Head protection - which head protection do I need in martial arts?
Head protection is mainly used during training and sparring. It is also mandatory in certain competitions. Even if it may be unfamiliar at first, nobody should have to take more direct hits to the head than necessary.
If you compare boxing with other sports in which head protection is mandatory (such as TeakWonDo), then boxing has at least as much potential for danger. The area of impact is reduced to the upper body and head, whereby blows to the head are more effective and are therefore used more frequently.
These blows lead to micro-traumas, i.e. small injuries that always occur. Head protection is therefore one of the means that helps to reduce concussions (and therefore injuries) to the head.
If a boxer is constantly exposed to blows to the head, there are three main illnesses that boxing is known to cause:
- Emotional blunting
- Dementia
- Parkinson's disease
-
Difference between head guards for kickboxing, boxing and Muay Thai!
Once you have looked at the intended use of head protectors, you should take a look at the exact area of application. Depending on the type of sport, head protection needs different properties that suit the respective sport.
Head protectors for boxing!
Boxing is a punching sport, purely with the hands.
The boxer tries to find a gap and hit the opponent's upper body and face by using footwork and varying the distance. A good head guard is well padded. Depending on personal preference, this can include nose guards or cheekbone protectors. It is important to ensure the highest possible level of protection.
Head protectors for kickboxing!
for competitions, especially in kickboxing, most federations stipulate that it is compulsory to wear head protection, d.h. and that the head protection must not be open at the top of the skull. Furthermore, there must be no chin or cheekbone protection. It does not matter whether your head protection is made of leather or synthetic leather. The Quantum headguard meets the exact criteria of the kickboxing rules and regulations, so you can compete in any tournament.
Head protection for Thai boxing!
Muay Thai is a kickboxing sport in which the opponent may also be held (clinched).
In order not to distort the feeling for the competition too much and at the same time restrict your own clinching behaviour too much, you should make sure you have comfortable, firm and simple head protection. These are the most sophisticated and often most expensive head protectors available.
Advantages of head protection with face guard / visor!
head protection with a face guard, as well as head protection with a visor, are worn to protect the mouth and nose in particular. In most cases, however, these head protectors are used for martial arts where knives, sticks or other weapons are used to the head.
The use of head protectors
When people think of head protectors, they often think of professional boxers. Anyone who has watched training at Team Sauerland or similar knows that training there is never carried out without head protection. If you spend so much of your time doing martial arts, then it is grossly negligent to do without head protection.
If you look at the practice, however, you rarely see inexperienced boxers using head protection. However, this is absolutely bad, especially when you realise that beginners are hit in the head with a large number of punches and find it difficult to defend themselves as they lack the means to do so.
However, even experienced athletes often take hard blows to the head. The frequent neurological failures that boxers are known for are rarely caused by fighting. Continuous, hard sparring without adequate protection is a much more common cause of injuries and problems!
My recommendation is therefore not to do without good head protection under any circumstances, especially as this helps to prevent injuries. The risk of head injuries can be greatly reduced in this way and you should not forgo this option in order to save money. Good clubs are therefore also characterised by the fact that new boxers have the opportunity to borrow a head protector for boxing.
Does the head guard help?
Now I would like to discuss the actual protective effect of the headguard. Because you need to understand a few basic things. Let's assume you are hit in the same situation, once with and once without head protection. Then the one without head protection is the more dangerous.
However, one problem that head protection brings with it is a false sense of security. Boxers with head protection take higher risks because they have a false sense of being protected. However, head protectors are not a panacea. Boxers should try to block the majority of punches or move away with targeted footwork and avoid punches.
At the same time, sparring should not always be carried out with full force. Regardless of the fact that it puts a lot of strain on the body, it is helpful to stay relaxed. After all, being relaxed is one of the prerequisites for trying out new things and making progress in terms of your own level.
What needs to be considered?
Head protectors are available in every conceivable type and design. Choosing the right head protector depends on both the features and individual preferences. Basically, however, a good head protector can be differentiated according to the following criteria:
The size and fit
Size plays a decisive role in head protectors in particular. As the entire face is covered during a phase of intense tension, it is important that you have a sufficient and firm fit, but do not feel pressurised or constricted. You should also ask yourself what type of person you are:
The type of infighter who imposes himself on his opponent may not have as big a problem with being constricted and wearing full coverage head protection as a distance fighter whose boxing style consists of moving away from his opponent and hitting him from a distance with safe, long punches.
Protective surface
The different head protectors are now available in a wide range of variations. These protect the face to varying degrees. Basically, you have to bear in mind that if you want more of one, you have to do without something else. If you want more protection, you have to sacrifice your own vision.
As a beginner in particular, you may want to protect yourself as much as possible because you still lack adequate cover. In this case, you should bear in mind that this means you will have to sacrifice good vision to a large extent!
Material and quality
There are the same quality guidelines for head protectors as for boxing gloves. Ideally, the head protection should be made of genuine leather and have a high-quality finish. Products from China are often of inferior quality. However, goods from Thailand are surprisingly high quality due to the long Thai tradition.
Some good head protectors have a soft, non-smooth material on the inside, which ensures that the head protection does not slip. Anyone who has ever worn a bad headguard knows the problem of a headguard that shifts with every punch!
Boxing experts often rave about the best quality head protectors made in Mexico. In Germany, however, there is (currently) no market for them and, given the prices, it is not worth paying the extra for the very high quality protectors available here.
The upholstery
This is one of the most important aspects of head protectors. Especially in the age of online shopping, the protectors are all similar. But they differ in the actual reason for buying them, namely the protective effect. Really good head protectors have good cushioning and absorb a large part of the impact. However, many cheap head protectors do not do this.
In our branches in St. Gallen and Bern, you can try on any head protection so that you can choose the right one for you.
Our personal recommendation:
Olympic boxing:
Leone1947 Head protection contest
.
Kickboxing:
Leone147 Headguard Black Edition
Thai Boxing:
Leone1947 Headguard Combat
Note: The images shown may be stock photos or AI-generated illustrations and are for visual purposes only. They do not necessarily depict the actual product offered or real-world applications. Only the respective product description and the provided product information are authoritative.
Comments (0)