Sunday, September 25, 2011

The dark side of just drying, not washing, your gi.....

Fair warning-- I copied and pasted from various emails into this blog post and screwed up the font color in places, somehow.  Instead of it all being white text on dark grey background, some is black text on dark grey, and I have insufficient HTML skills (and patience) to fix it.  I'm sorry!  please let me know if you can't read the black parts!

Meg posted a fascinating piece on her blog, MegJitsu, about a couple who are exploring a new way to stay clean and fresh in jiu jitsu.    Michelle and Brandon Bledsoe, white and black belts, respectively, out of Wolf Clan Combat Sports in Knoxville, Tennessee, "wash" their gis without water.  Huh!  I checked Brandon out and he is legit-- just got his black belt this year under Helio Soneca and competes in jits as well as MMA.  So this is no random guy training alone in the basement with youtube for 6 months; he obviously cares about his students and his own safety.

Meg says they "tumble dry [their] gi with a dryer sheet for 10 minutes on a delicate setting/very low heat after class. I had to ask Michelle, do gi ‘washed’ in this manner start to stink as soon as sweat or moisture hits them?"  Michelle's answer was:

"Nope, no smell at all. People actually comment on how good they always smell! Because you are evaporating the sweat, there is no bacteria sitting in the fabric. It’s awesome! Brandon has been doing this for years and years. He has gis 8 years old that look brand new!"

Sorry, but among many others, I found this hard to swallow.  I don't know what Michelle and Brandon do for a living, but I know I'm not an expert in this stuff.  So, I found some experts and they say--

HELL NO.

I emailed chemists, microbiologists, textile scientists, experts in "linen and laundry management" and the like.  This is what I asked--

* * * *
I train in a martial art called jiu jitsu. We all wear heavy uniforms (called "gi") to train in and they are usually soaked in sweat when we finish a session. Normally we wash in hot water with detergent (some air dry, some machine dry) and count them "clean." But recently someone claimed that the gis would be just as safe if we immediately dried them on hot in the dryer-- on the theory that drying out the sweat at high heat will kill the bacteria, and therefore you could just go a whole week or longer (up to 6-8 weeks!) without  "washing" your gi, saving water and wear on the fibers.

See this article here for a discussion: http://www.megjitsu.com/how-to-wash-bjj-gi-without-water/

Please help me find someone who knows whether this would be safe! I would like to provide a scientific point of view for the discussion, not just anecdotal opinion.

* * * *

Please notice I kind of changed the question.  Michelle and Brandon advocate drying on the gentle/low-heat cycle.  I asked about drying on high heat.  I should have left the parameters the same, but I know I wouldn't personally feel comfortable about drying on low heat absent a wash with detergent.

Here are their answers.  First, from a PhD chemist and professor of textile science in Austria.  (His English is way better than my German.  I am so impressed with him and not impressed with my provincial self.)

"Dear Georgette,

we received your email an I will try to answer.
First I had a look on your discussion page [the MegJitsu blog post and comments after] and found the following comments:

"To achieve sterility, a holding time of at least 15 minutes at 121 °C (250 °F) or 3 minutes at 134 °C (273 °F) is required.  The standard properly functioning in home dryer runs around 175°C."

The general comment on sterility is right and you see, you will need quite harsh conditions to kill all microorganisms.

There is an error in the temperature of a home dryer, which most probably is 175 °F not 175 °C. Thus you cannot expect that your clothing will be free of microorganisms after a tumble drying.

What you will achieve is a reduction in population due to shorter growth time, effect of temperature and removal of liquid water (sweat), thus development of odor may be reduced, however I expect a considerable population to be alive (e.g. in stasis form) after such treatment.  In any case all non-volatile components released during perspiration with sweat will remain in the cloth e.g. salt, grease, ..
Just check the composition of sweat at wickipedia.

So after all you will have to chose between:

Real hygienic conditions e.g. by use of appropriate washing cycle or appearent hygiene, where odor and smell will be the primary quality parameters (not purity of the cloth).

