Should we wear headgear in Sparring? (Headbutt Accident) 

My eardrum tore during sparring due to a punch. I feel like headgear might have prevented that, but I still don't like wearing it. It gives me a false sense of security which makes my defense sloppy.

No head gear: More visible damage to the face, less brain damage. No head gear > Head gear

the false sense of security applies not only to the wearer of headgear, but also to the sparring partner. i find people generally go harder to the head during sparring when wearing headgear vs not

I wear it sometimes and I kinda hate it because I feel sloppier with it, it also feels like you get hit more with it and with some headgears you can't see that well. And it's true some people hit way harder when they see you with one, specially if it one of those who protects the nose too.

Depending on the style of headgear it may also offer a little protection to the nose, but I agree completely.

I think the usage of head gear should depend on a variety of factors but in the beginning the extra training wheels of headgear, thick shin pads, groin cup, mouth piece, and 16 oz gloves are really important. I like to make sure that when guys are starting out that the class is exhausting too so they don't have as much in the gas tank to do as much damage to one another until they can learn better control, flow, timing, etc. A lot of guys starting out are throwing haymakers just trying to connect with one another and I still believe the padding helps against those wild shots. It's as guys get more advanced, the head movement is more experienced and deliberate, they have good control; that's when some of the safety rails can come off and the truly better sparring happens. I always like to remind everyone: "Go in with a goal for sparring. There is no winning and losing. If you don't try out new things here in the safety of the sparring environment you'll never learn how to do the really cool stuff."

Thank goodness you made this video, I was just talking about it with my friend. He does boxing and I do Thaibox. Since in Skarbowsky 's gym we don't even use leg-gear, we only have the headgear for nose protection and some elbow sponges (sorry I can't find the right terms in English) I told him I feel like it makes the dodging by just an inch way harder cuz if the hit still connects with my headgear I feel like I got struck. But I have a nice nose and don't want to compete so the only reason I put it on is to protect my nose

Same opinion as you. Especially the peripheral and head movement thing. Blocks the side vision and makes the head heavier and over all bigger, making it harder to move and slip. I say use it if you want. I know a lot of gyms that dont allow people to spar with out it. I kind of like when people wear it, I can hit them a little harder and not feel as bad lol. And like you said, its a bigger target, so I land more on them, and easier.

Headgear actually does reduce damage from impacts especially light to medium impacts. It becomes drastically less effective at mitigating force the harder the strike is. I personally do wear headgear often when sparring but I can see why a fighter like Jeff wouldn’t want to. Most brain damage comes from repeated impacts as opposed to one big punch so I think it’s best to err on the side of caution 😊

If I'm doing hard sparring I prefer using Rugby Headgear over the traditional headgear for MMA and boxing. I got the idea from seeing an old photo Mike Tyson wearing a Rugby headgear during sparring and gave it a shot. Since today's rugby headgear are made of thin foam padding they are super light and breathable. They are pretty thin so it doesn't make my head a bigger target and doesn't obscure my vision during sparing. I wear the headgear knowing it's not gonna protect me from heavy blows but will only protect me from cuts on my face.

I think kids should. They're still growing and an accidental headbut or fall could hurt their softer skulls/developing brains. Adults can choose. Having the right sparring partner for you is more important in my opinion. Spar people that don't want to injure you and want you to be better..

In my utmost humble opinion. I always felt that it stifles and inhibits one’s peripheral vision, offsetting the “Protection” value as one is getting hit more often due to aforementioned lack of visibility. Also seems that many exploit the use of headgear as an” free for all” So they have a tendency to go beyond the sense of what may be deemed “reasonable force output” Which combined with the lack of being able To slip/ see shots, and you are wearing a target pad on your head( as depending upon the helmet utilized)The gloves have an tendency to “ stick” akin to an adhesive, so i rather abstain and try to spar sensibly without it. Always an honor to be able to observe and learn from such a fellow peer as yourself. Sincere regards. Fellow Martial Artist. Tom Framnes. Spain.

I grew up in Karate and boxing training with headgear. I still spar with one on out of habit. One of the hardest blows I ever received was a rare time that I was sparring without a headgear my opponent and I accidentally slammed heads. His forehead full force into my cheekbone. Not only did it severely hurt. I was a little dazed for a second but played it off. Headgear probably would have prevented that. Also most amateurs should get use to helmet sparring before competition as most amateur bouts have their competitors use them.

Thank you. That was enlightening.

Jeff, I encourage you to incorporate some head turns as another defensive measurement against grazing punches. Though this defense should be used as almost a last resort. When no other form of defense protects you in time. Since you do mma, I’d advise to only use this on the outside, (when evading punches). Hopefully this helps you with your eye catching style!

