When training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it’s important to note that hygiene is a big issue. Assuming you’ve trained BJJ, you’ll be aware that it can be a pretty unhygienic hobby. This is because it involves copious amounts of sweat, bodily fluids, and other issues.
The good news is that if you follow the hygiene rules below, then you will safe guard your body against infection and illness. If you’re arrogant or naive to these rules, then you could be putting you and your training partner’s health at risk.
Table of Contents
Hygiene rules whilst training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Trim your nails
We’ve all been there, having a good roll with someone and then they cut you due to having long nails. Whilst most BJJ practitioners will trim their fingernails and are mindful about doing so, typically fewer people also trim their toenails.
Ultimately, if you’re rolling with long, sharp nails then you’re more likely to cut your opponent. This can lead to some unsightly scratches and can even lead to skin infections if untreated. Often, during the heat of the moment, people may not even realize they’ve been scratched. Ideally, try to trim your nails roughly once every two weeks.
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Wash and clean your body
It goes without saying that you should have washed your body before training. This is because otherwise, your body will build up bacteria from sweat and dirt that you’ll naturally pick up throughout the day.
Even if it’s not noticeable, the issue is that you’re more likely to pass on germs to your training partners if you don’t wash and clean your body. Similarly, you wouldn’t really want to train with someone that hasn’t washed either as you could pick up an illness. This is common sense and is usually not followed due to laziness rather than ignorance.
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Wash your gi/BJJ gear
Another common-sense piece of advice is to wash and clean your gi, or rashguards. You may think that you can get away with it if you think you didn’t sweat much whilst previously training. However, even the slightest smell of stale sweat on a gi or rashguard is pretty easy to pick up. So, the likelihood is that your training partners will notice this – which is disrespectful as it can lead to the spreading of germs.
This doesn’t just go for gis and rashguards either. Every piece of training gear should be washed as quickly as possible once it’s been used. This includes knee braces, mouth guards, padding, and other pieces of clothing. It goes without saying that BJJ is a very sweaty activity so you have to take this advice pretty seriously. Sometimes, it’s also an idea to do a deep clean every once in a while too. For instance, if your keep washing your rash guard but it still smells a little, you should put it in white vinegar and let it soak before re-washing to remove any trace of smell.
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Avoid bad-smelling breath
The last thing you want to do before training is to eat spicy food or garlic and then breathe on your training partners in close proximity. This is because these smells aren’t exactly pleasant and can be off-putting and even make people nauseous.
Simply put, try to eat neutral-smelling foods before training, and if you’re that self-conscious, have a mint as well to freshen your breath. Before training, you should also brush your teeth as well which will also help eliminate bad smells from your mouth.
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Cover your cuts
So far, most of our examples have been based on protecting your training partners. This example is based more so on protecting your own personal health. If you do pick up a cut, you can still train – especially if it’s quite shallow. However, make sure you cover it up – which is ideally done with tape, or even a long-sleeved rashguard would suffice. This will stop germs from entering and infecting the cut. In a bad scenario, this could lead to MRSA which is potentially fatal.
As for your training partners, it’s not exactly a nice experience if someone starts rubbing or dripping blood on you either.
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Make sure your clothes are dry
In some colder climates, drying your BJJ gear can be a challenge. However, you should avoid training if your gi or rash guards are damp or wet. This is because they will smell and may not have fully cleaned off the gunk from your last training session.
Imagine being stuck in bottom side control with your opponent’s damp gi smothering your face. This is rude and disrespectful and if you wouldn’t like it done on you, don’t do it to others. If drying your BJJ clothes on time is tough then invest in more gear or some kind of heater.
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Use a clean gym bag
One of the less spoken hygiene rules in BJJ is using a clean gym bag. Often, BJJ practitioners will put their dirty gear into their gym bag, clean their stuff and then put it in the same bag days later. Obviously, this bag will still have the dirt and germs from several days earlier.
This kind of defeats the purpose of washing your gi. Although it won’t be filthy from 30 minutes in a gym bag, it will still add germs. Ideally, you should frequently wash your bag, or alternate between two bags to keep the one constantly clean. Sadly, a lot of practitioners don’t seem to do this.
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Wear shoes off the mat (and bare feet on the mats)
As a day one white belt, you’ll often be warned against wearing shoes on the mats and going bare feet off them. For instance, a mat should be clean so if you walk on it and spread dirt across it then it can spread germs.
This may sound obvious if you’ve trained for years – but remember BJJ culture may not be as easy to pick up for beginners. Similarly, you shouldn’t walk off the mat with your feet touching the floor. In very extreme cases, there have even been tales of people going to the toilets in their bare feet. This doesn’t need explaining as to why it’s disgusting!
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Tie long hair back
Whether you’re a woman or a man with long hair – it’s important to tie your hair back. This is because during sparring, it will get wet and sweaty. This can be annoying for several reasons. Firstly, you could get this hair in your eye or mouth which isn’t very hygienic, to say the least.
Secondly, it’s also annoying whilst grappling. For instance, if you’re trying to get your arm around their head then it could pull at their hair and hurt them. Although this isn’t a hygiene issue, it’s still annoying and is a matter that can be solved with a simple hair band or bobble.
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Shower immediately after training
One of the grossest feelings in BJJ is avoiding showering after training. If you take 20 minutes to get home then by the time you arrive, you’ll literally be able to feel the stale sweat on your skin. Similarly, this also creates a pungent smell which is very unpleasant.
This is your body’s way of telling you to have a bath or shower, to wash off the excess gunk from training. If you don’t do this, it can cause various skin problems such as acne and even ringworm in some cases. Thankfully, most people will always shower after training which is a given.
Remove odors
Even if you’ve just taken a shower and go to train, it doesn’t mean that you won’t smell either. As mentioned earlier, you should also make that your mouth smells nice. However, there are certain other smells that may linger.
The most common one is B.O. This is most common in men and some people naturally sweat more than others. To rectify this, make sure to wear deodorant whilst training. If there are other areas of your body that smell then you can also take similar measures. We’re not asking you to bathe in Persian fragrances either – but a little deodorant can go a long way.
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Make sure the mats are clean!
This piece of advice goes for gym owners in particular. Please, clean your mats. If you don’t then your mats will become a viper’s nest for germs and diseases, and issues such as ring worm can result because of it. This is particularly unfair on your students as it can undo their hard work to be hygienic.
Whilst most gyms follow these rules, there are sadly some out there with lazy owners. As a student, you can usually spot dirty mats which tend to have dust, hair, and even nail clippings on them, as well as stains. If you see this, tell your instructor to sort it out. If they don’t, you should seriously consider moving gyms.
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Don’t train when sick
One of the most selfish acts you can do as a BJJ practitioner is train with a cold or illness. This won’t be particularly fun for you as you’ll lack energy and should be at home. However, it can also spread illness throughout the entire gym.
As BJJ is such a physical activity, it’s easy to pass on germs and bugs. Therefore, if you knowingly have health problems then you should stay away. If not, then this shows that you don’t respect your training partners and that you’re happy to spread illness to other people. Even from a selfish perspective, you should still avoid training as it may exhaust you and slow down your recovery.
Remove jewelry
Although this isn’t really a hygiene issue, it’s still worth mentioning. When training BJJ, you should not wear jewelry for safety reasons. For instance, if you wear a wedding ring then you risk the possibility of getting de-gloved. This is when the ring is moved by force and rips your skin off. This is a horrible sight and can be easily avoided by not wearing rings.
As well, make sure you aren’t wearing chains either. These can get pulled on and can break or strangle you. As for your teammates, they could also get their fingers caught in chains which could break them.
