Follow this guide and it will take you through the world of the best headgear for BJJ & wrestling which will lengthen your grappling career. The best wrestling headgear for BJJ means a lot of contact with opponents. Those wrestling ear guards will help your ears keep their original look after years of hard training!
If you do BJJ, wrestling or other grappling sports, you have probably seen some people out there training with some variations of BJJ headgear.
In this article, we are going to talk very quickly:
- WHY they maybe wearing it?
- WHETHER or not you should be wearing one?
- WHEN you should be wearing one?
- WHAT your options are?
- ….
In addition, if you want to protect your precious ears from the grappling sessions, this article, contains a fully review about the best headgears for BJJ and grappling martial arts which you could buy online is what you are searching for.
They are not only fit for BJJ, you can use them well in other grappling martial arts, such as MMA or wrestling.
Follow this guide and it will take you through the world of the best headgear for BJJ which will lengthen your grappling career. The best headgear for BJJ means a lot of contact with opponents. Those ear guards will help your ears keep their original look after years of hard training!
Why Do You Really Need A BJJ Headgear?
Cauliflower ears might be irritable to someone because there are many negative effects of it.
Don’t wait until it’s too late to do something good for your body. The best thing you can do for your ears is purchasing a good set of headgear.
Follow this guide and it will take you through the world of the best headgear for BJJ which will lengthen your grappling career. The best headgear for BJJ means a lot of contact with opponents. Those ear guards will help your ears keep their original look after years of hard training!
If you do BJJ, wrestling or other grappling sports, you will see many guys, especially guys who practicing it for a long time have the ears look like cauliflowers. They are not only make these guys look ugly, but they are also really painful.
As you know, in BJJ, MMA, wrestling or all of grappling martial arts, you constantly grapple or submit each other and your face constantly suffers the pressure, just as your neck, ears, and even nose.
These impacts may cause 2 serious pains to your: concussion and cauliflower ear.
When you’re grappling or wrestling, your head is constantly being used as a weapon, the line of defense or the target.
At those moments, your ears are highly exposed just taking a massive beating or getting hit, folded, crushed, slammed to the mats.
In consequence, they will be filled up with blood and eventually will harden and turn into cartilage and most people with cauliflower will tell you it’s very painful process.
If you don’t know, serious cauliflower is pretty much permanent unless you pay a plastic surgeon to go in there and reshape all that fibrocartilaginous growth inside the lumps.
The only way to treat it is having it drained and sometimes that might not even work.
It will cost enormous amount of money, it takes time away from training , and more severe, chance to die.
When I heard about it from my master, I realize that it’s a worth investment for my ears so that my BJJ career should last for a long period of time.
The best way to prevent cauliflower ear is just wearing your headgear, a thousand times better than that disaster.
If you end the career too early, there is a big chance you will regret after a period of time then you will probably say I could go higher or I could be the better fighter.
Especially, it’s more important if you want to keep your little kids or girls safe in the BJJ or wrestling training sessions. And in this case, you must think twice!
Follow this guide and it will take you through the world of the best headgear for BJJ which will lengthen your grappling career. The best headgear for BJJ means a lot of contact with opponents. Those ear guards will help your ears keep their original look after years of hard training!
Different Types of Ear Guards & their Functions
In the stores, there are several types of ear guards and we also have some different aspects to classify them.
Mainly, in this post, we will classify them based on 2 important aspects:
- The strap design,
- The ear cover design.
#1 - The Strap Design
When it comes to the strap design, there are 2 common types of headgear: the headgears with straps made of velcro and the classic style of headgear with straps made of vinyl.
Let’s see the ear guards from Cliff Keen brand: one typical example with straps made of velcro is the Cliff Keen F5 Tornado Headgear while the Cliff Keen E58 has straps made of vinyl.
Our experiences, in considering which type will suit you best, remember these things:
With a velcro-strap design:
- Easy to adjust
- Comfortable
- Flexible
- We recommend them for any level, especially for beginners because of ease of use, tie a little bit faster than other types of straps.
With a classic style of headgear, it’s:
- highly durable.
