Boxing sparring: headgear or no headgear?

**Obesely** · Posted On: 3/17/2011 7:53am

I'm an advocate of wearing headgear. The only downside is the loss of visibility, but as my middle name is 'Jab' I don't often make a point of infighting so it's a small price to pay to know that I stay reasonably pretty whilst still learning.

**TheWay** · Posted On: 3/18/2011 2:07pm

I think headgear is important to use when you can to avoid getting injured before big fights, as well as not looking too messed up for work etc. If, however you're unemployed and have no big fights, call it conditioning training and take the headgear off :p

There's no real 100% answer to this question, it really depends on who/how/when/why.

**MMAMickey** · Posted On: 3/18/2011 6:45pm

Meh, I fight inside all the time and I still don't suffer from loss of visibility with most modern headgear.. unless you're using the faceguard ****.

Mostly the only issue I have with headgear is that it makes slipping a little harder, but seeing as it covers just enough to make scuff marks appear on my face less often it's worth the trade off, even if it doesn't protect my large coconut head.

**DayOfTheJackass** · Posted On: 3/24/2011 6:52am

depending on the type it can do wonders for cutting down on that whole yellow/purple eyesocket at work thing!

**The Deliverator** · Posted On: 3/25/2011 5:16pm

This reminds me of the motorcycle helmet debate.

If I owned a martial arts gym I'd require everyone to wear head gear for any sparring.

But I don't, so it's a personal choice. If you're okay with a slightly increased risk of cuts and bruises to the face and most likely a higher concussion chance as a trade-off for better peripheral vision, cooling, and faster slipping then go right ahead - it's your own head, not mine.

However if we are talking strictly Boxing and no other MA I can't see any reason NOT to wear the head gear in training as if your end goal is fighting Amateur and/or Olympic then you've got to wear it in competition so you ought to practice like you play.

TLDR: I can't think of any reason for old people with day jobs to NOT wear head gear but that's my own opinion feel free to disagree.

**Jeet** · Posted On: 3/27/2011 8:08pm

A clean power hand of any type, Cross or Straight, will KO with or without headgear. Training at a top boxing gym taught me that quick. Wearing headgear helps with Jabs and slight bruising. It helps the most with Cuts assuming you do not want to lube up your face like you are going into the ring/cage for a fight. On the flip side it allows to more connections with a sloppy opponent. It hurts his/her training and focus on the head, but does not hurt you any less by helping them out.

I decide to not wear it, like most guys I box with. I do this because it allows easier movement, cleaner slips/bobing/weaving, and I want to feel punches. Call me crazy, but after I stopped using it I did better in tournaments/fights because I want to get accustomed to a clean straight to my head without getting knocked out. The slight padding of headgear does not matter much, but it really does make a difference in my opinion.

The ammy boxers I train do splits of headgear and non-headgear. I build strong boxers, so does Manny at KRONK. Out goal is to make the guys strong enough to rank up quickly to be in the Olympics or go straight to Pro to earn a living if they are not cut out to be an ammy. Ammies need to be out-boxers/swarmers and quick. If you are not, you should go to the pro circuit. For those cut out for the Olympics, I train without headgear when going against sluggers/infighters and when going against other ammies/outboxers, headgear. I do this to make my guys strong enough to take a high level jab flurry and not be affected. It is the trademark of the gym I coach and train at, and I have no reason to switch it up now.

**jdempsey** · Posted On: 4/05/2011 5:55am

no head gear, get hit less. > wear headgear get hit more often (with padding). = less brain damage.

**dwkfym** · Posted On: 4/05/2011 1:17pm

Once I wore a with chin bar because of work. The chin bar ended up scraping my chin!

I usually wear a competition-grade head and cheeks headgear.

**erezb** · Posted On: 7/20/2011 10:01am

I found it to be very good in protecting my eyes and ears. If you have a delicate face i.e your eyes aren't sunken deep in your gorilla like face, unlike most pro fighters, you should wear one, to keep your eye balls and ear drums safe. Even a 60,70% sparring match will most likely bruise my face nice, heck today i have some marks on my nose bridge and i was wearing headgear. So if you have a fighters face, you can do well most of the time without one, if your face are normal/ delicate, maybe you should keep it that way.

**dwkfym** · Posted On: 7/22/2011 11:10am

THe only time wearing headgear remotely made me less aware of my punches was when I wore my blue bomber headgear. That **** would absorb quite a bit of impact. Other than that, I'm equally aware of punches regardless of what is on my head. They hurt almost the same anyways. If you don't wear one because its inconvenient and it helps you slip and stuff much better, fine. But if you ask me, if it makes that much of a difference in being aware of how hard you are getting hit, you have opponents that don't hit you hard enough, you're wearing the blue bomber headgear, or you're a n00b.