Head gear just makes your head a bigger target and doesn't keep your brain from shaking once you're hit. Agreed it keeps the cuts down but that rarely happens. Also agree on the visibility as you need to keep adjusting the headgear from sweat, head movement and contact.

After my first season competing in Wushu Sanda, my Sanda coach eventually stopped making us wear headgear for the exact reasons stated in this video, and since then the technicality of sparring has increased and the amount of spar wars has gone down dramatically, it's like a negative correlation.

Agree bro. I was just recently cut a few months ago during sparring, pretty bad one from an accidental knee, and the head gear probably wouldn’t have prevented it. I find the head gear gets me punched in the head/face even more! It creates blind spots in my opinion, so I stopped wearing it years ago.

Without headgear, my face was more prone to scrapes, scratches and cuts. Even accidental headbutts were risky like how you experienced

I agree with you I never wear headgear. To add to your point about false sense of security I would say the same for headbutts. Without headgear you will only clash heads with someone once and then be careful to make sure it never happens again after. Ofc accidents happen but if your used to having a soft cushion over your forehead your most likely gonna be less careful about it.

I never use headgear, even tho I really should in some situations, such as hard boxing rounds, that I don’t usually do, but still….that said, recently I’ve tried a rugby cap for both striking and grappling, and I found that it works quite nicely for accidental head clashes and ear protection without being too cumbersome…

i ate my first ever headkick and got a black eye in 2 years of muay thai... because i stopped muay thai and went to train jiu jitsu, so the spazzy white belt kicked me while having his guard passed

I've been doing martial arts since 1995 & I've never worn headgear. I've sparred & competed A LOT of rounds in that time & the only injuries I've sustained have been the odd nose bleed & black eye, neither of which would be prevented by wearing a headguard.

A few researches stated that headgear (AIBA approved specifically) reduced linear and rotational force of punches by around 30% so I think it does protect your brain. What are your thoughts on that?

I've done MT for a year and never felt I needed it. I started BJJ recently and I wear ear guards and I wish I wore it earlier as my ears stick out, getting trauma from rolls. I'm 38, and doing this as a hobby. I'll continue to wear it for MT as well as don't want to get cauliflower!

I agree with Jeff on this one. I don’t wear headgear because it won’t protect my brain from turning to mush, but if you are adamant on not getting cut then go ahead.

You almost got the name of the gym right 😂😂 Luckily it wasn’t too bad, we were able to patch you up! I agree on the head gear, there’s a reason the Olympic study caused them to end their use. I would argue they’re good for tournaments in order to reduce cuts, especially muaythai tournaments that allow for elbows. Outside of that though, no thanks! Vaseline on the other hand is a nice easy way to reduce risk, especially when you’re sparring around the world

Preventing cuts is the main reason I wear a headgear. This is no miniscule reason to wear one. For professional fighters a cut during a sparring session might force them to cancel a fight and the money that goes with it. Look at Charles " No headgear" Oliveira and his canceled fight with Makachev. Not to mention the cut might make you easier to cut throughout the rest of your career.

Well depends on many factors, generally speaking, not in my opinion, but with small MMA gloves yes, if you go hard with bigger gloves then yes, but if you flow spar then no, and that's all I do. If you're a active fighter then it could be useful to use during fight camp to prevent concussions pre-fight. Generally speaking the headgear just makes you slower, and less worried about defence.

Hmm… the only time that we would wear headgear is when a fighter was getting ready for a fight. With that reason we didn’t want any accidental cuts or injuries that would lead to the fight being postponed. Other than that it was just a personal preference.

Its scientifically proven at this point that wearing headgear is actually worse than wearing no headgear. Your slower, a bigger target, tend to hit Harder ans it only prevents cuts and bruises but doesnt provide any protection from brain damage

I don't wear head gear that much (only when my sparring partner or the trainer insist and when he would tell us to punch the forehead if there is a huge size difference so it does help I guess) because it hinders my vision and I often found I get hit a lot when im wearing head gear.

Do you think that it might be a better idea to lather up with grease as a better way to avoid cuts but still have peripheral vision?

I actually have to wear it when I compete so sometimes I wear when I train too to get used to it but I'd rather prefer not to use it for the same reasons you said plus it isn't very comfortable because it's more difficult to move and breathe

For prize fights with a lot of money involved headgear can prevent cuts that could cause a fight event to be cancelled. At this time a major boxing heavyweight championship fight was cancelled when Tyson Fury got badly cut over the eye in sparring. Not sure how that happened with headgear on though.

For those with a pretty face, it protects from deformation after years of hits.

I don't wear headgear anymore for similar reasons. When people wear headgear they tend to go harder. I see more people getting hurt because they take it up another level.

