My Jiu-Jitsu Plan for the rest of the Pandemic

3/12/20 – UPDATE: Stop Training Jiu-Jitsu during Coronavirus Pandemic

Please see my most recent update about Stop training Jiu-Jitsu during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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3/11/20 – UPDATE: COVID-19 Declared a Pandemic

Please see my most recent post about avoiding the jiu-jitsu gym in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that can be characterized by the requisite close, personal contact between training partners. Since the coronavirus, COVID-19, is now being spread human to human, some questions have come up about the health and safety of training jiu-jitsu in this current environment. 

1. Over one billion mentions

Given how much coverage the coronavirus has received in the world wide media, I hesitate to publish this article because I do not wish to pile on. However, as a fellow jiu-jitsu practitioner, my goal is to bring you accurate information and to keep you informed. So I thought I should tackle the subject head on.

2. Most people make a full recovery from COVID-19

The majority of patients with COVID-19 are adults. Among patients with confirmed infection, only 2% were below the age of 20. The most commonly reported symptoms included fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. Most patients (80%) experienced mild illness. Approximately14% experienced severe disease, and 5% were critically ill.

3. COVID-19 fatality rates are low and vary by country

As of March 9, 2020. the fatality rate for COVID-19 patients was below 2%. The fatality rate does vary slightly from county to county, with Italy facing the highest mortality rate at 5%. Many countries have yet to experience any fatalities from their COVID-19 patients.

4. Coronavirus transmission rate remains relatively low

Below is an interesting graph of the fatality rate and the transmission rate of several different diseases. This graphs shows that the fatality rate for the COVID-19 is between 0.7% – 3.4%. The transmission rate of the disease is between 1.5 and 3.5 people. This means that, on average, a person infected with COVID-19 will infect an average of 3 other people. Of course, this is not good, but in relative terms to the other diseases on the graph we can see that COVID-19 does not have an alarmingly high transmission rate.

5. Most COVID-19 infections are mild.

According to the WHO, the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment.

Around 1 out of every 6 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness. People with fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention.

6. Deaths per day of deadly diseases

Currently, approximately 56 people die each day from COVID-19 infection. While it is tragic to lose our fellow humans to such a disease, the number of deaths is low compared to other diseases. For example, while 56 people die each day from coronavirus, 1027 people die each day from the flu.

7. Older people are most at risk of infection of COVID-19

Early data suggests that those people who are over the age of 60 are most at risk of infection from COVID-19. More good news is that early data shows no infections of children under the age of 9.

8. Pre-existing conditions can make COVID-19 dangerous

In addition to age, increased risk factors for developing complications with COVID-19 leading to death are certain comorbidities . Those people already suffering from other diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, high blood pressure, and cancer have creased risk factors for morbidity from contracting coronavirus.

What is coronavirus?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronaviruses (CoV) are a big family of viruses that create disease ranging from the normal cold to more severe diseases such as MERS-CoV or SARS-CoV. This type of virus is zoonotic, which means they can be transmitted between animals and people. 

Typical symptoms of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and other breathing problems. In more severe cases, an infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, or even death. 

Early recognition, immediate isolation and implementation of appropriate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are keys to stemming the spread of COVID-19.

World Health Organization

To prevent infection spread high hygiene is advised. It includes frequent hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing and thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Also, it is recommended to avoid close contact with people showing signs of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.

Here we’ll list some important facts about how the coronavirus operates and how this effects jiu-jitsu. This understanding of the virus will be the first step to ensure your safety.

Symptoms of coronavirus COVID-19

• Symptoms of the Coronavirus include a runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever. In some cases it can be more severe, leading to pneumonia or breathing difficulties. Very rarely, and particularly in the case of old people, the disease can be fatal. If you’re showing any of these symptoms, do not train BJJ under any circumstances.
• Due to the similarity between corona virus symptoms and the flu or common cold, identifying the virus requires testing. Call your doctor or local health agency immediately if you have these symptoms.
• Sufferers wont show symptoms of the virus for up to 14 days, during which the virus can still be transmitted. So rolling with people who don’t show symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not at risk.
• The virus is transmitted primarily through contact with an infected person through respiratory droplets generated when a person, for example, coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose.
• The duration that the virus can survive on a surface for still being researched, although it’s been confirmed to last for at least a few hours. Gym owners should take this into account when it comes to mat cleanliness. 

Chinese coronavirus outbreak

A new coronavirus was first reported from Wuhan, China, on December 31,  2019. This strain of the virus has not been previously recognized in humans. The new coronavirus causes an illness that has been officially named COVID-19. 

Respiratory infections like this virus are most commonly spread through the air by viral particles in droplets from a cough or sneeze. You can catch COVID-19 by close physical contact with someone with virus symptoms. The period between infection and symptoms can vary from 2 to 14 days. According to the WHO, around 5 days is the most common incubation time.

Coronavirus and Jiu-Jitsu

If you train jiu-jitsu and are worried about the coronavirus, you should know that although COVID-19 can be deadly, so far the majority of infected people have experienced only mild symptoms and have recovered completely.

Early recognition, immediate isolation and implementation of appropriate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are keys to stemming the spread of COVID-19.

A majority of patients with COVID-19 are adults. Among the initial 44,672 patients in China with confirmed infection, only 2.1% were below the age of 20. The most commonly reported symptoms included fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath, and most patients (80%) experienced mild illness. Approximately14% experienced severe disease and 5% were critically ill. Early reports suggest that illness severity is associated with age (>60 years old) and co-morbid disease. Statistics show that COVID-19 has proven fatal in 2-3 percent of infected individuals. 

