Can You Do Jiu Jitsu With Contacts?

Yes, if you keep these things in mind.

If you wear glasses or contacts and are thinking about training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you may be wondering whether it’s safe to wear contacts while rolling, whether you should wear sport glasses, and, if none of those options will work, how you’re going to be able to see during Jiu Jitsu class.

In this article, I’ll go over the pros and cons of the various options, and I’ll also share some insights from people with personal experience in this area.

BJJ world champion Mikey Musumeci wears glasses off the mat, but not while rolling.

What Can Happen If You Do Jiu Jitsu With Contacts?

I asked the members of a Jiu Jitsu Facebook group I’m in whether they do Jiu Jitsu while wearing contacts, and if so, whether they’ve ever had anything bad happen as a result.

Based on their response, it seems that most people who do Jiu Jitsu with contacts, the worst thing that occasionally happens is that a contact gets bumped out of place or falls out while rolling. Actually, most people who wear contacts in Jiu Jitsu class seem to have experienced this at least once, but not often. If that does happen, you’ll want to step off the mat and wash both the contact lens and your hands before putting it back in, to avoid the germs from the mat or your hands from getting into your eye.

You may also want to carry extra multi-purpose solution and maybe a pair of backup contacts in your gym bag, especially if your contact actually lands on the mat itself.

Is it safe to wear contacts while rolling in Jiu Jitsu?

I asked a friend of mine who is an optometrist to weigh in on this question, and she felt that sports goggles would be the best choice for eye protection, but acknowledged that they may not be practical given the face pressure and close contact nature of the sport.

For most people with healthy eyes, my friend’s off-the-record opinion was that wearing soft contact lenses during training is likely a reasonable choice. However, she emphasized that those with a strong nearsighted prescription, certain retinal conditions, or a history of procedures like LASIK should consult with their eye doctor about whether protective eyewear is necessary – or if the activity might be too risky for their specific situation. The same caution applies for those who wear hard contacts, gas permeable lenses, or scleral lenses.

Just be sure that if you’re wearing contact lenses and someone else’s sweat drips into your eye (it happens!) you don’t forget to remove and sanitize your contacts and wash out your eye as soon as you get home.

What do Other People Who Wear Glasses Typically Do during Jiu Jitsu Class?

Based on observing my classmates as well the comments under a poll I ran in a Jiu Jitsu Facebook group I’m in, it seems that who typically wear contacts usually leave them in for class, and people who typically wear glasses them leave them on while watching the demonstration of technique and then remove them for drilling and rolling.

Does anyone wear Sport Goggles for Jiu Jitsu Class?

While sport goggles may not be the best option for rolling, they shouldn’t cause a problem while drilling most Jiu Jitsu techniques and can keep you from having to constantly be taking them off, putting them back on, and finding a safe place to put them. A pair of prescription sports goggles with an elastic band will stay on even while you’re moving around.

Benefits of Rolling Without Contacts or Glasses

In Jiu Jitsu, developing your sense of feel is super important. You feel when your opponent is off balance and the timing is right for a sweep. You feel where a hole is that you can slip through to escape an inferior position. You feel the positioning of your hands to finish a choke. Often, I find myself closing my eyes while rolling in order to better feel the position. Therefore, rolling without glasses or contacts (if you normally wear them) might actually be a benefit to your game.

It’s also worth noting that there are people who are blind who do Jiu Jitsu…including some who are really good at it, like Clinton Terry, a Pan American and World Masters medalist black belt from New Zealand who is fully blind (pictured below). So, rolling without glasses or contacts or even with eye conditions doesn’t have to hold you back.

Key Takeaways

The answer to, “Can you do Jiu Jitsu with contacts?” is yes, for most people it’s totally fine to wear soft contact lenses. Just keep these things in mind:

  • A contact lens may occasionally fall out during training. If it does, clean both your hands and the lens thoroughly before putting it back in.
  • If you do wear contacts, keep extra contact solution and possibly a pair of backup contacts in your gym bag.
  • Consider a pair of sports goggles if you have a hard time seeing the demonstration, don’t want to wear contacts, and find it annoying to constantly be taking your glasses off and putting them back on between drills.
  • Consult your eye doctor for advice if you are have had eye surgery including LASIK, have any type of retinal condition, or wear a less common type of contact lens.
  • Don’t be worried about rolling without wearing either contacts or glasses–it might actually improve your Jiu Jitsu!

Whether you choose to train with contacts, without any vision correction, or only put in your contacts for technique demonstrations, the most important thing is finding an approach that lets you train safely and comfortably, and not letting vision impairment keep you from showing up to class.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *