I want to write about a pretty basic topic, yet one that I think can be highly overlooked. I suppose it falls under the category of Jiujitsu etiquette, but it is cleanliness and hygiene. Now, I am sure most of you take care of yourselves, but there is always that ONE person that thinks, oh I don’t know, training with ringworm or a mysterious bump on their skin is okay. Let me tell you, it is not okay in the least. If we are honest with ourselves, Jiujitsu in general is a little gross. We are all in each other’s personal space, sweating, bleeding and whatever else. It is SO important to keep up with your cleanliness.
Within many contact sports, we are at risk for certain skin bacteria and infections. The most common are staph and ringworm. Quick overview: Ringworm is a fungul infection of the skin. The most common within Jiujitsu is Tinea Corporis or ringworm of the body. Ringworm is most commonly spread through direct contact via sweat. Staph is a whole different monster. I speak from experience, when I say Staph can be terrifying. It is important to recognize the signs of it right away and get to the doctor asap to get a handle on it. There are different strands and types of staph. You have boils, cellulitis, impetigo, and MRSA. Staph tends to be spread through open cuts or wounds where bacteria can enter the body.
To start off, keep your nails short. I have seen guys and girls come in the gym with long nails. Why on Earth would you have long nails? It may seem like a small concept, but what happens when you get poked in the eye and scratch your cornea or something even more serious? They can cause some damage, not to mention the bacteria that harbors under nails. Use common sense and keep your nails trimmed.
Next, wash your gi after EVERY single session. I do not care if you were just drilling and didn’t even sweat, wash it. The other thing you should be doing, whether you want to hear it or not, is WASH YOUR BELT. I know this tends to be some sort of weird, controversial topic within some of the Jiujitsu community, but not washing your belt is gross. Bacteria, especially certain strands of staph, cling to it and harbors within the fibers. Throw it in the wash with your gi, and help prevent bacteria from spreading. You would be surprised at the number of people who do not do this.
Next, which I think is the most obvious, is shower after every session. I feel like I should not even need to say this, but you never know with some people. As clean as your gym may be, if you have teammates coming in to train in an unsanitary matter you are still being put at risk for some type of issue. Whether you are washing with plain warm water and soap or if you have every type of BJJ brand soap out there, make sure showering is routine.
Oh, and gym owners, coaches, etc….keep your mats clean! They should be sanitized after every session or as often as you can. Taking all these steps above and putting them in action consistently, can greatly help reduce bacteria from spreading resulting in less skin infections.
If you already do all of the above, then fantastic. In my opinion, it is pure common sense, but some people need to be reminded. Now I have witnessed something that bothers me to the core of my being. When someone knowingly trains with either an infection or contagious skin issue. It sounds ridiculous, but people do it. If you have ringworm , or any type of staph, or anything else, STAY OFF THE MAT. I do not care how bad you want to train, or how great you wrapped it up, guess what? It can still spread through sweat. It is our responsibility as Jiujitsu practitioners and athletes to know the signs and symptoms and to be responsible about it. Have some consideration for your fellow teammates and stay off the training floor until it is completely cleared up.
Stay clean everyone!
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