Kind regards

Univ. Prof. Dr. Thomas Bechtold
Research Institute for Textile Chemistry and Textile Physics
University Innsbruck
Hoechsterstrasse 73
A-6850 Dornbirn
Austria
Tel.: +43 5572 28533 579
Fax: +43 5572 28629"

Next answer, from a professor of chemistry and environmental science in New York:

"Hi Georgette,

Laundering your gi with soap and water is a key step in getting rid of the microbes that would be festering on them after a heavy workout session. The mechanical action of machine washing loosens the bacteria, and the soap and surfactants in the detergent bind with them so the water can wash them away. If you just dry the clothes, you may kill a large proportion of the microorganisms, but you would be leaving organic residues on the fabric that would basically provide food for microbes to re-colonize afterwards. And the resulting build-up of crud would probably make the uniforms unusable faster than the effects of regular laundering anyway!

Detergent companies are very interested in the idea of cold-water washing these days, both for the purposes of saving energy and reducing wear and tear on fabric from washing in hot water. In fact, there was an excellent piece on that topic in the NY Times this past week:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/17/business/cold-water-detergents-get-a-chilly-reception.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=laundry&st=cse

Perhaps these cold-water detergents, which cost the same as the conventional kind, could provide an effective solution for washing your gi while reducing wear from hot water.

Also, drying on the line in the sun is a great way to kill microbes while saving energy.

A microbiologist would probably have a better answer for you, but I hope that helps. My specific expertise lies in the chemistry of chlorine bleach in laundry applications--I assume you're not bleaching your uniforms?

Best of luck,
Alessandra 

Alessandra Leri
Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Science
Marymount Manhattan College
221 E 71st St.
New York, NY 10021
(212) 517-0661"


The next is from the president of a company called Aquarecycle. 


"The Aqua Recycle® Laundry Water Recycle System is the only proven system on the market that will reclaim and reuse ALL of your laundry wastewater." 

Sounded like they might have some insight, perhaps less thana microbiologist or textile scientist but what the hey. 
The principals of the company have advanced degrees as varied as Marine Geochemistry, Physical Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Commercial Resort Management, and Mechanical Engineering. 



One dude has "24 year laundry industry experience includes Vice President of Consulting overseeing such prestigious clients as Ritz Carlton, Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott. He also held Vice President and Regional Management Positions for two of the largest commercial healthcare and hospitality linen rental corporations. While with these companies, he had responsibility for 12-laundry plants processing in excess of 200 million pounds annually. He entered the laundry business working for the Walt Disney Company in Orlando, Florida. During his 10-year career with Disney, he played a significant part in the development, construction and operation of one of the largest laundry facilities in the United States processing over 100 million pounds of linen and 13 million garments, annually." 



So I believe they have some chops in regards to the chemistry of clean laundry.  Here's what the company president told me:

"Georgette,
Thanks for the email. Its funny you should email me about this. My 26 yr old son is a huge jiu jitsu competitor. He has his purple belt [under Helio Soneca/Ranieri Paiva in Marietta Georgia, at X3 Sports] and competes nationally so I understand better than most. That being said, he has also come home with Staff infections and those are not something you take lightly.


The wrestling process, the sweat, the co-mingling of fluids between wrestlers and the environment produce a lot more than just bacteria. There are all kinds of human organics and fluids there and words can not describe how important it is to insure proper sanitizing of the uniforms. . . you can never cut corners even though the dryers are a good disinfectant; there is never a 100% guarantee of disinfection. I am not a launderer and not really a scientist either (I do have them in my organization) but when recycling laundry wastewater, we have several different disinfection processes going on (Ozone, UV, Active Alkalinity) and this is after the normal washing process that includes chlorine, hot water, detergents and such. Bacteria lives everywhere and each environment has to be handled differently since some can live in each environment. It’s a continuous battle and the best you can do is keep them at bay.
Please make sure these are washed, and always in HOT WATER. 140 – 160 degree [Fahrenheit] hot water for at least 5 minutes is always the safest and the most sanitary process.
Take care,
Jeff
 
Jeff Lebedin, President
AquaRecycle
ThermalRecycle
450 Ridgewater Drive
Marietta, GA 30068
(770)565-8488 (Plant)"

I still haven't heard back from Dr. Pourdeyhimi at the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University or Dr. Fairbanks at the Association of Linen Management, but I think I'm satisfied with what I was able to learn already.

