# Ever got the "Chi Sau Pox" ?



## mook jong man (Jun 7, 2009)

Thats what we used to call it at our school . It was a strange malady that became prevalent in summer time , it seemed to thrive in the heat and humidity , when the sweat was flowing profusely.

It was characterized by little pimples on your forearms that that would erupt and fill with pus , they didn't really hurt or itch they were just very annoying . I have to admit I did get a great a deal of satisfaction out of poppin the little buggers.

They seemed to be confined to the areas of the forearm that were prone to friction in chi sau and that had contact with the partners arms .
My theory is that it was some sort of bacterial infection , that was transmitted from chi sau partner to chi sau partner by contact with their sweaty arms . 

Together with all the sweat and through the process of friction in chi sau , the bacteria would then invade your hair follicles and the next morning you would wake up with the aformentioned evil pustules on your arms.

Every summer this plague would be visited upon us , and I was afflicted several times. Many pharmaceutical lotions were purchased and applied , in an effort to  combat this scourge , but only to be in vain.

Through a long process of trial and error the most effective things were found to be tea tree oil or rubbing alcohol .

 These preparations applied religiously and methodically to the arms before and during chi sau practice were found to prevent chi sau pox in nine out of ten cases.

The only drawback is the smell with 30 plus people in the school all with tea oil or rubbing alcohol on their arms . But it was ok , it helped to mask the aroma of some brethren who neglected to wear a freshly laundered uniform that day.

So what about you , did you ever get the chi sau pox ?


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## geezer (Jun 7, 2009)

mook jong man said:


> So what about you , did you ever get the chi sau pox ?



A little, but not really bad like you describe. Then I live in a very dry climate. A thought about your remedy. _Alcohol_ is the base ingredient for most dit dar jow. I often wonder if _that_, along the regular resting and massaging of the affected area during frequent re-application, doesn't do as much good as all of the exotic herbs thrown in. Of course the herbs can smell nice (depending on your recipe).

If you were a greedy SOB, you'd just bottle your own mix of tea tree oil and rubbing alcohol and sell it for say five dollars an ounce. Or maybe only four, since you aren't Chinese. Authentic _Chi-Sau Jow_. Has a nice ring to it.


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## yak sao (Jun 7, 2009)

Ahh, the dreaded chi sao pox.

I got it when I first started learning chi sao, but it wasn't too bad.
Then a couple of years later I was in LA at a big training seminar with WT people from all over the world and a lot of people got it pretty bad. I avoided it by scrubbing the heck out of my forearms in the shower and using that alcohol hand sanitizer stuff.
Thanks for reminding me of this....I have a lot of new students doing chi sao and I'm sure it will try to rear it's ugly head.


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## almost a ghost (Jun 7, 2009)

I just get hives, and that's because everybody chi sao with has cats and I'm very allergic to cats. LOL


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## mook jong man (Jun 7, 2009)

almost a ghost said:


> I just get hives, and that's because everybody chi sao with has cats and I'm very allergic to cats. LOL


 
Your just gonna have to tell em to stop doing chi sau with their cats. Anyway the difference in height can be quite problematic I find , not to mention the fish breath.


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## Seeker (Jun 7, 2009)

I've never had this as you describe, though I do occasionally experience the dreaded 'hair burns' from rolling with some of the hairier guys in class.


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## mook jong man (Jun 7, 2009)

Seeker said:


> I've never had this as you describe, though I do occasionally experience the dreaded 'hair burns' from rolling with some of the hairier guys in class.


 
Oh I've had that too , one of my instructors had very coarse hair on his arms .
 It felt like you were rolling with a wire brush , almost like it was going to start taking skin off.


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## Tensei85 (Jun 7, 2009)

Yea, I generally just get a free waxing. Haven't experienced the chi sau pox as of yet.


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## profesormental (Jun 7, 2009)

Greetings.

The best way to avoid any skin conditions is a good bath with hot water and scrub well.


Yet it is good to watch out for skin conditions as to prevent them. Heat rashes are common also because of the conditions of training.

Nothing serious though.

Hope this helps.

Juan M. Mercado


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## Tensei85 (Jun 8, 2009)

profesormental said:


> Greetings.
> 
> The best way to avoid any skin conditions is a good bath with hot water and scrub well.
> 
> ...



