BJJ Newbie Unintentionally Spread The Funk

Hello all,a Happy Thanksgiving. It’s been a while since I posted here and a lot has changed. Got my blue belt back in June after a year of starting, lost a good 55 lbs, improved my technique tremendously and have made a lot of positive changes in my life both physically and mentally. BJJ does change lives after all.

Anyways my thread cocnerns an individual at my school that started training with us back in late June. He came to our school on the recommendation of a purple belt who had been at the school for years but moved to NYC shortly after the start of 2015. The kid at first had trouble doing the most basic moves like shrimping and was a pretty bad spaz, in a way he reminded me of myself when I started.

However after a couple of months he was starting to get the hang of things and he was no longer struggling through the warm ups or drills. Earlier this month we had two of our purple belts reported having ringworm and taking time off to let it heal. As you know the funk is a part of BJJ(and other close contact sports) and some of us have had a run in with it, myself included. We took the usual precautions of checking ourselves before class and using Defense Soap wipes post training.

Barely a week later, another guy gets ringworm and suspicions start to increase. Monday Nov 9th we were getting ready for class when somebody says, “Hey what’s that on your calf?” pointing at the new guy and upon closer inspection there was a really big flaking red patch. The guy says he doesn’t know and a few of the higher belts start to chew him out.

Our head instructor was not present(he’s currently doing a few seminars across the country) but the other instructor calls him out and starts berating him badly. the guy insists having no knowledge of his condition and out of shame leaves and hasn’t been heard from since.

I personally feel as if though both sides are at fault here. The guy should have been a bit smarter and asked one of us what it was that way we could have prevented anyone else from getting infected. At the same time most BJJ schools fail to educate newbies on ringworm, staph and other infections thus they may think it’s just a rash and still show up to train.

I also don’t agree with the insults that were said to him by the higher belts and think things couls have been handled much better. This is not to say I’m on the guy’s side 100% but I think the opportunity to rectify a mistake and educate was missed. The guy hasn’t shown any signs of life. The purpl;e belt who sent him has his phone number and I was thinking of getting in contact with him to see if he’s willing to come back, better educated on the matter and make amends with the rest of the crew.

Thoughts, suggestions, criticisms are welcome

If no one told this dude about ringworm, but they’re getting mad at him for not knowing what it is, they’re assholes. Of course, if that guy was like a bumbling clown and then gave everyone ringworm, I can see the anger. Whole thing really depends on the dynamics of the class, I think.

Also, that shit is gross. That’s why I never wrestled. Gross.

Unless the “new guy” was out in the community, challenging rival schools and rolling with other dudes, someone from your gym gave him the ring worm.

If the worm is going around you guys should 100%, first thing, mop your matts! Lowest man on the Totem Pole mops before every session. Kill those germs!

If new dude was a good addition to the gym, buy him a $2 tube of Lamasil and get him back.

If he was a stinky puss who didn’t fit in and everybody hated (it sounds like they ganged up on him pretty quickly) you’re better off without him.

How many times a week did you train to get your blue belt in one year?

Any previous martial arts?

Ive been doing BJJ for about 4 months now, and nobody has told me about ringworm.

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Hey fellas sorry for the delayed response. Thanksgiving weekend and training this weekend had me well occupied. Anyways we found out Monday that the TRX suspension class has been using our mats, without permission, and the trainer has been stepping on them with his goddamn shoes on. As every here that’s a huge no no! No Shoes On The Mats Ever is a sign we have hanging by the window for all to see.

Our training takes place in a small studio that is also used by the TRX and a yoga class. Nobody but the BJJ crew is to use the mats without consent from the head instructor and if allowed to use them must abide by the same rules and disinfect when they’re done, sweat or no sweat. Everyone in class has “mat duty” after training for one week regardless of rank and they are cleaned with a special bleach mix but of course that becomes null and void when some idiot walks on them with their shoes and doesn’t clean up. We’re going to order new mats and this time records will be kept of who uses them.

We’ve gotten in contact with the guy and gave him a chance to tell his story. He didn’t know he had ringworm, what it was or that anyone else had it. Currently he’s taking fluconazole and it should clear up in a week for good. We also extended an invite back with an apology which he accepted.

