BJJ Hygiene: How to Be a Clean Training Partner

If you train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you already know how close we get to each other.

You're going to be sweating on people, putting your face against people, grabbing their hands, getting your feet around their head and generally spending a lot of time in very close proximity to other human beings.

So, being clean isn't about being obsessive. It's just about being considerate of the people you're training with.

There are a few basic things we should all be doing to keep ourselves, our training partners and our gym as clean as possible.

Start clean

If you've been sitting at a desk all day, that's one thing.

If you've spent eight hours doing physical work, you've been sweating all day and then turn up to BJJ without showering... that's another.

A quick shower before training can be a pretty good idea.

You're about to spend the evening rolling around with other people, so starting clean is one of the easiest things you can do for your training partners.

And yes, deodorant is a good idea too.

Just remember that deodorant isn't a replacement for a shower.

Fresh kit every time

This one should be obvious, but it's worth saying.

Fresh training gear every class.

Rashguard, shorts, spats, underwear, gi... whatever you're wearing, it should be clean.

"I only wore it once" isn't really the point. Once you've been sweating and grappling in it, it needs washing.

BJJ is sweaty. Warm, damp clothing isn't exactly a great environment for staying fresh, and nobody wants to spend five minutes underneath you thinking, "What the hell is that smell?"

Keep your nails short

Please check your fingernails and toenails regularly.

Long nails are a brilliant way of accidentally scratching your training partner's face, back or anything else you're putting them through.

They're also very good at collecting dirt and bacteria.

Just keep them clean, short and smooth enough that you're not scratching people.

If you're unsure whether they're too long, they probably are.

Look after your feet

Your feet are going to be all over the mats and, quite often, all over other people.

So look after them.

Things like athlete's foot and fungal infections can happen. It doesn't always mean you're dirty or that you've done anything wrong. It just needs dealing with.

Check your feet regularly and pay attention to anything unusual.

If you've got anything that looks like it could be a fungal infection, get it checked out and deal with it. Don't just ignore it and hope it disappears, because chances are you'll give it to someone else.

Ringworm and other skin infections

This is probably one of the biggest hygiene concerns in grappling.

Ringworm is a fungal infection, not an actual worm. Some sports call it "jock itch", and it can be fairly common with children.

It can spread pretty easily through close-contact sports.

If you've got a suspicious rash, lesion or anything that looks like it could be ringworm or another contagious skin infection, don't train until you've got it sorted.

I know people don't want to miss training. I get it.

But missing a few sessions is better than turning up with something contagious and potentially passing it around the whole gym.

And if you're not sure what something is, ask your coach.

There's no embarrassment in saying, "I've got this weird mark, do you think I should train?"

I'd much rather someone ask than quietly turn up and hope nobody notices.

Your gym bag

You finish training, take your sweaty kit off and throw it straight into your gym bag.

Then you put your clean clothes in there.

Then you go home.

Then you do it again tomorrow.

Before long, you've basically created a damp little ecosystem inside your bag.

A simple solution is to put your dirty training kit into a separate bag before putting it in your gym bag.

When you get home, get it into the wash.

And every now and then, give the gym bag itself a clean too.

That should keep you covered.

Don't forget the clothes you change into

This one is easy to overlook.

You've finished training, had a quick change and put on some clean clothes.

Great.

Except you've just put those clothes on a sweaty grappler who's been rolling around on the mats for an hour.

Those clothes have now been exposed to everything you've been exposed to.

So don't wear them again. They're covered in sweat and germs.

They can go in the wash too.

Shoes stay off the mats

This one is simple.

Outdoor shoes don't belong on the mats.

You walk through car parks, pavements, toilets and step on all sorts of things in other places in your shoes.

Those germs should stay off the mat.

Take them off before stepping onto the mats and step into them when you step off the mats.

It's not just the gym's responsibility

Obviously, keeping a grappling gym clean is a shared responsibility.

The gym must clean the mats and maintain good hygiene standards.

But no amount of mat cleaning can completely compensate for people turning up in dirty kit, training with contagious skin infections or walking off the mats barefoot and then back on.

If the mats have just been cleaned and you've been walking around barefoot, you are effectively contaminating the mats with whatever you stepped in.

Everyone has a part to play.

If you're doing the basics, you're already making a big difference.

What if your training partner isn't clean?

This can be awkward.

Nobody wants to tell someone they smell, or that their nails are too long, or that they've got something they probably shouldn't be training with.

But sometimes people genuinely don't realise.

If you notice someone who might not be aware of something, try to educate them with tact rather than embarrass them.

Or tell the coach. Most of the time, a quiet conversation is usually enough.

And if it's something more serious, always tell the coach so they can deal with it.

There's no need to publicly shame someone.

The golden rule

Really, it all comes down to one thing:

Be the training partner you'd want to train with.

Turn up clean.

Wear clean kit.

Keep your nails short.

Look after your feet and skin.

Don't train with something contagious.

Keep your gear clean.

Keep your shoes off the mats.

And have a bit of consideration for the people you're about to spend the next hour sweating all over.

We're all responsible for keeping the gym clean and making it somewhere people actually want to train.

It doesn't have to be complicated.

Just be clean, be considerate and look after your training partners.

The mats will be better for it, and so will everyone training on them.

That is another way you can contribute to keeping the gym a healthy and positive environment!