The coronavirus affects Jiu Jitsu practitioners in the same way as all ordinary people. Which means we all have to remember about hygiene and prevention no matter what we do. If living in a region with outbreaks, you should avoid people who are sick and consider not training for a few days to see when the current outbreak of COVID-19 subsides and gets better. Unfortunately, it seems like it is likely to get a little worse before it gets better. But I truly believe that scientists will get a handle on this virus eventually, and things will get back to normal.

Training Jiu-Jitsu today: self-defense

If you live in an area where the coronavirus infection rate is high or on the rise, you need to ask yourself a few questions. Why do we practice jiu-jitsu in the first place? To live a healthy life? So that we can take care of ourselves and others? To defend ourselves? Do you find yourself using your jiu-jitsu in every day life?

If defending yourself from the virus means avoiding the gym for a few days, or even a few weeks, then you have do it. Not going to the gym, if there are infections in your area, is utilizing the right technique at the right time.

Practice self-defense in the face of this virus and wait for the outbreak to subside before you return to the gym. I will soon be posting some exercises you can do at home to maintain your strength, flexibility, and mobility. So check back in with MatMartial often. I remain confident that this is only a temporary problem, and we will all get back to our regular training soon. In the meantime, you can’t afford to get sick, so protect yourself by avoiding areas of infection.

Good Hygiene

To protect from coronavirus, everyone, including jiu-jitsu practitioners should frequently and thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Also, remember that your hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with your hands.  Also, make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. Cover your mouth and nose with the inside of your elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.

You should avoid people who are sick and consider not training at your jiu-jitsu gym for a few days to prevent spread of the disease, and give the current outbreak time to subside. Things will get better.

MatMartial

The WHO also recommends keeping social distancing. Maintaining at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. Jiu-jitsu is a contact sport, so it’s kinda hard to keep that distance. But here you just need to be a responsible teammate. If you are sick or just feeling sick, stay home. If you have any symptoms (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) and suspect a virus contact a medical institution by phone. For more info follow the directions of your local health authority. Your country authorities will simply have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Don’t underestimate this. Doing that will help to prevent the spread of viruses and other diseases.

Moreover, it’s been confirmed that the virus can survive for at least a few hours on a surface. So, gym owners should take this into account when it comes to mat cleanness. Please, please, clean your mats.

On The Mat

Jiu jitsu obviously involves a lot of contact. It therefore comes with the territory that our gyms are notoriously clean. Coaches will always stress the importance of preventing things such as staph, ringworm, folliculitis, etc. There are however some extra measures you can take for BJJ on top of that to ensure your safety against the Coronavirus.

• Wash your hands and feet before and after stepping on the mats – Even if you’re washing your hands frequently off the mats, it’s critical that you’re mindful of washing your hands at these times.
• Train with familiar people – Though many people won’t have this luxury, if you can afford to have your own mat space, training with familiar people who you know haven’t traveled and don’t have symptoms is ideal. If you can’t afford it, at least try rolling with people who haven’t traveled recently to your gym.
• Don’t over train – Your immune system is like your castle walls against the corona onslaught. Maintaining a healthy diet, sleeping enough and not pushing your body to its limits is key to keeping a strong immune system.
• Ask your coach about the measures they’re taking – Though jiu jitsu gyms are famously clean, It may reassure you to hear your BJJ coach is making the extra effort to keep it coronavirus free. Maybe they’ve sent out an email to raise awareness of the members, or maybe they’re not allowing drop ins for the time being.

Off the Mat

• Pay attention to the numbers – Being aware of the state of your area is the first step to responding to it correctly. Read up on the number of cases reported in and around your country, then decide on your response. I would recommend not going to train at all as soon as you hear of the first case in your town/city.
• Wash your hands – Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, for at least 30 seconds at a time. Bring an alcohol-based gel with you for times when you don’t have access to a sink. Clean hands are the first line of defense against the Coronavirus.
• Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough – You’ll be surprised how much this reduces the risk of spreading viruses.
• Maintain social distancing – Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and other people, particularly those who are coughing, sneezing and have a fever.
• Wear a mask (if you have symptoms) – Contrast to popular opinion, masks aren’t effective when it comes to protecting yourself from others who may have the disease. They will however help to contain it if you already have symptoms yourself. It also goes without saying… wearing a mask wont protect you, or your partner whilst rolling. The best thing you can do is steer clear of the mats full stop.

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Check back for updates on COVID-19 and Jiu-Jitsu

Thanks for checking in with MatMartial. Please check back for more updates on the coronavirus, Jiu-Jitsu, and MMA. In the meantime, take good care of yourself and your training partners. If taking care of yourself means avoiding the gym for a few days or even a few weeks, then do it. Remind yourself why you are training jui-jitsu in the first place, to live a healthy life. Practice self-defense in the face of this virus and wait for the outbreak to subside before you return to the gym. I will soon be posting some home exercises you can do in the meantime to maintain your strength, flexibility, and mobility.

3/11/20 – UPDATE: COVID-19 Declared a Pandemic

Please see my most recent post about avoiding the jiu-jitsu gym in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

3/12/20 – UPDATE: Stop Training Jiu-Jitsu during Coronavirus Pandemic

Please see my most recent update about Stop Training Jiu-Jitsu during the COVID-19 Pandemic

My Jiu-Jitsu Plan for the rest of the Pandemic

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• UFC’s Shavkat Rakhmonov: The Nomad and the Cowboy Killer, and proper guillotine technique
• UFC 254 a strong fight card: Oliveira vs Rakhmonov and Murphy vs Shakirova