The purpose of this thread is to find out how commonly used the rash guard shirts actually are in the MMA game.
My own training was finished some 10 years ago, afterwhich I haven't stepped foot in a dojo, and at that time nobody had even heard about rash guards, at least not using them in training.
These days most MMA brands seem to carry these, but are they really that popular? Do they sell well? Are they worth trying out in terms of offering them to local clubs and marketing them? Are they the standard training apparel these days? Do they just sell because a big time MMA brand is selling them?
I suppose it wouldn't hurt trying it out, but I'd hate to waste my time or making an investment on something I don't know much about.
More than anything, I'd appreciate opinions from folks who've been messing around with rash guards or currently spend their time with MMA training. I'd like an 'inside view', so to speak.
Many thanks in advance, and I hope this thread will help answer questions for others interested, also.
I've been training MMA for years and during that time I've actually come up with my own line of fight clothes and shorts.
The rash guards are very popular and are great for training Jiu-Jitsu. Especially during "no-gi" classes where the training takes place in shorts and rash guard instead of a traditional gi. This forces you to learn techniques that don't rely on chokes or grabs involving the gi.
In short the fight clothes have been my focus when it comes to clothing (my main business is signs, banners, stickers, and wraps). Rash guards can be tough to get right because of how much stretch they have to withstand.
Let me know if you have anymore questions. I'm also a certified MMA judge so I'm pretty heavy into this stuff.
I've been training MMA for years and during that time I've actually come up with my own line of fight clothes and shorts.
The rash guards are very popular and are great for training Jiu-Jitsu. Especially during "no-gi" classes where the training takes place in shorts and rash guard instead of a traditional gi. This forces you to learn techniques that don't rely on chokes or grabs involving the gi.
In short the fight clothes have been my focus when it comes to clothing (my main business is signs, banners, stickers, and wraps). Rash guards can be tough to get right because of how much stretch they have to withstand.
Let me know if you have anymore questions. I'm also a certified MMA judge so I'm pretty heavy into this stuff.
Mike
Thanks for the info, Mike.
I screen print myself, but wasn't planning on using it here. From what I've understood, dye sublimation should be the preferred choice for decoration (?). Naturally that would limit me in using white/light colored shirts.
Then again - does anyone really want white rash guards?
Do you sell your shirts online? It'd be cool to check it out.
I've done a couple of white rash guards but they get dirty and bloody sometimes
As for selling online I mostly just sell locally and I also provide clothes to some fighters that I sponsor. Maybe I'll get it all online at some point but my sign and wrap business has been my priority.
Sublimination may be a great idea....I've never tried it and I really don't have the first clue how it all works. I'd love to learn though.
I've been training for about 3 years now (MMA, BJJ) and rash guards are very common for training. Rashguards are always worn during training, since they are moisture wicking, wearing a regular t-shirt will get all soggy and can cause a rash. Most wear these under their Gi's as well as for No-Gi Training. They are also mandatory at alot of No-Gi tournament/competitons. Plus wearing these can also prevent catching ringworm and other nasty fungus' from training.
The only downfall is these are somewhat expensive, so if you can find a good distributor to buy from at a cheap price it might be worth while to print on em and sell em.
I use to make xfgear rashguards. We sold tons of them. they were very popular but we also made ours to specs of under armour and not a traditional rashguard so they were light weight and very cool. We were one of the first to do full color on white. It actually sold a lot but black & blue were our main sellers.
The guys I train with don't wear MMA rash guards and choose to go with Nike Dri-fit type stuff instead. The rash guards I have seen and tried on were a little more bulky like the Under Armor "cold gear" line as opposed to Nike Dri-fit shirts, which I personally prefer.
can i ask if you use vinyl on rash guards?
I am trying to branch out into this but i'm having problems getting vinyl to not peel after washing (i'm assuming due to the stretching of the material during wear) But i'm really wary of using too high a temperature incase i get melting and/or scorch marks
If you get rash guards printed overseas be SURE you get samples and tests of the INK on the rash guard before you place your order. I work for a client that has 5,000+ rash guards that have ink that rubs off on the mat and he cant sell them.
If you're doing the printing yourself i suggest you put them through some very rigorous testing before producing. No-gi jiu-jitsu is becoming more popular with the influence of MMA/UFC. plus the ADCC championships are next month so its not a bad idea. good luck.
Popularity of Rash Guards in MMA? 
