- Tom DeBlass on skin infections: he calls training with visible rashes/lumps “selfish,” urging coaches to bench offenders immediately.
- Clear orders: disclose symptoms, stay home, disinfect mats, and require medical clearance before returning.
- Quick primer: ringworm in BJJ spreads fast; staph can escalate; Jiu-Jitsu hygiene is policy, not vibes.
- DeBlass’s long-standing “hygiene commandments” resurface as gyms head into packed fall schedules.
“If You Knowingly Train With A Rash, You’re Selfish”
This week, Tom DeBlass on skin infections was blunt and impossible to misread. He told students and coaches to stop tolerating anyone who shows up with “a lump, rash, or anything suspicious,” and to treat it like a non-negotiable benching.
His message is both safety alarm and social contract: don’t trade your partner’s health for your next roll.
“Jiu-Jitsu students, listen up: if you knowingly train with a lump, rash, or anything suspicious, you’re selfish.”
– Tom DeBlass –
He didn’t leave much gray area. The responsibility is shared—athletes disclose, coaches enforce, and rooms clean today, not after the weekend comp. For a sport built on skin-to-skin contact, the margin for error is one bad decision.
Tom DeBlass On Skin Infections: This is What Gyms Need to Do
DeBlass turned outrage into a to-do list—practical and immediate:
- Bench first, ask questions later. If a student has a rash/lump, they’re out—no “just drilling.”
- Disclose, don’t hide. Tell your coach as soon as you see something; don’t tape it and roll.
- Disinfect aggressively. Mop mats between classes when something’s suspected, not just at close.
- Laundry is equipment. Fresh Gi/rash guard every session, clean belt, trimmed nails—no exceptions.
- Medical clearance to return. A note or obvious clinical resolution before anyone touches the mats again.
“Coaches, do your jobs. Send them home. Protect the room.”
– Tom DeBlass –
BJJ Hygiene 101: Ringworm And Staph, In Plain English
You don’t need a microbiology degree to stop an outbreak—you need mat hygiene rules that everyone follows. A few thoughts by Tom DeBlass on skin infections:
- Ringworm: a contagious fungal infection that looks like a red, often circular rash. It spreads via direct contact and shared surfaces (mats, gear). It’s treatable, but only if you stop rolling and treat it.
- Staph infections/MRSA: bacterial infections that can start as pimples or boils and turn serious. Any painful, hot, or pus-filled lump is a hard stop—see a clinician now.
- Transmission reality: sweat, friction, and shared surfaces multiply risk. Clean mats, clean bodies, clean laundry—every time.
- Early honesty saves the room: disclose symptoms before class; coaches log incidents and deep-clean immediately.
“Hygiene isn’t optional—it’s respect for your partners. If you’re not clean, you don’t train.”
– Tom DeBlass –
Tom’s “Hygiene Commandments”
DeBlass has preached the same fundamentals for years, and they land even harder in crowded fall schedules:
- Shower the day you train (not “tomorrow morning”).
- Fresh kit each session (Gi/rash guard/shorts/socks—washed, not aired).
- Cover and clear: bandage minor abrasions and monitor; any rash/lump = stay home.
- Trim nails, tie hair, no bare feet in bathrooms, and keep shoes off the mats.
- Coach authority is final: if a coach says you can’t train today, you can’t.
These aren’t culture-war rules; they’re continuity rules. One outbreak will empty a room faster than a price hike.
Write It, Teach It, Enforce It
The message of Tom DeBlass on skin infections is policy, not pep talk. Post the rules. Say them out loud in intro classes.
Add a simple return-to-mat flow (report → clean → treat → clear). Give coaches explicit removal authority, and back them publicly when they use it. Most of all, remove the social pressure to “tough it out.”
Tough is tapping to a heel hook before your knee pops; smart is skipping class so nobody takes home ringworm. That’s how you protect training partners—and the room you love.
