Academy Hygiene: Colds, Flus, and Skin Infections
Christopher Massari • January 8, 2025
Maintaining a clean training space
Below are guidelines and rules that every Swedesboro Jiu-Jitsu family and student should follow to minimize the risk to themselves and the entire academy:
- Street shoes should never be worn on the practice mats.
- Always wear sandals, crocs, shoes, or some foot covering when leaving the mats and washing your feet in the cleaning bath before re-entering the mat.
- DO NOT walk barefoot into the bathroom and return to the mat.
- Students should shower immediately after EVERY practice and competition, without exception. Please emphasize to your child the importance of thoroughly cleaning every square inch of their body to get the "mat cooties" off. Liquid soap is better than bar soap since many types of skin infections can live on a wet bar of soap. This can cause recurrence of the skin infection and possibly spread it to other family members. Several commercially available anti-bacterial products were specifically designed for wrestlers and Jiu-Jitsu; Defense Soap and Wipes is one example.
- Practice clothes should be washed after every practice. Other equipment (shoes, headgear, kneepads, duffel bags, gloves, etc.) should be cleaned and disinfected periodically. All new equipment should be cleaned and disinfected before the first practice.
- Students should keep their fingernails trimmed short to prevent scratching themselves or their opponents. Any rough edges should be filed or trimmed.
- DO NOT practice if you are sick, even if it's only a cold. Students with a fever or any potentially contagious illness should not participate to prevent the spread to the other participants. Watch film, practice alone, and go for a run, but do not practice if you are sick because you can spread illness to other students and the coaching staff. And if coaches are ill and cannot teach, that affects the entire academy.
- Don't let abrasions or open sores go without evaluation by your coach. If a student has any rash, lesion, or other indication of an infectious disease, they will sit out of practice to prevent spreading the disease to hundreds of others in the school. Covering the affected area with a shirt or bandage is not an acceptable remedy. A note from a doctor stating that the skin problem is not contagious can be considered.
If any of our coaches find out a student is sick or has an abrasion, rash, or skin abnormality, we will ask you to leave the mat. To avoid embarrassment, see a doctor if you have skin abnormalities, or if you are sick, please wait until it passes.
Your health not only affects you, but it affects the entire student body and coaching staff. Ringworm, staph, or even the common cold can and will spread through the student body, potentially shutting down classes or causing teammates to miss out on training time.
We ask students and parents to ensure they follow these guidelines, examine their and their children's skin, and take the proper hygiene steps to keep the entire team healthy and safe.
Lavell Marshall has been studying Martial Arts since age 3 in various styles but found his love in Hung Gar Kung fu and the Standing Grappling art of Baoding Shuai Chiao (Chinese Wrestling) which he continues to train and compete in on an international level. He is a student from the famous Shuai Chiao fighting lineage of Chang Tung Sheng, Master David Lin and his teacher Sifu Omar Harvin and also a student at the Renzo Gracie Academy in NYC. Lavell went onto received his blue belt under Vlad Koulikov (World champion SAMBO/BJJ competitor, Team USA Combat SAMBO 2008, Multiple NAGA and Grapplers Quest winner). Lavell would then go onto move to Inner Mongolia, where has also found great success in Mongolian wrestling, also called Bohk. He is the only foreigner to become a professional Inner Mongolian wrestler and the only foreigner to win a Mongolian Wrestling Nadaam (Games). His accolades include include: Chinese Shuaijiao (Chinese Wrestling): USA Chinese Shuaijiao National Champion 75kg USA Shuaijiao Nationals Winner 5x (75kg and 82kg) Shuaijiao World Cup Winner at 82kg Baoding International Invitational Shuaijiao Championship 3rd place 82kg Langfang Invitational Shuaijiao Professional Tournament 3rd place 100kg Inner Mongolian Bokh (Mongolian Wrestling): 64-wrestler Naadam (Games) Champion 32-wrestler Naadam Champion 64-wrestler Naadam 2nd place 64-wrestler Naadam 3rd place 128-wrestler Naadam 4th place 512-wrestler Naadam Top 64 Multiple time Top 16 and Top 8 in various Inner Mongolian Naadam
Peter McHugh is a black belt under Professor Ricardo Almeida and teaches a basic guard passing progression to side control. Professor McHugh is an experienced competitor in both Grappling Competition & Amateur MMA (3-0 record), as well as a black belt in Kenpo Karate. He is the owner of McHugh Jiu-Jitsu and related academies.