I believe it is unsanitary and probably risking some infections to not wash your gi in water and detergent after every single training session.  I do not think drying on high heat alone (much less low heat or the gentle cycle!!!) is enough to remove the organic materials and the microbes from the cloth.  I love when people smell clean, and when a colored gi doesn't fade-- but even more importantly I want them to BE clean when I roll.  After all, if you stood in front of a fan naked after class, evaporated the sweat off your skin and hair, and then sprayed a little cologne or perfume on.... would you be clean???????

I have only been training three years, but I (until recently) was training 7 days a week, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, so I am well versed in the demands that laundering 1-3 gis a day can put on the water bill and the laundry room, as well as on the fabric.  (Now you see why I have 18+ gis in the rotation.)  But I'd rather wear the crap out of some gis and frazzle them into uselessness in 2-3 years (though that hasn't happened yet) than have pristine looking/smelling gis with colonies of bacteria and so on in them.

However, to each their own.  So it's worth making sure you're clear with your training partners (and sadly, opponents in tournaments) whether they subscribe to the no-water-wash school of thought, so you can assess your level of risk and comfort, etc.

THANK YOU MegJitsu for the very thought-provoking post and thanks Michelle and Brandon for sharing your method with us!  Maybe this will encourage a re-evaluation of the cleaning process :)

33 comments:

Aparna said...

I almost left a comment on Meg's post, but didn't for fear that it would be too inflammatory. Honestly, this is just kind of gross. Partially for the reasons you've mentioned here (I only briefly looked through the responses), but even Brandon says in one of the comments, "The only gi’s that I didnt do this with were my 1st couple of Gi’s ( a Krugans kimono and an Gracie Academy gi that I bought when I was a white belt) and any White Gi’s I own as they show dirt and mat yuck after class. " Even he acknowledges that this only works with dark gis that hide the dirt. As in, these gis aren't washed, they're just (kind of) sterilized, and all the dirt, dead bacteria, sweat residue, etc. are still there. My FACE is rubbing up against these things, and I do NOT want 8 weeks of accumulated crap wiping onto my face. I don't care if the bacteria are dead and it smells nice. I wouldn't want to eat sterilized dirt, either, even if it's free of bacteria.

Georgette said...

That's a excellent point, Aparna! So right! I wonder if Brandon's students all follow his line of thinking on laundry? If I were competing against people from that school I would certainly feel some concern. Thanks for your comment :)

Anonymous said...

I cannot believe that the folks who do this do not stink so bad you can smell them from the other side of the earthsphere.

Aparna said...

Here's the kicker...I live in Knoxville too, so it's quite conceivable that I (and my teammates) actually would be competing against students from that school.

Meg Smitley said...

Great piece, Georgette, thanks so much for taking this ball and running with it (and compensating for my lazy reportage). Is wonderful to have a selection of expert views on washing and it was doubly cool to read that one expert's son is a jits player! I am only sorry that I unintentionally exposed Michelle and Brandon to public criticism, which I'm prepared for as a blogger, but they may be less so as friendly readers with a willingness to share. I just get so excited when a member of our community comes out with something I haven't heard before and my enthusiasm goes online, perhaps without enough consideration. That said, I am very excited about the three pieces by yourself, Tangled Triangle and myself, that have helped us all get a less mythologised view of microbes on the mats.

Hi, Aparna, please always feel free to comment on my blog, everyone's thoughts are welcome! The only rule on MegJitsu is that comments be respectful to others, but dissension and disagreement is positively encouraged ;)

Meerkatsu said...

