3, 2, 1. The round starts. You bump hands with your opponent, take in a deep breath, and then to your unpleasant surprise, you take in a big whiff of a body odor that reminds you of that one time you ran over a skunk.
No one wants to be known as THAT guy or gal who hasn’t washed their gi.
How do we avoid these types of environments? How can we feel comfortable knowing we’re training in a clean, sterile environment? By noticing the red flags and avoiding gyms with overwhelming signs that they’re lacking in the hygiene department.
Here are the top 5 BJJ Hygiene Red Flags to look out for🚩:
1.) Inconsistency With Cleaning Their Mats
If you notice that mats are cleaned half-heartedly by an exhausted blue belt after a full day of students rolling around in one another’s sweat— that’s an unsettling sign.
Maybe they’re not quite thorough when cleaning the mat, perhaps you notice no one cleans it after the last class, or maybe the mop being used looks like it hasn’t been changed in 2 years.
Either way cleaning the mats, and cleaning them properly should be a gym’s top priority. There are no cutting corners when it comes to member’s health and safety. Here at Legion, we pride ourselves on our ability in keeping a clean, sanitary environment.
Twice a day, every 5800 sqft of the massive mat space is vacuumed thoroughly and cleaned with solutions designed specifically for mat-related sports; The type of solution that kills viruses, bacteria, parasites, and even MRSA!
2.) Students Don’t Care About Their Personal Hygiene
Have you ever arrived at class eager to roll and then were left victimized by being cat-clawed? Maybe they left you a scratch that ended up bleeding all over your new “Shoyoroll.”
Add in an extra pair of nail clippers to your gym bag and make sure to give yourself a few extra minutes before class to take care of that.
It can be one of the most irritating injuries and is easily avoided if students do their part and maintain a proper code of hygiene.
When initially signing up for Legion, students agree to adhere to and respect the hygiene code to avoid any preventable injuries.
3. Students Are Allowed To Train In Previously Used Gis
Bump fists and plug your nose!
No one wants to deal with the awkwardness of being denied a roll because you’re in the process of training for IBJFF, doubled up on classes, and neglected to bring a fresh gi to your training.
Along with keeping the nails trimmed, students at Legion are required to wear a fresh gi to each class, and dirty gi’s are not allowed in the weight area.
Check out this article for proper gi maintenance:
4.) The Academy Does Not Have Showers
Before signing up for any new gym it’s important–or even vital–to consider if your new potential gym has showers, and more importantly, regularly cleaned showers.
The first thing you should do is shower after a BJJ session in order to wash off any fungus or bacteria.
As well, nothing is more refreshing than a nice shower after an extensive training session.
To my heart’s delight, the woman’s bathroom at Legion has exceeded my high-cleaning standards; as well, bathrooms are consistently cleaned and stocked (even with mouth wash to ensure fresh breath!)
5.)People Walk To The Toilets and Back To The Mats Barefoot
One of the worst signs that a gym doesn’t have a high standard of cleanliness is when you witness the members nonchalantly walking to and from the bathroom without their slippers; All of that bacteria in the bathroom will be of course dispersed among the mats.
That’s your signal to walk out as fast as possible!
Signs should be posted visibly throughout the gym.
When searching for a new gym or when you’re visiting a gym, please don’t hesitate to ask that gym about their sanitation/cleaning procedure so you feel more comfortable training there.
And, if you’re wondering which gym is one of the cleanest gyms in San Diego; come visit us here at Legion!