Question for you @Jeff - did you ever do genetic testing to see if you are predisposed to CTE? Have you noticed any cognitive changes after sparring/competing for many years? I can’t seem to shake concussion symptoms from sparring a few weeks ago. Neurologist says I will make a full recovery, but focusing has become quite challenging.

Coming from a boxing background I kind of like dressing up like a robot before sparring. But I’ll admit, sparring without headgear is nice at times.

Jeff, do you have a link to that research?

Your body your choice!

i'd just agree with you tbh. also, what do you think of the stone wall guard?

I agree with you 100%

In Sambo you wear it to use headbutts that allowed by rules, but only when in headgear. I think it's personal preference.

Whats your opinion on when only one of the people sparring wears headgear? This is the case for me, I box and like using headgear mainly due to the fact that I have acne that easily blows up when sparring due to sweat and sometimes the impact of a punch, this does not impact my fighting abillity. However clothes and gear can get pretty bloody when I dont have headgear so I tend to use it in sparring. And where I box pretty much no one has a headgear, and sometimes I feel bad for "having" to use mine when others dont. So just wondering what ur opinion is on this, if it's okay or bad.

great video you must have an editor

I personally don't prefer headgear, having a Karate background with all that hands down to body and using distance management as a tool to parry or counter instead of diving straight in, also a bit of boxing here and there did help me with my head moment, not that I'm even good at it, but personally as Jeff said, it doesn't allow that smooth head moment, so long story short, I don't prefer headgear 😅

I don’t like it either I been in a couple gyms that force you to wear it before but most don’t care after you sign the waiver

You are awesome

Headgear doesn’t offer any protection? I have no problem seeing out of my own and I do feel like it softens a hit when one is landed. What is the purpose of headgear then?

The worst part about headgear for me is how much most of them (as far as ive seen) although not all of them, limit your ablity to see things coming from the side and from below. So you are more likely to get hit with uppercuts and hooks.

Dude you’re like a professional Spar-er?

Didn’t wear headgear and got an accidental cut needing stitches 2 weeks from my fight. Luckily it healed up nicely and the cut didn’t reopen in the fight. Still don’t wear head gear.

yes headgear is neccery cuz sometimes u accidently kick or punch head fast strong

Hey Jeff wanted to chime in: I wear headgear because i had Lasik surgery and want to protect my eyes. I think its worth the protection

I’d like to move with you bro how do I get you to swing by Atlantic City NJ

Is headgear because of the weight and size not optimal for training head movement ie like you would for 10oz gloves vs 16oz training if ya get me

It’s how handsome dudes keep their looks.

They block my vision so I don't like them

And for 4 - 9 limbs headgear is a no no because it has a lot of blindspot.

I find it better as a beginner

Try using techniques from "Yakuza" games in the next video its will be fun ig

I don’t wear headgear for the same reasons you pointed out.

If you're a comedian, actor, model, or you're working in a job where you have to be welcoming for exemple, i think it's good for you. Be otherwise i wouldn't recommend it

doesn't that guy you were sparring do youtube as well i can't remember the channel name but I'm pretty sure he makes content too

As an amateur fighter I have an other argument in favor of sparring with head gear. In most organisations head gear is mandatory for amateur fights. So you might as well get used to it.

It’s a simple equation. If the potential cost of not wearing a head gear is higher than how much you can make as a fighter, then use one, which means 99% of athletes/fighters should use it.

I did not liked to wear headgear for very long... Buut now i like it a lot... i knkw that this do not protecting my brain from dancing around after kick or punch to the head buut as you said... Protect from scrathes or bruses or other blueeyes heh I train a lot outdoor with shues on etc soo it give me some protection when i am getting kick to my head...(noone in the work going to ask "whats happend to you" every minute) Rubber from shue or other metal parts are not so nice when conect the face... Specially when is cold (between 4° and -1°c is still okey... Buuut when is colder than that then i do not want to get hit with anything at all xD)

Hate wearing headgear for the exact same reasons.

I heard this wasn't an accident, but Jeff training to transition to Lethwei

If you come by London you need to visit us at the Ko gym! We'd give you some great rounds 😉

Happy Ramadan Kareem 🇲🇦🇹🇭🇺🇸

Awesome 👍💪😁

14 oz Gloves and mouthguard more important than headguard in Sparr

Nope. I think it gives a false of security. The protection offered (for superficial injury only, lets face it) isn't worth it. Headgear alters vision and inhibits movement. Try driving when you are padded up 😂. Less headgear but more time spent on head movement and awareness is the way to go. There is also something to be said for being hurt once in a while. A few cuts and bruises is part of it. If heavy head shots are becoming a problem, I call no headshots and we drill more. Eventually everyone gets it. Head pro in general is a good idea, I ride horses and skydive, both with a helmet. The thing is my peripheral vision and body mechanics are not altered in any big way in those activities. I feel the weight of a sparring helmet, it changes things and I hate them 😂. I tested for a black belt (karate) in an environment that required headgear. I felt like my head was in a bag, hearing was muted a bit, I felt neck pressure and my head movement was subdued. It makes the head a giant target and it removes some of our natural instincts. I wish more guys would opt for groin protection! That seems to be a much bigger issue than head injuries in my classes 😅.

