How important is grip strength for BJJ?

In gi BJJ, grip fighting is a constant battle that determines who controls the exchange. Stronger grips mean you can maintain control longer and strip your opponent grips more easily. In no-gi, grip strength helps with wrist control, body grips, and scrambling. The best grip training comes from BJJ itself, but supplemental exercises can help. Dead hangs from a pull-up bar build endurance. Towel pull-ups develop the crushing grip used for collar grips. Farmer carries build overall grip capacity. Gi pull-ups, where you drape your gi over a bar and hang from it, are the most specific supplemental exercise. Grip trainers and fat grip attachments for barbells are also effective. However, be careful not to overtrain your grips because they are heavily used in every BJJ session. Sore forearms and cramping hands indicate you need more rest. Many experienced practitioners use tape on their fingers to reduce wear on the finger joints during heavy gi training.