Do most of the folks here wear ear guards when rolling? The reason I ask is I will start more serious rolling/sparring soon and am trying to decide whether I ought to invest in a set or not.

On the one hand I don't want to look like a fool; "a brand new kid" (who can barely make 2 minutes of rolling without completely running out of gas) steps onto the mat with his "brand new ear guards" causing the senior guys to kind of laugh and comment "ready for the Athens Olympics Brian?"

But on the other hand I have seen some calliflowered up sets of ears and some of the guys are saying, "hey, wear the ear guards before you need them, not after".

So what should I do? Actually this same question applies to mouth guards; some wear them some don't.

take care,
Brian

You don't really need them.

Some people just feel better when they're all decked out in their grappling outfits: ear guards, shin pads, cup, moutpiece, rash guards, and grappling shorts.

It looks stupid to me. Can you say...wannabee?

Are you afraid of ruining your good looks? WTF? What's wrong with a little cauliflower ear? Chicks dig them.

Seriously, some people don't even need them. I'd wait until I actually hurt my ear before I get one. The best thing to do is have good technique so that you won't get into positions where your head is getting squeezed all the time.

Most of the guys at Shenwu doen't wear them, except for a couple of weenies. Tim and I probably have the biggest set of bat ears and we don't wear them. We got cauliflowers early and with proper medical attention our ears don't look all f'ed up. They just feel harder and tougher. Now they don't get hurt at all.

Be a man Kennedy!

It also depends on your genetics. Some people have softer cartilage in their ears making them more succeptable to cauliflower. If you get swelling in the ears and have it lanced and drained immediately to let the "juice" out, you can avoid most scarring (you can do it yourself, but you'll need hypodermic needles, easier to come by in some neighborhoods than others).

As your skills improve, you'll get your head caught less and less.

Headgear will make it hard to hear your coach, and the gear will sometimes slip over your eyes and face. My advice is not to wear headgear unless you are recovering from injury to the ears.

I don't wear a mouthpiece either, but having said that, I was kneed in the mouth and chipped a tooth last week.

Kennedy, don't be a wuss. Who cares if you get cauliflower ears. If you are so worried about it, don't grapple.

Kennedy, DON'T BE A FOOL!! Who's going to pay for their bad advice? I'll tell you who: YOU! Children will point, women will giggle, all so these guys could feel macho at your expense. Don't you see, these guys are laughing at you, laughing, I say! You'll be the joke of your neighborhood with those funny growths on the sides of your head. Beware!

Luckily I have soft cartilage in my ears so I've never worn them. Majority of Jiujitsu players dont. Some are used to it if you have wrestling backgrounds and what not.

Who wouldnt want to look like a seal? You get VIP treatment in some parts of Europe.(So I've heard.)

Thanks for the advice folks. I will think about it, our school is not going to place the order for awhile anyway.
take care,
Brian

Kenneth, not everybody thinks cauliflower ears look bad. I 'm proud of my ears, they are a badge of courage.

Hmmm, I get the feeling someone around here has sensitive - er, ears.

It also looks like a piece of playdo that someone threw away.

I must have the wrong type of ears then - I got swollen ears early from boxing. Had them drained every time as Tim recommends, and indeed I did escape the full cauliflower look - they ended up just harder and thicker...but they definately don't look like normal ears! and now every time I get smacked in the ear or get my head caught & suffer serious friction - one of the bastards swells up again. I'd say if this is you - put up with the jibes and wear the ear guards - or just tape them down like a rugby player.

Oh yeah and Badge of courage? I always saw them as a badge of getting hit in the side of the head a lot.

and chicks dig them? not encountered that reaction yet

and star treatment in parts of Europe? - I am in Europe and the only reaction I get is Barbers going "what the •••• happened to your ears?" - as they try to bend them over to cut around, and they dont move!

To be totally honest, I don't think my ears hurt my chances with the girls. I'm pretty ugly anyway so my ears didn't make a difference. I always had to rely on my charming personality. However, if your a pretty boy and would like to model for gay-boy magazine one day, go ahead and wear headgear.

I wrestled in Iowa for 6 years. Headgear in practice was not required or used and I don't recall any injuries. However, if we did a full match in practice, and in all matches with other teams, headgear was mandatory. I would ignore the guys that say it's wussy. They're idiots and likely will be working for you someday anyway. Do what you think is best. If you're not landing on the mat hard, it's likely not a problem.

Some people do wear headgear, but I don't wear it when I grapple.. I did once and someone used the part that wraps around the neck to choke me.. It wasn't all that fun. I don't like mouthpieces either, they make it kind of difficult to breathe at first, so I think I'll wait till my braces are off to get them.. Hopefully no one will break my teeth before then.

Dude...I was a wrestler in gradeschool,Juniorhigh, Highschool and never got the ears...Ive been doing JiuJitsu for about four years and just last Month, a freak accident happened and BAM the goes that good luck streak
Now I where headgear after I got my ears fixed and treated.....The head gear wil help you not put your head where it doesnt belong

Im in wrestling and I usually wear headgear, but for some reason i hadnt been wearing it...and what happens?..Cualiflower ear!...Well district is coming up and i dont wanna blow the rest of the season cuz i got it and have to wait till it heals..so I wanted to know from somone whos had it how long it takes to heal if i go to the doctor to get it drained?

i need to get an ear drained but how long roughly have i got until i HAVE to get it drained?

Jimmy,

It's a good idea to get it drained as soon as you can.

Update.

About 6 months ago my right ear ballooned full of fluid and I had it drained twice at the academy. tried using headgear and really didnt like it, so now I'm more careful while training and havent had a problem since.

Drain it asap and keep pressure on it.