Evolution X Martial Arts

Sweat, blood, and rock and roll. You'll find at least the first two in just about every dojo. In some dojos, you'll also find the nasties that come along with them: ringworm, athlete's foot, staph, MRSA, and a whole catalog of fungi and bacteria. Yes — fun stuff.

We're diligent about keeping our mats clean and wipe them down with disinfectant multiple times a week. But mat hygiene is a team sport. Here are a few things you can do to mitigate the risk of picking up — or spreading — nasties on the mat.

Wear an Undershirt

It's culturally acceptable in martial arts for men to go bare-chested under their gi top, but a rash guard, compression shirt, or performance tee underneath cuts down on a lot of skin-to-mat and skin-to-partner contact. You can find rash guards online from any number of brands, and places like Dick's Sporting Goods carry a solid range.

Trim the Claws

Keep your fingernails and toenails trimmed so you don't accidentally scratch a training partner. Keep nail clippers in your gi bag. Scratches leave open wounds that are easy entry points for bacteria — and frankly, getting clawed mid-roll is just rude.

Clean It Up, Cover It Up (Blood)

If you bleed on the mat, grab the disinfectant spray and clean the area immediately. If you have an open wound, cover it with one of the band-aids that should be readily available at any dojo. We recommend keeping a small first aid kit in your gi bag with sports band-aids in various sizes, antiseptic spray, Biofreeze, athletic tape, and ibuprofen.

If You're Sick, Stay Home

We love the enthusiasm of someone wanting to train through illness, but stay home. Save your training partners from picking up whatever you've got. You can still practice — study your syllabus, drill solo work in your living room, watch technique videos online. Honestly though, when you're sick, rest is the best training you can do.

Athletic Foot Spray

A habit worth picking up: spray your feet before and after every class with anti-fungal athletic foot spray. When you travel to different schools and seminars, you have no idea how clean the mats are going to be. There are plenty of options on Amazon — Lotrimin is one — that help prevent picking up athlete's foot.

Wash Your Gi Regularly

One of the simplest, most important things you can do. If you sweat in it, wash it. Especially after kumite or BJJ. Nobody enjoys a stinky training partner. We recommend owning at least two uniforms so you can rotate through the week without skipping a wash.

Wipe Off Your Gloves

Your gi isn't the only thing soaking up sweat and blood — your sparring gloves are too. Carry disinfectant wipes, or use the ones at the dojo, and wipe your gloves down after every sparring session before they go back in your bag.

Let's all do our part to keep our dojo clean and the nasties on the wrong side of the door.

Train hard.