So that was the secret all along???


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## profesormental (Jun 9, 2009)

You would be amazed at the number of people that are ... lacking in certain hygiene skills. I've had to... suggest it progressively so they eventually get it.

Many people really don't know, specially if they're from low income families.

Yet I've had the waxing effect too in the forearms, too.


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## futsaowingchun (Jun 12, 2009)

mook jong man said:


> Thats what we used to call it at our school . It was a strange malady that became prevalent in summer time , it seemed to thrive in the heat and humidity , when the sweat was flowing profusely.
> 
> It was characterized by little pimples on your forearms that that would erupt and fill with pus , they didn't really hurt or itch they were just very annoying . I have to admit I did get a great a deal of satisfaction out of poppin the little buggers.
> 
> ...


 
Why not trying chi saoing with long sleeves,that way there is no skin on skin contact.


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## mook jong man (Jun 13, 2009)

futsaowingchun said:


> Why not trying chi saoing with long sleeves,that way there is no skin on skin contact.


 
You don't want to be wearing long sleeves mate in a Sydney summer when its 42c outside. Even inside with the aircon or the fans on its still very hot and humid.

Nope, the best way is put the tea tree oil on or the rubbing alcohol on your arms before you start training . That stuff kills every bug known to man and probably even some that aren't.


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## Krattyboy (Jun 23, 2017)

Yep, had the arm burns!


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## wingchun100 (Jun 23, 2017)

Talk about resurrecting an old thread...


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## Krattyboy (Jun 23, 2017)

Sure, is that frowned upon??


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## wingchun100 (Jun 23, 2017)

No, but if you are seeking a reply from people who were originally on it, you will be sorely disappointed. LOL


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## Krattyboy (Jun 23, 2017)

Ok, I'll create a new thread next time.


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## geezer (Jun 23, 2017)

Krattyboy said:


> Ok, I'll create a new thread next time.



Nah, bringing up an old thread is fine if you want to contribute new info on an old topic. Just don't expect to hear back from the original posters (except _me,_ obviously). _Mook,_ _Profesormental _and a lot of others have been gone for years. Last I heard of ol' _Mook_ was that he was off to Japan. Wish he'd get back to us!

Anyway, welcome to the forum. Say, by the looks of the scab on your bridge, you must press forward pretty hard when you roll in poon-sau. What lineage do you train?


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## Krattyboy (Jun 23, 2017)

It's primarily IP Man lineage, but like any good Kung Fu it's influenced and evolved over time by other lineages that have contributed to the club over time.
Yeah, I haven't been practicing Chi-Sao for long, so the scab is partly the result of my inexperience but also the skin probably needs some time to 'toughen up'. Bloody annoying though!
You guys sound like a pretty tight knit little community, not a bad thing really.


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## geezer (Jun 23, 2017)

Krattyboy said:


> You guys sound like a pretty tight knit little community, not a bad thing really.



_Tight knit? _Heck we fight like cats and dogs. Take LFJ and KPM for example. But I've found some of the discussions very enlightening over the years. Some have made me aware of things that I never would have known about if Id only discussed kung-fu topics within the narrower confines of the kwoon. Also, I've met some great personalities... so welcome aboard!


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## Jenna (Jun 23, 2017)

Krattyboy said:


> View attachment 20852 Yep, had the arm burns!


We used to give out 'Chinese burns' in school.. did not know they were syllabus reqs haha.. hey welcome along.. or maybe you have been here for a bit.. still, just you feel free to post wherever you feel like x


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## Krattyboy (Jun 23, 2017)

Hey thanks, I'll make sure to keep you guys/girls regularly updated with my bridge arm burn pics


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## DanT (Jun 23, 2017)

Although that photo is of a scab, be wary of tinea corporis (ringworm). Always take a shower after class, and scrub well. Once someone gets ringworm, it spreads like wild fire.


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## KPM (Jun 24, 2017)

If he hadn't said it was a friction burn, I would have thought it might be molluscum cantagiosum.  Its common in locker room settings where towels don't get cleaned well or that get shared around a bit.


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## anerlich (Jun 24, 2017)

Never had this, but if this is a thing for you, don't even think about trying grappling.

If it really is a problem, consider a long sleeve Rashguard.


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