Quality journalism.

Megan said...

Great info! I read the post and was kinda curious about the dryer sheet method myself. It definitely seemed like something that shouldn't be done on the regular (if at all).

leslie said...

Thanks for all the research, Georgette; I've been wondering about this myself.

After reading the article on Meg's blog, I actually have been using the dryer method with my morning class gis since I don't really have enough time then to wash them. (And it beats having a sweating & stinky gi hanging up in the house all day.) But I do throw those gis in with the evening class wash, so I do wash those gis before I wear them again.

BJJ Judo said...

No disrespect to the BB you mentioned that uses this gi cleaning method, but just because he is a BB in BJJ doesn't make him a BB in chemistry or microbiology. If you want a clean gi and a gym free of MRSA you need to AT LEAST wash your gi in hot water with soap. If you want a really clean gi free of staph you need to follow up the washing with drying your gi in a dryer not letting it air dry. You should also shower with soap immediately after practice. If your gym doesn’t have showers then shower as soon as you get home. Will all of the washing and drying shorten the life of your gi and shrink the size of your gi? Yes, but try getting MRSA as an alternative. I know someone will comment with “I air dry my gis and I have never got staph”. My response is, good for you and I hope you never get MRSA because you are taking a chance with something that has the potential of permanently disfiguring your body or even killing you and that is not an exaggeration.

Jiujitsunista said...

Woohoo! Nice work, G!

I've always washed my gi after every class. Initially it was because I didn't want to put something dirty on to my body... and the more I grappled, the more I realized just how disgusting it was for not just me, but for everyone else if I didn't wash it.

Anyway, being that I've done hundreds of loads of just gis I felt like I'd wasted so much time and energy doing it, and was going to try the dryer only method... but the germaphobe in me was resisting.

I'm glad you did all the foot work, and I can rest assured my time and energy is not wasted washing my gi the old fashioned way. =)

Jiujitsunista said...

I will say though, that I would prefer this to not washing at all.

Some of the guys from my gym throw their gis in their bags/trunks and just leave them there to bake until the next class... It makes me want to vomit when I have to grapple them.

Anything would be better than that.

Georgette said...

Stephanie... this is just me, but I would just refuse to grapple them! How come you go ahead and roll anyway? how can you do it? Gaahhh my stomach turns just thinking about it-- maybe it's different here because after a class (ours are 3 hours long and we don't use AC) my gi is often literally dripping wet. Like, hold it over the mat and you could see a drop fall off. I know how putrid mine smell at the end of the day-- sitting in the trunk, often on the sunny roof of the parking garage at my office-- when I take them out to wash at home, and I can't even imagine putting it ON my body much less rolling in it... it would smell like rotten meat in a cat box!

BBledsoe said...

So funny that you guys care to slam me, yet Ive been competing for 16 years. While I am no doctor or anything else I DO KNOW HOW TO CARE FOR MY GI's. Say what you will about my method but I bet any of my Gi's are cleaner than any of those who doubt me.

You also wanna slam my school because of this? Well you are more than welcome to come check it out anytime. NOT ONCE HAS THERE BEEN A SINGLE CASE OF RINGWORM, STAPH, OR ANYTHING ELSE.

What I do find funny is "Aparna" worried about my school and my teams's Gi's. That says a lot coming from a student of what many here in Knoxville consider to be one of the nastiest BJJ schools in this area until they moved buildings.

Have a nice day. =)

Georgette said...

Brandon, no slam against you as a person or your school was intended!! We're all in this activity for the love of it and we all want to train safe and hard and long :) dissent and discussion is all good, it helps us test theories and come up with the best ways of doing things, right? I'm no expert so I asked some people I thought might have more expertise. You're welcome to disagree! I am delighted your school has never had any ringworm etc. Do all your students follow your 6-8 wk wash regimen? Again, no disrespect was intended, so please let's leave politics and generalizations about rival schools out of it :)

You have a nice day too! Happy training!

Tree Frog said...

