We want you to be clean when you come to class. But, counterintuitively, it helps you if you’re not too clean.
Eh?
See, your skin has an abundance of flora and fauna crawling around on it at all times. Don’t freak out: it’s good for you. These organisms normally live in balanced proportions, working in harmony with your skin to protect you from invading nasties. Nasties like those often found on grappling mats (and grappling partners) despite our best efforts to keep them at bay. When you bathe, you kill and/or wash away some of those defensive bugs, and it takes some time for them to recover and strike that balance that provides you with optimal protection.
The four hour rule
Note: The following is based on anecdotal evidence – that is, my experience and what I’ve heard from others over the years. These statements have not been evaluated by the blah blah blah and do not constitute medical advice. You are encouraged to seek the advice of a blah blah blah.
This rule of thumb is based on the fact that it takes a colony of microorganisms – good or bad – about four hours to establish a foothold on your skin such that it’s likely to be able to beat out some new invader.
Accordingly, I like to make sure my last shower is at least four hours before I get on the mats. This gives my skin time to form its natural armor.
Likewise, I like to make sure I shower no more than four hours after I get on the mats. That is, four hours from the time I first came into contact with potential nasties. See, even though I’ve got my nice natural shield going, grappling can result in scrapes and abrasions – many too small to see – which can leave areas unprotected.
“Coach, I stink, but I don’t want to miss class.”
Thank you for being considerate. I recommend a wipe-down with a wet washcloth rather than a full shower. Use soap only on the stinky bits – you’ll find that those tend to be the parts covered by your gi, rash guard, or shorts, and hence afforded some extra protection. (There’s a common term for this kind of bathing, but this is a family show.)
Should I use antibacterial soaps? Should I scrub the everlovin’ heck out of myself?
Oh, believe me, I know how tempting this can be. You’ve heard the horror stories. You’ve seen the memes. You feel so unclean; you just want to scrub and scrub and….
But harsh cleaners and abrasive implements are getting rid of the good stuff as well as the bad. Used often and/or vigorously enough, they can even throw your natural bugs out of balance and diminish their protective abilities long-term. You’ll find yourself in a situation where you have to keep scrubbing and bleaching and scouring, and often winding up with infections anyway. Again, this is anecdotal, but the only times I’ve ever had infections were when I was regularly using things like Defense soap or Hibiclens.
These days, I use regular over-the-counter shampoo or body wash and follow the four hour rule. Knock on wood, I haven’t had an infection in years.
A special note about shaving
Shaving (anything) should be avoided before grappling. There’s a time-based rule of thumb here too, I’m sure, and whatever it is, it’s at least four hours. Shaving scrapes away not only your protective flora and fauna, but also several of the delicious layers of skin on which they thrive. I generally avoid the issue by shaving about once every six weeks, on a non-training day, whether I need it or not.
