I've been looking at buying headgear so I can spar with a friend, and we want to be able to both stand up and grapple with the same set of headgear. Is this what most of you do? I just want something that will protect the face and head when striking, but I'd also like some ear protection while on the ground. Traditionally, grappling tends to make my ears very sore, and while I have no cauliflower ear, I want to take steps to avoid it from the outset. Is there anything out there that can ably do both jobs? I see some headgear marketed as MMA specific, and some as boxing specific, but I'm hard pressed to tell the difference, even with much of the highly recommended stuff on these forums. Maybe all quality headgears provide ample ear protection as well? I'm not sure. I have very little experience with it. Can anyone offer some advice?
http://www.mmawarehouse.com/FightGear-Grappling-Headgear-p/csi-1103.htm This is the only one i know of that does both it looks pretty decent and i have 2 different fightgear headgears and they are first rate
Unless you're some kind of model you should just bite the bullet and let the ear cauliflower instead of resisting it. It's a good conversation starter "bro, why's your ear fucked up?"
These two options are not cheap but they are the best (look at the equipment reviews). I use it and it works great. Stays in place (when strapped on correctly), really disburses the impact of strikes, and never wears out. I've tried some other headguards from big name companies that leave me with headaches and bumps on my head after sparring. This has never happen with the Top Ten Headguard I use. http://www.totiro-usa.com/TOP-TEN-Avantgarde-Head-Guard (I use this one) http://www.totiro-usa.com/Catalog/Head-Guards/TOP-TEN-Avantgarde-Training-Cheek-and-Head-Guard
