Hygiene Practices for BJJ
Keeping yourself and your teammates well is essential for progressing in Brazilian jiu jitsu. In addition to safe training practice (check out our safety tips here), we ask all Oregon Grappling Arts students to implement the following hygiene tips as well.
Don’t come to practice when you’re sick. Even if it’s just a cold, stay home until you’ve recovered. Some of your teammates likely have little or no sick time, or obligations such as childcare that can’t be put on hold; getting sick may be considerably burdensome to them. If you’re sick and can’t come to class for a few days, try watching some BJJ matches or instructional videos online.
Don’t come to practice with a skin infection. If you notice any new rashes, bumps, sores, or redness on your skin, get it checked out by a healthcare provider before returning to jiu jitsu.
Wash all of your gi and nogi training gear after every use. You should never rewear training gear after it’s been used at BJJ practice. Training gear should be clean and free of odors. Sometimes older training gear may start retaining an odor even when washed. If this happens, it’s probably time to replace it.
Shower immediately after each training session. The best option is to take a shower at your jiu jitsu gym if possible. We have two showers at OGA. If you can’t shower at your gym or you have a short commute, shower as soon as you get home from practice.
Keep your fingernails and toenails trimmed. Nails should be trimmed as short as possible without causing pain or discomfort. Because of the close-contact nature of BJJ, it’s very easy to scratch your training partners if your nails are too long.
Always wear shoes into the restroom. We don’t want to track germs from the bathroom floor onto the jiu jitsu mats. If you don’t want to put your boots or sneakers on every time you need to use the restroom, bring a pair of flip flops or other slip-on shoes to practice.
-OGA Staff
At OGA, we offer gi and nogi jiu jitsu classes in Northeast Portland six days per week. You can find our schedule here. Don’t hesitate to reach out to one of your coaches at OGA if you have any questions about training outside of regularly scheduled practices.
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