@keyboard, where am I getting this info about mats? From my personal experience. Some years back I trained in 2 academies in New Zealand while studying, and the only way the mats were getting cleaned were through the students' OWN GI, when they roll and do warm ups!
It was disgusting but what can I do, I'm just a new student training under a legit BB. There were even times when we get to drill with a purple and brown belts where their GIs are unwashed and ripped, but the head instructor was not there most of the time because he's managing some other branches.
It would be REALLY REALLY wonderful if instructors can EMPHASIZE to their students regardless of feelings hurt that THEY SHOULD WASH THEIR GI for God's sake!
When I trained in BJJ the students were "required" to clean the mats at the end of class. As far as staph infections are concerned, staph bacteria exists in many different places. You can get a staph infection from a toilet seat or a mosquito bite just as easily as you could get it from a grass field or gym mat. What prevents and controls staph is making sure you bathe after you sweat and making sure any open cut you get is cleaned and treated with a disinfectant of some kind. The spread of staph bacteria is easily controlled through basic common sense cleaning of your household and personal hygiene.
Where are you getting that from that BJJ places don't clean their mats? We clean our mats before every use, because we know we're going to be rolling on the same ground that people are stepping on.
Anyways, staph resides on the skin. When people have poor hygiene habits, from sweating, dirty gi's, dirty mats, etc...and you combine that with an open wound, you're asking to get staph. Rugby isn't as up close and personal as BJJ is. Yes, Rugby involves contact, but you're not typically constantly rolling on the ground with another person. You're fighting for a ball and then you get back up.
@FistMaster: 2 gyms isn't enough to assume that "Most" BJJ gyms don't clean their mats. And that's why you don't train in franchises, where a BB is managing multiple gyms. All those gyms suffer then, in teaching, maintenance, etc...
As for me, I tell my students (these are children, mind you) that they are to wash their gi's at a minimum of at least once a week. I realize they need to do it everytime, but parents don't think kids sweat and stick up their gi's that much, so they see no point in even washing it at all.
I have trained and instructed in more than 50 academies in GJJ/BJJ and i have never seen a place that does not clean their mats. I would love to know where you get this opinion.
BJJ academies cant afford to have a staph outbreak simply because if 3 people get it then 8 people get it and then 20 people have it and then everyone stops coming. The academy would not be financially able to cover the loss of all the students.
As for Rugby well again this is another rare thing. Staph happens in any sport and it is something that people try to limit. However you are more likely to get it in numerous other places instead of just BJJ and Rugby.
Technically if you wanted to say that it was widely contacted in these sports then you would be more likely to contact it in rugby simply because Rugby clubs actually train in Grappling arts now. So they are doing both sports.
if you want to avoid staph read this article
http://karatedr.com/wp-content/uploads/2...
as you are in constant contact with players and equipment assuming that hygiene is the same, any wrestling or grappling will have a higher incidence of staph
People are disgusting
Which one has the most chance of getting a player the staph?
Most BJJ gyms don't even clean their mats, and Rugby is played on grass where there are spit, bird droppings and all bacteria that you can think of.
Any ideas?
