I’m embarrassed to say this, but I spent my first year of training with soggy cotton underwear bunched up in all manners of places. Then I tried training without underwear. Or a thong, which comes with its own problems.
When grappling, your pants often shift (a drawstring fixes this - see clothing section below) OR get stretched so thin during movement that they become semi-transparent. (I have seen many a lady-bit in my years from that happening to other folks.)
Eventually, I noticed what the guys were wearing—compression shorts. They work for women too, and they are much easier to find now than when I first needed them.
They are great for wicking sweat; they can be worn under pretty much anything; they don’t shift during hard grappling; and, best of all, NO panty lines. What woman doesn’t like that? Do yourself a favor, and get a good quality pair.
1. Synthetic Dri-Fit Fabric - It dries faster than cotton, lasts longer than cotton, and doesn’t retain smells like cotton. These clothes are usually a larger investment upfront, but they will pay for themselves after a few years. I spent 2 years stubbornly trying to get cotton to work because it was cheaper, but found myself soaking wet in the summer, often throwing out shirts from the smell (usually from other people’s sweat), and in the store frequently buying new shirts.
2. Ease of Movement - When trying on clothes, I will jump, kick, punch, squat, sit, and contort in the dressing room. Fighting will put you in positions you would never imagine. You want your clothes to come along for the ride.
3. Draw Strings - Pants and shorts have a habit of inching down when grappling. A good draw string eliminates this issue, and you can keep your mind on the fight instead of your pants.
I cut my nails (fingers and toes) before every class. I recommend both men and women do this. Scratches are also just plain hard on your training partners.
If you insist on having long nails, please wear gloves.
Otherwise its like training against a wolverine.
Fingernail scratches usually heal slowly on the person you scratch because bacteria collected under them is pushed into the skin. And really, in a street fight, what opponent is so wimpy that a fingernail scratch will incapacitate them?
They can mark up your attacker for the police later—get a little DNA under the skin—but not incapacitate them.
As for trying to keep your nails painted—if you’re training regularly, resistance is futile.
I tried keeping my nails painted for a while, but there’s nothing like a mat to mess up toenail paint.
I get more benefit from training than I do from painted nails.
I eventually found that no polish worked for me (and my husband didn’t even notice when I stopped wearing it).
Nail polish is just something I found I could live without.
I often walk in the door at home after training and proclaim
“I need to go wash, like, 5 dudes off of me, RIGHT. NOW,”
and march straight to the shower.
Other people’s smells and sweat just come with the territory of physical contact.
Most of us who have been training a long time make an effort to come in to class as clean as possible because we know it’s more pleasant on our training partners.
Sometimes though, smells are unavoidable. Especially in summer, when clothes and equipment are constantly wet.
A good way to zap lingering smells is Febreze laundry odor-eliminator
It has saved many a shirt for me. Clothing I used to throw out now gets a good soaking in Febreze and becomes useable again.