How to do BJJ with Glasses or Contact Lenses: 3 Easy Options

Are you unsure if you can do BJJ with glasses or contact lenses?

Are specific BJJ glasses or BJJ contact lenses available?

How to train or compete in Jiu-Jitsu with bad eyesight?

As Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a full-contact grappling martial art, it is very dynamic and unpredictable which makes doing BJJ with glasses a tough task. Jiu Jitsu requires a lot of movement and close contact which leads to a lot of friction with your training partners.

If you wear glasses, you may wonder whether practicing BJJ with glasses is safe or even possible. In this article, we’ll explore the options available to people who wear glasses or contact lenses and want to train or compete in BJJ.

BJJ Glasses and Contact Lenses FAQ

Find the short answer to the most frequent questions about BJJ with glasses or contact lenses here. For further information please read the rest of this article.

Can People Who Wear Glasses Do BJJ?

Yes, people who wear glasses can do BJJ.
Some of the best BJJ athletes wear glasses in their everyday life. Even Gordon Ryan, who is considered the greatest NoGi grappler of all time, regularly wears glasses and has bad eyesight.

First, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a sport that involves close contact, and most people can see well enough for shorter distances like this.

Second, feeling your opponent is much more important than seeing him when you are fighting BJJ on the ground.

However, we recommended that you consider contact lenses for BJJ to ensure your safety and comfort during training. I myself always wear contact lenses for BJJ and competition and it never had any drawbacks for me.

3 Ways of doing BJJ with Glasses or without them

#1 Don’t use Glasses for BJJ at all

In the end, it depends on the degree of vision impairment you have. People with mild vision impairment will be able to train and compete in BJJ without glasses or contact lenses. For people like me, who have really bad eyesight, contact lenses are a must. I can’t stand not being able to see clearly.

#2 Use Glasses only for Watching your Instructor

You can use your glasses to watch your instructor show techniques. As soon as you start practicing the techniques, your glasses should be stored in a safe place.

#3 Use Contact Lenses

You can use contact lenses for every aspect of BJJ training and competition. I complete rely on contact lenses for BJJ and sports training myself and never had any issues.

Can I Wear Glasses in BJJ?

Generally, you can not wear glasses in BJJ.

Let’s take a look at when you might be able to use your glasses during a BJJ training session or competition.

Wearing Glasses for Practicing BJJ Techniques on the Ground

When practicing BJJ techniques on the ground you might be able to wear glasses from time to time. Usually, this is only possible for lower-intensity technique practice and only for certain techniques.

Leg Locks

Let’s say you are practicing leg lock finishing mechanics. In this case, you can obviously wear your glasses for BJJ without any issues.

Upper Body Techniques:

For most techniques involving upper body contact, it is impossible to practice them with glasses. Just imagine being in side control or in a guillotine choke with glasses on. Your glasses are too fragile and introduce too big of a risk for you and your training partner.

Wearing Glasses for Takedowns in BJJ Class

Practicing BJJ takedowns with glasses on seems possible but you should never do it. This kind of training is too dynamic, and your glasses will almost certainly take damage. Your glasses can fall off and will break if any body part lands on them. Even worse, they can harm you or your training partners.

If you are curious about the most common injuries in BJJ. Please check out our in-depth article.

How to train BJJ with Glasses

If you have bad eyesight and rely on wearing glasses, we advise you to wear your glasses only for watching your instructor show a technique. As soon as you get to practice the techniques with a training partner you should store your glasses in a safe place for the duration.

Contact Lenses are the way to go if you want to have good vision throughout your whole training session or competition.

Can I wear Contact Lenses for BJJ?

Contact lenses are a popular choice for people who wear glasses and practice BJJ. However, you should always make sure to wear soft contact lenses for BJJ and other martial arts!

Contact lenses offer several advantages over glasses for BJJ:

• Wider field of vision
• Improved comfort
• No risk of falling out during training
• Extremely low risk of injury

However, contact lenses may not be suitable for everyone. Some people find them uncomfortable or have difficulty inserting and removing them. If you are regularly wearing them outside of the gym anyway, you won’t have these issues.

Some issues you might encounter when wearing contact lenses for BJJ may be:

• Discomfort because of sweat in the eye
• Shifting of position which leads to blurry vision
• Loss of contact lenses on the mats

However, none of these factors are major drawbacks and contact lenses are always worth a try for Jiu Jitsu.

BJJ Sports Glasses or Goggles

Sports glasses or goggles are specially designed eyewear that can protect your eyes during BJJ training or competition. They are made of durable materials and have features such as non-slip nose pads and straps to keep them in place.

Sports goggles might be an option for people who don’t want to wear contact lenses or find glasses uncomfortable during training.

However, we doubt that this solution would work for any dedicated athlete that wants to do more than light technique work.

Are Sports Glasses allowed in for BJJ?

Sports Glasses are usually not allowed in BJJ competitions. For example, the IBJJF rule book states that “forbidden is the use of eye protectors, even if they are made for sports practices.”

Conclusion

Having bad eyesight sucks, but it shouldn’t stop you from training or competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

People who wear glasses can do BJJ, but we recommend considering contact lenses to ensure your safety and comfort during training. Contact lenses offer a wider field of vision as well as improved safety and comfort. You will have great vision throughout all your training sessions and competitions.

Ultimately, it depends on the degree of vision impairment you have. With mild vision impairment, you will be just fine training without glasses or contact lenses. For everyone else, you can give contact lenses for BJJ a try.