How do I keep my gear from stinking?

This is not fussiness. Grappling is skin on skin on mats, and skin infections are the most common thing that takes people off the mat for weeks. Ringworm and staph do not care how tough anybody is.

The clothes rule is simple. Everything you wore goes in the wash after every session, every time. Rash guard, shorts, socks, all of it. Not the sniff test. Hang it to dry instead of leaving it balled up in a bag, because the bag is exactly where things grow.

Gloves and shin guards cannot go in the machine. Get them out of the bag the second you are home, pull them open and let them dry properly. Wipe the inside with a gear spray or a disinfectant wipe. Cedar or charcoal inserts help. Smell is bacteria, so drying is most of the fix, and gloves are the worst offenders of anything you will own. Buy with drying in mind rather than looks. See what gloves to buy.

Shower when you get home, not three hours later. Soap, properly, and dry off. Nails short, which saves everybody’s skin including yours.

Cover any cut, scrape or open blister with a waterproof dressing before we train. If you have a rash, a weeping sore or anything spreading, stay off the mat and see a doctor. That is not my call to make. Tell me and we move the session.

All of this gets more serious the moment live grappling starts, because that is when you are skin to skin for long stretches. See what rolling is and when you start.

What you wear matters too. A synthetic rash guard dries in an afternoon and covers more of you. A soaked cotton t-shirt sits wet in a bag and covers less. See rash guard or a t-shirt.

Mouthguard: rinse, dry, vented case. See do I need a mouthguard.