For those of you who have cars in Southern regions and are forced by work to leave gis to curdle in trunks:

If you work in a smaller building, could you clear a space up on the roof for 'em to dry in the sun? Granted, you'd have to remember they're there and collect them if it rains or before you leave for the day, but it beats the funk in the car from a stinky gi.

Tony said...

@ BBledsoe

I would be interested in your comment more if you could compose a clear scientific basis for your methods. Anecdotal evidence like no one at my school has... doesn't hold much water. Georgette seems to have gone to great lengths to find unbiased truth in this matter. The claim was put to evaluation to several unrelated, unbiased, and committed professionals. I don't see any such evidence in your claims.

P.S. I didn't take anything malicious from Aparna's comments regarding your school, but your rebuttal was again lacking evidence and came off as spiteful.

Lizinha said...

Try using vinegar in with your wash. Vinegar and detergent. It works great to get the funk out.

http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=8

This link above even suggests spraying the vinegar right onto the armpits of the Gi.

A reputable Gi company suggested this to me and I've been doing it for about 6 months with great results. Vinegar is a natural cleanser and it washes out. There is no vinegar smell after the Gi's are done washing.

(By the way, I will always be washing my Gi's in water until someone can show legitimate scientific evidence to support other methods.)

Jonna || Pink Jiujitsu said...

I always wash my gi with water and detergent after every class. I think you owe your teammates the assurance that you won't be spreading any bacteria/virus/what-have-yous with an unwashed gi. While this is convenient, I wouldn't even try it.

slideyfoot said...

Great post, Georgette! I was hoping to see some expert analysis after Meg's post, and you've provided just that. :)

I hope Brandon will continue to take part in the discussion. I don't think anyone here wants to slam him or his school, just better understand how his cleaning regime has not resulted in the problems you might expect (given the opinion of the experts Georgette consulted).

BJJ Judo said...

@ Tree Frog Watch out for birds :)

Georgette said...

When anyone (especially as an academy instructor, competitor, and/or blackbelt) brings up a patently controversial innovation on the topic of hygiene and safety, they have to predict and expect that it will draw attention and discussion.

Perhaps I look at this as somewhat of an academic-- in my line of work, I am accustomed to "floating" an idea with colleagues and getting their honest reaction. Then maybe I go back to the drawing board and tweak it. Or scrap it. Or staunchly defend it. It's all part of human nature and living in community with others.

I am sure Brandon did not expect the grappling world to fall over backwards, thumping itself palm to forehead, and abandon washing gis in water on his say-so. He had to know (even if Michelle, as a whitebelt, did not) that it would create some controversy and discussion. He volunteered his procedure for the scrutiny of the internet. And we should all respect him for his willingness to do so.

The way I look at it-- either he knew it would be controversial or he didn't.

If he knew it would be controversial, he can't be mad at people for disagreeing with his plan. One needs to respond on a rational level or it becomes he said/she said.

If he didn't know it would be controversial, and somehow the internet sucked him in to revealing his procedure when he was unprepared for the commentary-- then goodness, perhaps it's beneficial for him to hear that his perspective can be countered with some rational arguments.

Either way, maybe his academy never had an outbreak because everyone else is washing gis in water and detergent. Let's hope :)

@Tree Frog-- too many pigeons, too much wind and sun to put my gi outside my car-- but I did start hanging the gis inside my car on hangers and leaving windows open. That has helped a bunch. About 2 hours in a 100 degree+ car and they're mostly dry.

Aparna said...

@Brandon: I understand you're upset. No one (well, at least I) wasn't attacking you personally, or your school. However, it seems that there's a little miscommunication here, in that there is a difference between "killing germs" and being "clean/free of dirt." I didn't make any comments regarding diseases, only dirt, which you yourself admitted to being present. I never said anything personal about you--I didn't say you suck, you must smell bad, your jiu jitsu blows, or your school is terrible. Quite frankly, your laundry habits/philosophy have absolutely NOTHING to do with jiu jitsu, which is why a) I made no comment regarding those things, and b)being a black belt and competing for 16 years really don't mean anything in regards to this topic. My comments were solely about the fact that your gis, while perhaps being free of living bacteria, still are not CLEAN (as in, they have stuff on them that will come off in the wash).