- but take time to adjust the straps.
#2 - The Ear Cup Design
Similarly, there are 2 common types of ear cup design: the headgear with exposed hardshell (most of Cliff Keen ear guards) and the softer fabric cover headgear(Matman or Venum headgears).
Our experiences, in considering which type will suit you best, remember these things:
With a hardshell headgear:
- If you are doing freestyle wrestling in college or high school, you gonna be dealing with this type of headgear because the practitioners want to protect their heads from some sorts of snap downs. It has a maximum protection for your sensitive ears.
- In plus, when you hit someone with your ear guards hard enough, you could take them down.
With a softer fabric cover headgear, it will:
- Not hurt your training partners.
- Be recommended for BJJ, the soft shell ear covers are enough to protect your ear from the training contacts.
TOP 6 BEST HEADGEARS FOR BJJ AND WRESTLING
 |  |  |  |  |  | |
Name | ||||||
Suitable for | Max Protection Max Comfort Grappling Session Have a Youth Model for kids | Protect Chin & Ear Defense Training Session | Fair Price | Good for beginners Have a Youth Model for kids | Both Genders Have a Youth Model for kids | Easy Adjustment |
Price | $$$ | $$$ | $ | $$ | $ | $$$ |
#1 - Cliff Keen f5 Tornado Headgear - The Well-KNow 4-straps Exposed Hardshell Headgear
If you want to find a comfortable and high protective exposed hardshell headgear, the well-known 4-straps Cliff Keen F5 Tornado Headgear should be one of the first considerations.
It’s not only the best wrestling headgears to prevent cauliflower ear, but its deep ear cups also provide a maximum protection if you are recovering from a cauliflower ear treatment.
Review grades: 4.7 / 5 (1680)
Cliff Keen Tornado F5 Headgear
Strong points:
- Good button snap lock, like other CK headgear.
- Over 50 colors, even if you want, there are more than 3300 customized combinations, you could do for the whole team.
- Perfect ventilation and hearing ability thank to a smart design.
- Very deep plastic ear cups provide better protection and comfort.
- The chin strap is high-quality and adjustable. Good recommendation for fighters that have big Adam’s apple.
- Like most of Cliff Keen headgears for BJJ or Wrestling, this BJJ headgear has a plastic-coated foam, so you won’t hurt your opponent.
Weak points:
- Hight cost depends on the design.
- It might slip during hard training sessions, especially if you sweat a lot or have a long hair.
- Bulky, it could makes you hard to get out of kesa or triangles.
Additionally, there is Cliff Keen F5 Youth Wrestling Headgear on Amazon, which is a high quality youth model.
It even works perfectly on 6-year-old kids. Let's protect your child with this smart choice!
#2 - Cliff Keen Fusion EF66 - Latest Cliff Keen Which combines The Edge Technologies
This is also a Cliff Keen headgear, that means it’s probably one of the best wrestling headgears.
It has the ability to protect you while very hard throws and the ear contact.
Do you need a takedown, throw, and takedown defense training session?
Cliff Keen F3 Twister Head Gear is your perfect fit!
Review grades: 4.5 / 5
Cliff Keen F3 Twister Wrestling Head Gear
Pros:
- The headgear has a very light chin pads. It will protect your chin from itching and scratching and it is very comfortable during sparring sessions.
- There is an additional space between your ears and headgear. No matter how much you sweat, it will not fall.
- Nylon straps are excellent for headgear adjustment.
- Ear protection is maximal.
- The hearing is not affected, and the ventilation is great.
- The material is shockproof – receiving a knee to the ear will not leave consequences.
Cons:
- It will start to move a lot after around one year of a training session.
Unfortunately, Cliff Keen F3 is currently unavailable on Amazon, but we suggest you another well-known Cliff Keen Headgear Model: Cliff Keen Fusion Headgear.
Briefly, in comparison with F3, this model maybe weaker in ventilation and adjust ability, but it is stronger in protection and comfort. Fusion model also works well for kids.
