Finger tape is narrow athletic tape that grapplers wrap around their fingers to support the joints and protect the skin from gi grips. Gripping a thick collar or sleeve for years is hard on the hands, and tape is the cheapest protection there is.
- In BJJ and judo: used by gi players at every level; no-gi players tape less.
- Supports a finger that is sore, swollen or recently injured during training.
- Tape is support, never treatment; a finger that stays painful needs a doctor.
What it does
Gi grips load the finger joints sideways in a way few other activities do. Tape wrapped around a joint limits that sideways movement, so a strained finger can keep training with less stress on it. Wrapped around the pad of the finger, tape also stops the skin tearing on rough gi fabric. Judoka who grip-fight hard and BJJ players who use spider guard and lasso guard use the most of it.
Tape also changes how you grip. A taped finger is slightly stiffer, so some competitors tape only the fingers that need it and leave the rest free. In competition, check whether the current rulebook limits tape on the hands.
How to tape
- Tear strips before training; a full roll is awkward with one hand.
- For a joint: wrap an X around it, above and below the knuckle, with the joint slightly bent so it can still move.
- For two fingers: a buddy wrap, binding the sore finger to its neighbour with tape between the knuckles.
- Keep it snug but never tight; if the fingertip goes pale or cold, re-tape looser.
- Remove it after training and let the skin breathe.
What to look for
- Width: narrow rolls that fit between finger joints.
- Adhesive: a tape that stays on through sweat and can still be torn by hand.
- Material: cotton or rayon with some stretch; rigid tape for joints, lighter tape for skin.
- Quantity: multipacks, because a regular gi player goes through a roll every few weeks.
Our bjj training gear is rash guards and spats for rounds with and without the gi.