Also, don't make an underhanded jab at my school. I train at Union Martial Arts, home of KnoxBJJ, and proud of it. Your comment is completely without base. Unless sweeping and mopping the mat with disinfectant after every class makes the place "nastier"?

You probably don't care about this, but if you're at the TN State championships on Oct. 16, I would really appreciate it if you would be willing to address this and resolve it face to face. I'm not "Aparna," I'm Aparna, and I very much dislike offending people, ESPECIALLY when it's over things that I didn't even say.

P.S. Thanks to everyone who defended me and took my comments for what they were, and not personal attacks.

Gelsey said...

My inability to wash my gi's more frequently is why I train gi once a week. I don't have a washer or dryer and I can only afford to do laundry once a week. I usually wash my gi and my nogi clothes in cold water and then dry on high heat for about a half an hour. However, after reading this post I'm starting to think that maybe my BJJ clothes aren't as clean as I had thought. Do you think that boiling my clothes after using them and letting them air dry would be sufficient to kill all the bacteria lurking within?

Georgette said...

Gelsey-- you're hardcore and I love it :)

There're two things to consider-- cleanliness and shrinkage. I'm an expert in neither but I know a little bit about both.

Sounds like water, detergent, and agitation does a good job of getting dirt out of your clothing. Maybe washing doesn't actually kill all the bugs, but the dirt they live on and most of the bugs will be washed away.

On the shrinkage topic, which I know a bit more about because I sew-- just getting fabric wet and then drying on high heat (or any heat really) will result in some shrinkage. So I don't really see a point in washing in cold if you're going to dry on high.

There are microbes that live on our skin and on surfaces everywhere. Even if you could get your gi and stuff "sanitized," there might be some that transfer to it when you grab them out of the dryer or set them down on a couch.

Me personally? I think washing in water and drying (air dry or a dryer if you're worried) is probably enough. If you have concerns, you could add hot water, or bleach (just a quarter cup in the load) or a hot dryer-- or all 3.

My personal preference is to occasionally bleach my gis. Maybe knocks off a week or two in the ultimate lifespan of the gi, but it doesn't make the fabric weaker in any noticeable way unless you soak the gi in a strong bleach solution. A little in your wash water just kills the bugs and makes it all smell fresh.

Thanks for your comment!! :)

Georgette said...

p.s. Gelsey-- why don't you buy another gi? I know a lot of people train 3x a week and wash their 3 gis on laundry day, for example. Fuji, Padilla & Sons, and others make very reasonably priced gis that are high quality. Don't limit your gi training just because you want another $75 gi! :)

Gelsey said...

Thanks for your response Georgette! I usually throw my gi with my other clothes which I wash in cold to try to limit fading. I never tried bleaching my gi because it is black and I figured it'd get ruined. I told myself that I'd buy myself a new gi once I got my blue belt, but, I got that a year ago and I'm still training in my raggedy no-name gi I got from Ebay. :) I don't know how the sizing works.. should I buy for my weight, or my height? I'm 5'0 and range from 122-126 lbs, and on any of the size charts I've seen my height never matches up with the weight. I really do want a new one.

Georgette said...

Bleach won't ruin it- just add water first, then bleach, swish around, then add clothing. (Or add everything but the bleach, fill the tub, and pour bleach into the water, not on the fabric.) It will fade it a little, but evenly and usually imperceptibly.

I'd say A1 and if the pants/sleeves are too long after a month of washing & drying, get them tailored. Or you could try Keiko Raca's kids gi in an M4 size. Most kids' gis only go up to M3, but when I weighed 125 the M4 was perfect. An old version Lucky A1 or a Kyra/Leticia Atama female fit F3 would fit you well, too.

Gelsey said...

