Ringworm is usually found in warm, moist areas and is transmitted through contact, which is why grapplers are the most common victims. Ringworm loves to hang out in locker rooms, on mats, and in old training gear. If one person at a gym has it, chances are a few other people do too, making it even more likely that the mats and other porous surfaces within the gym are harboring the fungus.
With this in mind, the best way to avoid getting ringworm is to train at a school that is obsessive about cleanliness. Mats should be scrubbed down regularly as should pads and any other equipment that comes into contact with students (yoga balls, benches, etc). At the same time, students should be equally obsessive about their own hygiene. Gis, shorts, rashguards, and t-shirts should never be worn for more than one training session without being washed. Fingernails and toenails should be trimmed and showers should be frequent and thorough.
You should start a jiu-jitsu session sparkly clean. If you work outdoors, try to shower before you hit the mat, and if you are travelling from one gym to another, perhaps getting some weightlifting in before you go to open mat, you should shower in between to avoid bringing fungus from one place to another.
On top of these precautions, wearing long sleeve rash guards as well as spats (grappling tights) can minimize your skin-to-skin contact. You should also shower as soon as possible after training as there is only so much that long sleeves can do to protect you in a high-contact sport like jiu-jitsu.
Ringworm is usually found in warm, moist areas and is transmitted through contact, which is why grapplers are the most common victims. Ringworm loves to hang out in locker rooms, on mats, and in old training gear. If one person at a gym has it, chances are a few other people do too, making it even more likely that the mats and other porous surfaces within the gym are harboring the fungus.
With this in mind, the best way to avoid getting ringworm is to train at a school that is obsessive about cleanliness. Mats should be scrubbed down regularly as should pads and any other equipment that comes into contact with students (yoga balls, benches, etc). At the same time, students should be equally obsessive about their own hygiene. Gis, shorts, rashguards, and t-shirts should never be worn for more than one training session without being washed. Fingernails and toenails should be trimmed and showers should be frequent and thorough.
You should start a jiu-jitsu session sparkly clean. If you work outdoors, try to shower before you hit the mat, and if you are travelling from one gym to another, perhaps getting some weightlifting in before you go to open mat, you should shower in between to avoid bringing fungus from one place to another.
On top of these precautions, wearing long sleeve rash guards as well as spats (grappling tights) can minimize your skin-to-skin contact. You should also shower as soon as possible after training as there is only so much that long sleeves can do to protect you in a high-contact sport like jiu-jitsu.
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