Quite frankly some of the crew like to sit around after training and bullshit around making ringworm incubation alot easier then of course they start crying and pointing fingers when they get it. I roll an extra 10 minutes after class sometimes but right after I head straight to the shower, clean with Defense Soap and head straight home to wash my gear. No problems so far. Also I check myself every morning and before I train, if I see something suspicious I put Lamisil on it and wait a few days though I haven’t had the funk for eight months now.

I believe BJJ schools need to address the hygiene part to everyone, especially newcomers. Don’t be so eager to have them sign the waiver or collect a payment from them.

[quote]theBird wrote:
How many times a week did you train to get your blue belt in one year?

Any previous martial arts?

Ive been doing BJJ for about 4 months now, and nobody has told me about ringworm.

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I started off 3X a week progressed to 5X a week. I had no MA experience and I didn’t give myself much hope but because I promised I was going to lose weight and change myself through BJJ I started coming to class more often, drilling, asking questions, rolling with technique and staying after class to drill/roll more. End result I’m now a blue belt after a year and next up is my purple.

My advice to you is simple: DONT QUIT. When you’re getting smashed and submitted remember that I was there and so were countless others. Drill, roll and improve from the last session.

There are so many things that you can spread in a gym. This is the case in ANY kind of gym, be it a cluster fuck of an LA Fitness or a small group rolling on a mat. Ultimately the instructors are responsible for ensuring the facility is clean and that the participants are briefed on hygiene, safety and etiquette. I don’t know what the deal was when this new guy came in but I’ll bet you a Diet Coke that he wasn’t sat down and told the basics.

As it pertains to BJJ hygiene in this case he should have been told about the following - Clean gi, clean body, no body odor, common hygiene issues and skin conditions, recommended disinfectants, ointments etc. If your instructor doesn’t like doing that, then a written welcome notice with all this info can be given to the new kids.

In Thailand, I avoided any infection for almost a year (they are almost inevitable) when a new guy with long finger nails and no clinch game scratched the back of my neck. A week later (despite cleaning the spot) I ‘enjoyed’ a short break in Bali with a DISGUSTING sore on the back of my neck. Took forever to heal and put me out of training for some time.

New guys can sometimes spread this stuff, but because they just are not familiar with the risks. But across the board, depending on the climate, it’s inevitable.

[quote]DmitryKlokovFan wrote:
Hey fellas sorry for the delayed response. Thanksgiving weekend and training this weekend had me well occupied. Anyways we found out Monday that the TRX suspension class has been using our mats, without permission, and the trainer has been stepping on them with his goddamn shoes on. As every here that’s a huge no no! No Shoes On The Mats Ever is a sign we have hanging by the window for all to see.

Our training takes place in a small studio that is also used by the TRX and a yoga class. Nobody but the BJJ crew is to use the mats without consent from the head instructor and if allowed to use them must abide by the same rules and disinfect when they’re done, sweat or no sweat. Everyone in class has “mat duty” after training for one week regardless of rank and they are cleaned with a special bleach mix but of course that becomes null and void when some idiot walks on them with their shoes and doesn’t clean up. We’re going to order new mats and this time records will be kept of who uses them.

We’ve gotten in contact with the guy and gave him a chance to tell his story. He didn’t know he had ringworm, what it was or that anyone else had it. Currently he’s taking fluconazole and it should clear up in a week for good. We also extended an invite back with an apology which he accepted.

Quite frankly some of the crew like to sit around after training and bullshit around making ringworm incubation alot easier then of course they start crying and pointing fingers when they get it. I roll an extra 10 minutes after class sometimes but right after I head straight to the shower, clean with Defense Soap and head straight home to wash my gear. No problems so far. Also I check myself every morning and before I train, if I see something suspicious I put Lamisil on it and wait a few days though I haven’t had the funk for eight months now.

I believe BJJ schools need to address the hygiene part to everyone, especially newcomers. Don’t be so eager to have them sign the waiver or collect a payment from them. [/quote]

Sounds like you guys handled it the right way.

Also, I never did BJJ formally with the exception of a class or two here or there, but god this whole shit sounds gross. Boxers don’t get this shit.

Go shower, you fuckin weirdos.