Thanks Georgette! I am thinking of getting not one, but two more gi's.. a Keiko Raca and that Kyra Gracie gi is calling my name. I love peptol bismol pink! Thanks for your help!

BJJ Judo said...

@ Gelsey Treat yourself to a gi for the holidays this year or ask for one as a gift. I started making a habit of buynig myself 1 gi a year for the holidays and now I have....hmmm, actually not sure how many I have. Maybe 6 or 7.

BBledsoe said...

Aparna said..."Also, don't make an underhanded jab at my school. I train at Union Martial Arts, home of KnoxBJJ, and proud of it. Your comment is completely without base. Unless sweeping and mopping the mat with disinfectant after every class makes the place "nastier"?"

I said "That says a lot coming from a student of what many here in Knoxville consider to be one of the nastiest BJJ schools in this area UNTIL THEY CHANGED BUILDINGS."

I say this because both times I cross trained at KBJJ in the old building I got ringworm. Let me add I was wearing a fresh clean Gi right out of the washer and dried in the dryer. That doesnt seem like an underhanded jab to me at all, its a fact.

Aparna said..."You probably don't care about this, but if you're at the TN State championships on Oct. 16, I would really appreciate it if you would be willing to address this and resolve it face to face. I'm not "Aparna," I'm Aparna, and I very much dislike offending people, ESPECIALLY when it's over things that I didn't even say. "

I will be at the State Championships, but its October 15th not 16th. I am facing Renato Tavares in a Gi Super fight. I will also be cornering my friends Tommy Wales (ATT BB) who is going against your coach John Hosford (The same John Hosford who challenged me to a MMA fight and found every reason under the sun to not have to step in the cage with me)and my training partner Dave Vannest who is going against your other coach Mike Horihan.

Not all of my team uses my method.... I am a lucky guy because I train hard and sweat very little. If I can smell your gi while on the mat with one of my students they dont train until its clean. I know when my Gi is dirty and needs a wash.

I am sure Ive got a girl in your weight class, if you are up for a challenge????


To the rest of the folks on here I am sorry I have no experts backing me. What I do have is 16 years of jits without any issues on my gi's or with skin issues doing it this way. Try it or dont as myself and Michelle were just sharing with everyone.

=)

Aparna said...

Brandon, when I talked about sweeping and mopping the mat, I meant at the old building (next to the tattoo shop). Maybe you trained there before I was there and they were doing their daily cleaning regimen, but in the 8 months that I trained at the old building I (nor anyone I know) ever got ringworm or staph. That holds true for the current building as well. I'm sorry you got ringworm, and that it seemed to be from KBJJ. Thanks for letting us know why you felt the way you did.

Sorry for getting the date wrong about the tournament...and thanks for the offer, but I will not be competing as being a paying slave for 60-90 hours a week leaves me little time to train adequately. My current challenge is passing my board exams and getting my DVM in May. Just out of curiosity, what weight class is your student? It would be great to have more females compete, and it's very rare that I actually train with people my weight (even other women). If she is interested in training with other women once a week, she would be more than welcome to join our women's class on Saturdays, or even try it out once.

Thanks for responding! If you don't mind, however, I would appreciate it if you kept other people (i.e. my coaches) and my school out of this. They have nothing to do with this topic, and I feel that you are trying to make this an emotional, personal issue, and if you read my comments, I did no such thing. I would appreciate it if you could give me the same courtesy I gave you.

Georgette said...

Very well-put.

I have to say I can't stand a nice logical discussion about scientific things like chemistry and laundry turning into a beat-my-chest my-brother-can-beat-up-your-brother type of exchange.

Aparna said...

Thanks, Georgette. While we're on the subject of chemistry and science, I guess I should add that I have a minor in chemistry, a major in biology, and I am 8 months away from my DVM, which included classes on bacteriolgy, virology, and infectious diseases. We also learned a LOT about cleanliness and sterility in surgery. So while I'm certainly no expert, I do have scientifically-backed academic training.