is it normal for my ears to be sore after the first few weeks of BJJ? they aren't swollen or anything at all, just tender to the touch. is this normal, or am i just going to be super prone to cauliflower ear?
I couldn't tell ya...Haven't gotten the ears yet. Mine were sore but I think I was just imagining things to be a pussy.
Either your ears are naturally susceptible to cauliflowering OR they just got banged up through bad luck (they can stay sore for weeks after that happens). Either way I'd get my hands on some headgear asap and wear it until your ears no longer hurt (or forever). I wear headgear 99% of the time and have managed to stop my ears from getting worse and worse each year (they're actually not too bad). I wear soft, flexible headgear (a larger version of this one http://www.shop.com/op/~ASICS_YOUTH_Soft_HEADGEAR-prod-10980176) because I find that most of the 'real' wrestling headgear out there is too bulky and too overkill for jiu-jitsu purposes. I would encourage you to protect your ears. If, later in your wrestling career, you decide that you want to let your ears get all gnarly then so be it. It's not like you're missing out on some critical opportunity by protecting your ears right now. Stephan Kesting www.grapplearts.com
It's normal for them to be sore, especially if they've been messed with a lot in rolling (ie pulling your head out of gullotines and whatnot). Just because they're sore doesn't mean they're getting cauli, but they might be, so you should watch for it and consider wearing headgear.
Yes it is expected with all the flopping around and rubbing on the ears that you do with grappling. It does not mean you are super prone to cauli ear. Wear headgear if you don't want to deal with it at all.