Ricardo Almeida, fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie, a former UFC, PRIDE and Pancrase fighter, as well as ADCC silver and bronze medalist, Pan and Brazilian National champion, teaches a quick tutorial on the arm-in guillotine technique from the guard. Professor Almeida has coached some of the best martial artists to come out of New Jersey, including Frankie Edgar, Tom DeBlass, Corey Anderson, and Marlon Moraes. Swedesboro Jiu-Jitsu falls under the lineage of Renzo Gracie. This instructional was conducted in 2017 by Coach Chris.
Current UFC Bantamweight contender, former PFL lightweight champion, International Sports Hall of Famer, and 2x Olympic Gold Medalist in Judo, Kayla Harrison, teaches some tips to use the Judo throw, O Goshi or a Hip Toss, in the Gi. This instructional was conducted in 2017 by Coach Chris.
Lavell Marshall will be visiting Swedesboro Jiu-Jitsu and MMA to host a No-Gi and Gi takedown seminar titled, "Improve your No-Gi & Gi wrestling the Shuaijiao and Mongolian Bokh Way." This is the first time Lavell will be back in the United States from Inner Mongolia in 6 years and we are privileged to be one of the academies he will be stopping at during his trip. He has been studying Martial Arts since age 3 in various styles but found his love in Hung Gar Kung fu and the Standing Grappling art of Baoding Shuai Chiao (Chinese Wrestling) which he continues to train and compete in on an international level. He is a student from the famous Shuai Chiao fighting lineage of Chang Tung Sheng, Master David Lin and his teacher Sifu Omar Harvin and also a student at the Renzo Gracie Academy in NYC. Lavell went onto received his blue belt under Vlad Koulikov (World champion SAMBO/BJJ competitor, Team USA Combat SAMBO 2008, Multiple NAGA and Grapplers Quest winner). Lavell would then go onto move to Inner Mongolia, where has also found great success in Mongolian wrestling, also called Bohk. He is the only foreigner to become a professional Inner Mongolian wrestler and the only foreigner to win a Mongolian Wrestling Nadaam (Games). His accolades include include: Chinese Shuaijiao (Chinese Wrestling): USA Chinese Shuaijiao National Champion 75kg USA Shuaijiao Nationals Winner 5x (75kg and 82kg) Shuaijiao World Cup Winner at 82kg Baoding International Invitational Shuaijiao Championship 3rd place 82kg Langfang Invitational Shuaijiao Professional Tournament 3rd place 100kg Inner Mongolian Bokh (Mongolian Wrestling): 64-wrestler Naadam (Games) Champion 32-wrestler Naadam Champion 64-wrestler Naadam 2nd place 64-wrestler Naadam 3rd place 128-wrestler Naadam 4th place 512-wrestler Naadam Top 64 Multiple time Top 16 and Top 8 in various Inner Mongolian Naadam I cannot stress how beneficial this particular seminar will be to your learning experience as a martial artist, how unique it is, and most of all, how rare it is. Lavell has not been to the US in six years and is doing a personal favor by stopping by our Academy to teach between seminars in South Carolina and Boston. We might not have another opportunity to learn from him for another 6 six years or even longer, maybe ever! Lavell is a takedown specialist and teaches wrestling styles that are nearly non-existent in the West. He specializes in jacket or gi wrestling, but his knowledge in no-gi is just as vast. This is the kind of learning opportunity that doesn't come around often, especially in the United States and we're very lucky and privileged to have Lavell teach for a few hours. This is a unique opportunity I hope you can take advantage of! Time & Date: September 24th at 5:30 PM Venmo @Swedesboromma or cash at the door Contact info@swedesboromma.com Here is a clip of an interview Coach Chris had with Lavell some years back while at SAMBO Fusion in NJ.
Professor Brian McPherson of JBM Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy and JBM FIT discusses excessive force, law enforcement, and the martial arts. As an Adopt-A-Cop affiliate Swedesboro Jiu-Jitsu and MMA believes in the importance of training law enforcement and their ability to handle the physical confrontations they must face in their duties, in a calm, controlled, and efficient manner—specifically, the value in the submission grappling arts as part of their regular training. Professor McPherson is a student under Renzo Gracie and Ricardo Almeida, earning his black belt from Professor Almeida in 2006 and his 1st degree from Master Gracie. McPherson has over 20+ years in law enforcement and military training. He also gave Jonavin Webb's instructor who gave him his black belt and subsequent promotions since. As a black belt under Coach Webb, Coach Regis and Swedesboro BJJ & MMA fall under Professor McPherson's lineage of Jiu-Jitsu, as well as Renzo Gracie and Ricardo Almeida. This interview was conducted in 2018 by Coach Chris.
Years ago, Coach Chris did an interview with Coach Webb for Mpower International Association. Check it out!
Originally published on BloodyElbow.com back in 2020, we discuss the changing landscape of martial arts in the 21st century and what it means to learn in the digital age.
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