Health authorities warn that emerging forms of ringworm are spreading worldwide

A stubborn rash is not something to “tough out” between rounds. Health authorities warn that emerging forms of ringworm are spreading worldwide, and that matters in BJJ, wrestling, MMA and other close-contact sports where skin, sweat, shared mats and repeated friction all meet.

Ringworm is not a worm. It is a fungal skin infection, also called tinea, and it spreads through direct skin contact, contaminated clothing, towels, gear and training surfaces. Most cases are manageable when identified early, but newer strains and drug-resistant infections make fast action, accurate diagnosis and disciplined academy hygiene more valuable than ever.

Health authorities warn emerging ringworm forms are spreading

The main concern is not that every athlete with ringworm suddenly has a difficult infection. It is that some emerging forms can be more extensive, more persistent or less responsive to commonly used antifungal medicines.

One strain receiving international attention is Trichophyton indotineae. First widely associated with South Asia, it has now been identified in multiple countries. It can cause widespread, very itchy tinea on the body, groin or limbs, and some cases show resistance to terbinafine, a medicine commonly used for fungal infections. Another emerging strain, Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII, has been linked to skin-to-skin transmission and can affect the genital area.

For combat athletes, the practical message is simple: do not self-diagnose a spreading rash, do not keep training through suspicious lesions, and do not assume a cream borrowed from a teammate will sort it out. A rash that is spreading, recurring, unusually inflamed or not improving needs assessment by a GP or qualified health professional.

Why close-contact athletes need to pay attention

Tinea thrives where athletes create the perfect conditions: warm, damp skin; close body contact; shared surfaces; and clothing that stays wet in a gym bag after training. A rash can begin as a small itchy patch on the forearm, neck, torso or leg, then become an academy problem when someone keeps rolling, shares a towel or puts unwashed rash gear back into rotation.

The classic image is a red, scaly ring with a clearer centre. Real life is less tidy. Ringworm may look like a dry patch, a raised edge, a flaky area around the hairline, or an irritated mark that resembles eczema, mat burn or folliculitis. Steroid creams can also change how it looks and may allow a fungal infection to spread further if used without proper advice.

This is why “it doesn’t look like ringworm” is not a reliable clearance test. Coaches and athletes should treat unexplained, scaly, itchy or expanding lesions seriously, particularly when there has been known exposure in the club.

What athletes should do when a suspicious rash appears

The best response is quick, calm and professional. Stop close-contact training until a clinician has assessed the area and advised when it is appropriate to return. This protects training partners and gives you the best chance of dealing with a small problem before it becomes a larger one.

Tell your coach or academy owner early. That can feel awkward, especially before a competition, but silence creates more missed sessions across the room. A good academy treats reporting as part of preparation, like taping a finger or sitting out with a stomach bug.

Avoid sharing towels, rashies, headgear, gloves, shin guards, bedding or grooming items. Wash training clothes, underwear and towels after use, rather than airing them out for another session. Clean and dry footwear, and do not walk barefoot through communal changing areas if you can avoid it.

Do not pick at the rash, shave through it or cover it with make-up for training. Covering a lesion may reduce incidental contact in some everyday settings, but it is not a substitute for sitting out of grappling, wrestling or other skin-to-skin training while the issue is being assessed and managed.

Post-training hygiene is part of mat readiness

A solid hygiene routine will not replace medical care when an infection is present. What it does do is reduce the time sweat, grime and training-floor contamination sit on your skin, while helping you maintain the skin barrier that takes a beating from friction, tape, repeated showering and hard sessions.

Shower as soon as practical after training. Use clean clothes, including fresh underwear and socks, and get damp gear out of your bag straight away. The common mistake is leaving a soaked rashie, towel and mouthguard together in a zipped bag until tomorrow night. That is not recovery. It is a moisture chamber.

For daily post-training washing, Combat Soap Ultimate Shield is built as an everyday athlete cleansing bar, combining tea tree, neem, rosemary, peppermint, lavender and thyme oils with coconut oil, shea butter, olive oil, aloe vera and vitamin E. For exceptionally hard, sweaty training blocks, Charcoal Cleanse adds activated charcoal and wild oregano oil for a deeper-cleansing option.

When you cannot shower immediately - after lunchtime drilling, an away tournament, or a long drive home - Combat Spray provides a convenient approximately 300 ppm hypochlorous acid hygiene option for skin and equipment. Use it as part of a disciplined routine, then shower and change into clean clothing as soon as you can. The Combat Soap & Spray Starter Kit gives athletes a straightforward system for those two moments: around training, then properly post-training.

Academy hygiene needs a system, not good intentions

A clean-looking mat is not necessarily a clean mat. Academy owners should have written expectations for mat cleaning, athlete reporting, return-to-training decisions and gear hygiene. The details may vary by facility, but the standard should not: high-contact training environments demand higher hygiene standards.

Mats need cleaning between sessions with a product used according to its directions, including the correct contact time. Frequently handled surfaces deserve attention too: wall pads, communal loaner gear, changing-room benches, door handles and shared equipment. Cleaning only the centre of the mat while ignoring the edges and wall pads is a familiar shortcut that leaves gaps.

Coaches set the culture. If a coach dismisses rashes as “just mat burn”, athletes will hide them. If a coach treats early reporting as responsible team behaviour, athletes are more likely to speak up before an outbreak affects a whole class. Parents of junior athletes should also check skin routinely, especially behind the ears, around the neck, on the scalp and under areas covered by protective gear.

Do not confuse hygiene with panic

Ringworm is common in contact sport, and emerging strains deserve awareness, not fear. Most itchy spots are not automatically an international drug-resistant fungus. Equally, assuming every rash will disappear with extra soap, a random cream or a few days off is not a plan.

Pay attention to the pattern. A lesion that expands, develops a scaly border, appears in more than one location, affects the scalp or groin, or returns after apparent improvement should move quickly from guesswork to clinical assessment. Bring up your contact-sport exposure and any treatments you have already tried. That information helps the clinician choose the right testing and management approach.

The athletes who stay consistent are rarely the ones who ignore warning signs. They are the ones who clean up properly, speak up early, protect their training partners and return with confidence when they have been cleared to do so. Preparation matters long before the first round starts.