You can pick Cliff Keen Wrestling Chin Cup Strap to enhance your Fusion headgear or other Cliff Keen headgear.
#3 - Brute Youth GR-9 Headgear - A Good Combination of Price & Performances
This might easily be the best youth wrestling headgear when it comes to the combination of price and performances.
Brute Youth GR-9 Headgear offers you good comfort and great support for a very fair price.
It is excellent for cauliflower ear prevention.
Review grades: 4 / 5.
Brute Youth GR-9 Headgear
Pros:
- The price is amazing.
- The headgear is fully adjustable. It has a 5-strap system, which means all sides of your head are covered. You can tighten it by your needs and requirements.
- It will not hurt your partner – made of very soft material.
- There is no hard plastic on the interior, which leaves your ears protected.
- There is absolutely no chance of cauliflower creation if you wear it regularly.
Cons:
- There might be hearing problems during hard training sessions.
- When the air temperature is high, it becomes very warm pretty quickly.
- The strap on the top of the headgear is abrasive.
- Only one design is available.
#4 - Matman Ultra Soft Wrestling Headgear – ADULT - A Perfect Choice for Beginners
This is a good choice if you are a beginner to BJJ and wrestling. Matman Headgear – ADULT is perfect for your first headgear.
In the case you want regular training sessions, feel free to purchase this headgear.
You could buy the Matman Headgear Youth Model to protect your kids too.
Review scores: 4.0 / 5
Matman Ultra Soft Wrestling Headgear
Pros:
- The price is acceptable.
- There are so many colors available.
- The outside of the ear is heavily protected from impacts, while the inside is soft and extremely comfortable.
- The straps are made of very light material.
- It protects your head and ears even during the hardest submissions, like guillotine or D’Arce choke.
Cons:
- The chin strap cannot be adjusted properly and has no padding. This can affect your neck and chin, so the recommendation is to install an additional pad.
- If you have longer hair, it may slip.
- Some stitches may pinch and create discomfort.
- In the case your head or ears are too big, this headgear may not be a good choice.
- There is too much space between your ear and protector, which can cause bumping during takedowns and submissions.
With a cheaper price in comparison to Cliff Keen headgears, Matman wrestling headgear provides an economic solution for wrestlers, mma & bjj fighters.
Although this is an economic model, Matman still prove a very high value. It's a good choice for your first training sessions.
#5 - ASICS Unisex Gel Wrestling Ear Guard - Great Headgear for Both Genders
It is a cheap wretling headguard which is suitable for both genders. Its lightweight is especially suitable for women or kids.
ASICS Unisex Gel Wrestling Ear Guard is an outstanding solution for someone who asks for comfort and quality at the same time.
The ASICS Youth Gel Ear Guard is its kids version.
Review grades: 3.9 / 5
Pros:
- Especially light, good for women & young fighters.
- It has a great cushioning system for enhanced protection.
- Forehead straps are combined with hook and loop closures.
- Cheap price.
- Three designs are available.
- Good choice if you have smaller ears.
- It is fully adjustable.
Cons:
- It might cover your eyes during hard sparring sessions.
- It usually doesn’t stand still when you perform sudden head position changes.
- The straps can fray after a month or two and also irritate your skin.
ASICS Unisex Gel Wrestling Ear Guard
Beside the Matman wrestling headgear, ASICS is also a bjj headgear if you have tight budget.
This product fits perfectly for fighters who like the lightweight headgear.
P/S: ASICS introduces expensive and more modern models, the ASICS Aggressor Wrestling Headgear and ASICS Conquest Ear Guard. From my standpoint, I prefer the ASICS Aggressor because of its lightweight and excellent strap system.
#6 - Venum Ear Pads Kontact EVO - Best Headgear For BJJ Fighters Who Like to Work From Their Back
This is a great choice for the fans of black color and only two straps.
Made of neoprene fabric, Venum Ear Pads Kontact EVO provides a great coverage and cauliflower ear protection.
It is one of the best headgear for BJJ for fighters who like to work from their back.
P/s: You can also have it if you buy the Venum BJJ Basic Bundle.
