It’s not if you get ringworm, it’s when you get ringworm, as long as you are training jiu-jitsu or any grappling sport. The bad news is that ringworm is annoying, but the good news is that it sounds way worse than it is. The name makes it sound like it’s actually a worm, some sort of intestinal parasite, but it’s really a skin fungus. The fungus causes raised reddish circles in your skin so for some reason it’s called ringworm. As near as I can tell it’s the same thing as athlete’s foot fungus, just on the rest of your body instead of your foot. Ringworm is very common in jiu-jitsu and wrestling gyms.

If you are lucky you will notice and diagnose it early. It is easy to spot once you know what it looks and feels like. The most important thing is to NOT scratch at it. Scratching at it and then scratching somewhere else on your body will spread it and you will end up looking like you have chickenpox. Ask me how I know. Then you will have to ask your significant other/partner/husband/wife/roommate/cat to help put the cream on the spots on your back that you can’t see and they will tell you that they want to see other people/a divorce/to move out. What you need to do is get some anti-fungal cream and cover the affected area as directed for as long as directed. I think in the past I have used clotrimazole, and I used it twice daily for a month. Even after it looks like it is gone (say in a week), keep hitting it with the anti-fungal cream for as long as directed, or else you are just breeding an anti-fungal resistant strain on your body that will never go away. Follow the directions, and if it doesn’t go away when it should then go see your doctor.

While you are suffering from ringworm, the hardest part is to stay off the mats. Do NOT keep training and infect everyone in your gym. I know it is tragic to have to sit out jiu-jitsu class, but it is a must. In the mean time you can watch class, study videos, or reconnect with family members that you have been ignoring because you train jiu-jitsu and ignore everything else in life. Maybe take your girlfriend/boyfriend/partner/husband/wife/roommate out for dinner, and just maybe they wont leave you. Soon enough you will be back on the mats. And remember, the best way to avoid ringworm (besides keeping affected persons off the mats) is to mop your mats with a bleach solution after EVERY class. Good luck out there.