About BJJ Equipment

My name is Tsavo Neal, and I'm the founder of BJJ Equipment, author of BJJ For Beginners, creator of the BJJ Journal of Champions video course, BJJ brown belt, and assistant instructor under Ritchie Yip at InFighting in Burnaby, BC.

I started training jiu-jitsu in 2019 and I've been hooked ever since. Now, I train 3-4 times per week and teach beginner classes at my gym.

In July of 2021, I broke my leg and tore my meniscus while training. It sucked. I was off the mats for months. And I wasn't sure if I'd ever come back the same.

But that injury forced me to think about jiu-jitsu differently.

Instead of just showing up and rolling, I started studying how the best grapplers in the world actually train. Gordon Ryan's specific training method. John Danaher's curriculum for each belt level. How elite competitors build connected systems instead of collecting random techniques.

When I finally got back on the mats, I applied what I'd learned through a simple journaling system — 5 minutes before and after each class. Instead of trying to remember everything, I focused on one thing at a time and tracked my progress week to week.

The results were immediate. My coach noticed. My training partners noticed. I eventually became an assistant instructor at my gym.

I built the BJJ Journal of Champions video course to give grapplers the same system — so you don't have to spend years figuring it out through trial and error. And I wrote BJJ For Beginners to help new white belts skip the confusion and start their jiu-jitsu journey with confidence.

The injury also made me take my gear seriously. From my gi to my protective equipment to my home mats, I wanted to invest in the best. At 34, I feel stronger than ever.

That's the other side of this site. I research, test, and review the best BJJ gear, gis, rash guards, and instructionals I can find — and share honest, mat-tested recommendations so you can invest in gear that actually holds up.

My mission is to help grapplers at every belt level train smarter, make faster progress, and find the best gear for their game.