belt OrnamentFrom $24
Rank Promotion CertificateFrom $24
Ordering
Personalize each piece on its product page with the belts, stripes, dates and academy name the way you want them to read. Every order is checked by hand, and you approve a proof before it prints. Allow about two weeks, so plan ahead if you are aiming for a promotion night or the holidays. Academies ordering five or more prints get 30% off; see team orders for details.
Find more for students and schools in the martial arts gifts collection.