To help prevent cuts applying vaseline should help some

To this day I still have a bit of brain damage after my dad Rory Roo would practice sparring with me when I was a kid without headgear.

The reason boxers are very religious when it comes to headgear is because they like to go very hard in sparring and boxing is an old sport where sparring hard was the norm. It’s kind of like blowing and banging on an n64 game to make it work when we knew it actually doesn’t but we do it anyway and it works lol

Guys what if for like nose protection?

I hate the way it impacts my peripheral vision. It also gives me a false sense of protection. ….no appreciation for avoiding getting hit.

Research has also shown that prople tend to throw harder when they see youre wearing head gear as well, thus increasing the likelihood of CTE.

Never worn it during sparring and I've only been cut when a guy landed on my head during bjj lol

I do'nt like using headgear either, I don't see the point in it we are already using 16oz gloves for that

I had a lot of bad experiences with head gear 🤔 It's screwed up my vision and I feel more damage when they hit me

Broke my foot (1st metatarsal) yesterday. Have you ever had any major injury and how have you trained around it?

0:27 Jeff perfectly pulls the kick in order to not hurt him, and what does he do? grab Jeffs leg and throws a hard kick, i bet in his mind he thought he was so bad ass ''wow that headkick didnt even hurt at all, i am such a tough boy'' . martial arts and combat sports have the potential to be great for the world, they could be as huge as football or basketball, but unfortunately the human ego and pride keeps getting in the way, and most gyms out there end up just being places for egoistic meat-heads to socialize and prove how much they are tough-guys, making so the people who would benefit from martial arts the most, the weak, never step foot in a gym, the result is combat sports are small, niche, and looked down on by society, the audiences will never be big, and the fighters pay will always be little, while NFL and NBA players make millions in a season, and ufc fighters have to beg dana for another 5k

Head gear safety mauy thai techniques

Somebody should invent head gear that covers the chin and has better impact absorbing material.

i cant see anything when wearing one, but i understand why they exist :)

I dont wear mouthpiece

Yes but I haven’t seen him going into a boxing gym and sparring. But kickboxing is different. Kickboxing or mma punches aren’t as quality as boxing. Mostly because of the stance. Boxing they can spread there legs and have different leverage with punches because the danger on leg kicks or a set up punch for a round house kick to the face is not valid in boxing setting. So a kickboxer punch is not like a boxing. Also, in kickboxing sparring or mma there’s less hit to the face than boxing. For obvious reasons, leg kicks, kicks to the body and knees. Also boxing in training camp, you sparr 12 rounds hard sparring everyday. Boxing sport is much more evolved than kickboxing or mma. So no I’m kickboxing, headgear isn’t essential as it in boxing. BUT, if you want hard sparring with the quality of a boxer. Headgear would be needed. I hate when they say sparring hard all the time is stupid when the greatest boxers literally only hard spar and tons of rounds. I want to see Chan go into a boxing gym and go 12 rounds without head gear for 4 days straight for a month. Also Jeff is not an active fighter.

I hate head gear. Luckily i have a job that doesnt require me to sit in front of clients so if i get a bruise or cut, its fine.

Yes, and knee pads. Knee clash is terrible.

1:28

Easy answer. Yes. Any striking style. They weren’t designed for concussions. It was designed for cuts. The bigger head argument is weak. The heavier head argument is also weak. Work on head movement, footwork and catches. Simple. I’ve sparred a lot without headgear as well. Headgear is better.

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Nah

I asked my coach what my best attribute/strength was and he thinks it was my agility but wasn't quite sure either. How to figure out if it's my best attribute or not and how do I use my agility to its fullest potential? (Currently I'm trying to make my footwork better)

Hi guys I am a left hander but i stand in orthodox for 2 years now after i trained mma instead of pure boxing i feel like my straight or kick is not powerful then switch to southpaw. But my footwork and defence is more comfortable in orthodox but southpaw kicking and cross is more powerful. but if my partner striking skill is better than me then i have to switch back to orthodox again, cos the only def in southpaw is block and step back. Should i stand in orthodox or southpaw 🥲

i teach KUDO DAIDO JUKU that involve Headbutt (atamauchi), for sure we wear it. 😄 but it depends on situation. for free MMA spars i would wear, for light stricking spars NO.