It never fails. When one person in a Martial Arts school gets a cold or flu, normally more than half of the rest of the school will also pick it up within a week. While you can’t prevent this from happening, there are some precautions you can use with your equipment to minimize it from happening.

1. Don’t share your gear.
I’m probably going to sound like the mean one here to some people and some schools but I’m a strong believer of NOT sharing your gear with others. This includes things like footpads, knee guards, helmets, gloves, and chestguards. I’ve seen this happen countless times when someone has forgotten their equipment or their equipment is broken. Then these items get tossed around from person to person to find a fit. Not only is this a bad idea because a lot of this equipment is expensive and can get lost or broken, but it exposes you to other people’s sweat and thus a conduit for passing colds and germs. Sweat, like saliva, is a transporter of most bacteria and viruses that cause colds and flu.

2. Bring along some cleanwipes.
These days, many brands like Lysol, sell clean wipes, which come in portal canisters. This is perhaps one of the best invention for people on the go and particularly good if you can’t follow guide #1. A wipe down after sharing your equipment or using a wipe before you have to use someone else’s equipment could help prevent you from catching other people’s germs.

One thing to be careful is that you can’t use these wipes on certain pieces of equipment, like wooden staves, as it may damage them.

The other thing that’s along a similar line are the antibacterial gels which you can wipe your hands with. These, however, only cover one part of the body, the hands. It’s still a good idea to carry a small vial of that around but realize that in Martial Arts you tend to come in contact with another person at many points of your body, not just your hands. So, the protection these sort of gels provide is limited.

3. Don’t go through drastic temperature changes.
There’s an old saying “you’ll catch a cold.” While modern science has mostly disproven the idea of catching a cold, there is still some adage to the old saying. If you’re sweaty and then subject yourself to a sudden temperature change (namely into a cold environment), you’re putting your system through shock and thus opening yourself up to germs. Thus, be it stepping into the cold outside or an air-conditioned area, make sure if you’re just done with your workout you bring a jacket or something to keep your body from going into shock.

Following a few simple precautions can reduce your chances of catching a cold or flu while you’re at your Martial Arts school. However, it won’t prevent it. And if you’re the carrier and not feeling well that day, please consider your fellow students and abstain from too much contact. If you don’t want to break a routine, you can consider coming to class and taking notes instead of getting on the floor and spreading your cold or flu to others.