Jiu-Jitsu is built on discipline, hard work, and protecting your training partners. One of the easiest ways to show respect on the mats is not a technique. It is a hygiene habit.

Wearing flip-flops or slides anytime you are walking off the mats is one of the simplest and most effective ways to help reduce the spread of skin infections in your academy.

How Skin Infections Spread in Training Facilities

While the mats are designed to be cleaned and disinfected regularly, the common areas around them, including locker rooms, hallways, bathrooms, and entryways, can carry bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When athletes walk barefoot off the mats, their feet can pick up those contaminants. When they walk back onto the mats, they transfer with them.

Why Flip-Flops or Slides Make a Difference

Footwear creates a simple barrier between your skin and contaminated common areas. Wearing flip-flops or slides when stepping off the mats helps:

• Reduce tracking bacteria and fungus onto training mats
• Protect your own skin from contaminated floors
• Help maintain a cleaner training environment
• Show respect for teammates and gym cleanliness standards

Most academies already encourage or require footwear off the mats for exactly these reasons.

Walking Barefoot Off the Mats Increases Risk

Walking barefoot through bathrooms or shared common areas increases exposure to microorganisms that can contribute to skin infections including:

• Ringworm
• Athlete's foot
• Staph infections
• Herpes gladiatorum
• Other contagious skin conditions

These infections can spread quickly in close-contact sports like Jiu-Jitsu. Prevention habits not only protect you but your entire training community.

Simple Hygiene Habits that Help Everyone

Good mat hygiene is not complicated. Small daily habits make a big impact:

• Clean and disinfect the mats daily or between sessions. Often overlooked areas are wall mats and training gear.
• Wear flip-flops or slides whenever you are barefoot off the mats.
• Shower as soon as possible after training. Defense Body Wipes can be used after training until you get to a shower, but they are not a replacement for showering.
• Wash all training gear after every session.
• Avoid training with suspicious skin conditions.
• Follow your academy's cleaning and hygiene policies.
• The Defense Foot Cleaning Station can also be used for additional support.

Free Printable Academy Poster

To help promote safe training habits, we created a printable educational poster that academies and athletes can display in locker rooms, mat areas, and common areas.

Download the printable version for your academy here

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