Many people live busy lives, and they often wonder if they can skip out on taking a shower before taking a BJJ session! After all, they’re pretty sweaty anyway, so what’s the harm in skipping the shower and going straight to the roll?
Well, we’ll discuss this topic right here, and help you understand the right decision.
Yes – Why Is This Even A Question?
To many people, the idea that this question even needs to be asked is unfathomable – but nevertheless, we’ll spell it out categorically for everybody. YES. YOU NEED TO SHOWER BEFORE A BJJ SESSION.
Just in case that wasn’t clear, we’ll say it again.
YES.
YOU NEED TO SHOWER BEFORE A BJJ SESSION.
Hopefully that’s clear enough for everybody. There’s no way around it, and no excuse.
When you’re going to be in such close proximity to other human beings, all of whom likely have perfectly functioning olfactory senses, you owe it to both them and to yourself not to turn up covered in a day’s sweat.
You might not notice your own smell, but the person you’re rolling with? They can tell, and they don’t like it one bit. It’s not fair to them to subject them to it, either! Don’t make excuses for it.
If you have time to roll, you have time to have a shower beforehand. If you don’t have time to shower, you don’t have time to roll.
You’ve got no excuse and no right to subject other people to smells that you haven’t taken the time to wash off yourself. Do the decent thing and have a shower before rolling!
Why Good Hygiene Is Important
First of all, let’s be completely realistic. BJJ often ends up with people in extremely close proximity to each other, and that’s all well and good – but nobody signed up for a lesson in holding their breath because their opponent is unbearably smelly.
At some point, it’s likely that someone’s ass is going to end up in someone’s face. That’s just how BJJ goes, as much as you don’t want it to happen!
If you haven’t showered, and you end up in that position over an opponent, then you’ve made an enemy for life. People can be very forgiving over a lot of things, but that’s crossing a line – and you know it. How would you feel if somebody did that to you?
Not only is good hygiene important for keeping yourself happy and healthy, but it’s also an important part of making sure that people actually still want to roll with you.
Bad hygiene can seriously (no joke) lead to you being banned from certain clubs! Nobody, NOBODY wants to roll with somebody whose smell makes them vomit because they simply don’t shower.
So, if only for the sake of getting to practice BJJ at all, make sure you keep yourself clean and remember to shower before every time you roll!
Sprays Ain’t It, Chief
You might well still be in the adolescent trap of thinking that you can cover up skipping a shower with a quick – or heavy – blast of some particular nice, fresh smelling deodorant, anti-perspirant, perfume, or cologne.
Nope. Not gonna happen. You’re going to smell like a garbage can that someone has sprayed deodorant into. That sweet, fresh smelling scent isn’t going to mask your funk, but it will sit on top of it and add to it.
It won’t make it better, it’ll just make it thicker. More characterful, perhaps, but no less foul.
So, if you think that a liberal cropodusting is going to stop you from smelling like a compost heap, forget it. Jump in the shower and actually have a wash, and you’ll not only smell good, you’ll feel a lot better too.
Besides which – some spray scents are absolutely horrendous up close, no matter how nice you might think they are! Have a shower before rolling, and you won’t need to use any extra sprays.
And of course, make sure to shower after rolling as well! After all, you’re not going to be smelling your best after a session, no matter whether you showered earlier or not.
It’s A Common Courtesy
Remember, you’re not just showering for yourself, as strange as that might seem! You’ll definitely feel better when showered before a BJJ session.
You’ll be cleaner, fresher, and you’ll be able to roll without worrying about the day’s collected foulness all over your skin!
What’s more, your partners will appreciate the effort – or rather, they won’t notice the absence of effort.
Nobody is going to compliment you for having the basic decency to shower before rolling, but you can bet that someone is ready to call you out if you’re the type not to shower before rolling.
And, as previously mentioned, not showering can mean bad consequences for your BJJ training! People are less likely to want to roll with someone who doesn’t show them enough respect to turn up clean.
You’re not meant to use foul smells as a weapon in BJJ! Nobody turns up to training wanting someone else’s disgusting hygiene forced up their nose, and you can be sure that you’ll be told in plain and simple language what you need to do.
And, in fact, many BJJ places will outright bar people for poor hygiene. It’s no joke or exaggeration to say that someone who doesn’t take the time to keep themselves clean before a session can ruin it for everybody else.
People come to BJJ sessions to train to fight humans, not the potent miasma that many people walk in with!
So, do yourself and everybody else a favor, and make sure to have a shower before the next time you roll. It’s the least that you can do to make sure you’re not getting up everyone’s nose!
Conclusion
Yes, you absolutely need to shower before a BJJ session. Failure to do so is a sign of a truly vile individual, and one who can’t be surprised when they find people are more reluctant to roll with them!
Make sure that you’re keeping yourself clean – if not for you, then for the people you roll with!
If you’re considering taking up martial arts, then take this post you're reading as your sign to do just that. Use my website as a source of inspiration and get out there! Learning how to protect yourself and get fit is never a waste of time.
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