It is very important that you prioritise hygiene if you intend on training Jiu Jitsu. One of the dangers of training Jiu Jitsu is a skin infection named “Staphylococcus aureus” (commonly abreviated to “Staph”). From what I understand Staph can be contracted from your training partner or training mats when you recieve a cut on your skin which is then infected with bacteria. It can be a very harmful infection which can only be treated with antibiotics. I’d advise you to take a moment to search it on Google images as you will hopefully be disgusted enough to realise the importance of what I am saying. The best way to avoid Staph is to wash yourself regularly before and after training. It is also a good idea to wash your gi regularly. If you use probiotic soap this will also decrease your chances of catching the infection. Ask at your training gym if they sell any; they have recently started selling a brand called “Fight Soap” at my gym.
What’s most worrying is that, in my experience, no-one ever mentions it in classes. I have never once heard anyone talk about it, even my instructors. The only reason I know about Staph is through my own research and talking to my training partner about it. I have never had a Staph infection to date but my training partner has recently. When he discovered the infection he contacted our gym and they cleaned the mats immediately. If you find you have contracted Staph you should contact your gym to stop the continual spread of the infection through your classmates.
I have only shared what I know of the infection so if you want to know more there is plenty of information on wikipedia!