Review grades: 3.6 / 5
Venum Ear Pads Kontact EVO
Pros:
- There are silicon strips on the forehead and it won’t move even during the hardest slams or submission attempts.
- The adjustment has never been easier – there are only straps under your neck and behind your head.
- It is very light and very soft on the inside – ear protection is maximal.
- Shock absorption is outstanding.
Cons:
- It is extremely hard to hear. There are no holes for the ear cups.
- The strap on the bottom might create problems due to its length.
- There is no ventilation in your ears.
Easy to adjust, forehead and back head protection are the strongest points of this product. This is a good wrestling headgear for concussions.
Wrap It Up
We hope you will be able to find what is the best headgear for BJJ that will fulfill your needs. Here are our top recommendations according to some qualities.
- Beginners without special needs should try Matman Ultra Soft Wrestling Gear – ADULT. It offers a variety of colors and solid adjustment.
- If you look for maximum protection in all aspects, Cliff Keen Tornado Headgear could be a great choice. When it is on sale, don’t miss the opportunity!
- When your goal is a maximum performance for the small amount of money, Brute Youth GR-9 Headgear will satisfy your needs.
How To Find The Best BJJ Headgears For You?
When you have to choice of the best headgear for BJJ for you, there are these things you really need to pay attention to.
The worst thing you can do is choosing a headgear which will constantly distract your vision, too hot or slide off your ears during the training sessions.
And you must think twice if you choose a bjj or wrestling for your beloved kids. It’s worth to protect our future.
Let’s considering the important points below:
- Lightweight
- Cool material and design
- Protection & fit you well
- Chin strap
- Price
- Comfortable
The wrestling headgear should be light.
- When you choose it, make sure it is made of light materials.
- There is a load your ear can handle. Make sure not to press ears too much. In the case the pressure on your ears is too high, it might be even worse.
- Better not to have headgear at all than wearing an uncomfortable one which will affect negatively. A cauliflower ear can also be a consequence of bad ear guards, despite it is rare.
Cool material and design
- You need a material that will not become too warm after 15-20 minutes of an intense training session.
- Despite many ear guards cannot fulfill this criterion, it is crucial to try to find the most suitable ones.
- If it is too warm, you will have to take it off during hard training sessions, which leaves your ears and face exposed to the contact.
- Cliff Keen F5 or ASICS Unisex Wrestling Ear Guard are examples of the good choices for this aspect.
- All of them have a good ventilation system that not only keeps ears cool while training or fighting, but also make it easier to hear.
Protection and Fit you well
- Make sure you checked the size of your ear. In the case your ears are bigger, take a BJJ headgear which will cover your ears completely.
- Make sure it will not fall off your ears easily and you should especially pay attention to this if you are bald.
Take a look at the headgear chin strap.
- This is the first thing that might create uncomfortable training session.
- If your chin is irritated constantly, the itching will be a minor problem comparing to other medical conditions.
- Better invest some money in additional reinforcement and protective layers than visiting doctor every week.
- It will cost less money for sure.
Price
- The price is a very important factor.
- Despite ear guards usually don’t cost more than 40 dollars, buying the best headgear for BJJ means a long-term investment.
- Your headgear should last for at least a year or two.
- In conclusion, my friends, you should consider carefully if you want to spare 5 dollars purchasing a cheap set of headgear.
Comfort is also an important parameter
- To be able to function properly during the intense training session, you will need a BJJ headgear that is imperceptible.
- You needn’t feel it while you train.
- It has to become something you regularly put on or it mustn’t create additional pressure on your ears and head.
Have you checked all of the parameters? It is time to put everything on the piece of paper and choose the best headgear for BJJ.
Do you have other criteria? Write everything down and enjoy choosing the best BJJ headgear to fulfill it!
Recommended post:
There are many positions where you simply have to slide and roll on your knees to attempt or avoid submissions. Maybe the best thing you can do is protect this at all costs. Why would you risk tears, scrapes, bleeding, and bruises? Your gi doesn’t provide sufficient protection! Let your career last and purchase a good set of BJJ knee pads
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