What do you guys think about headgear in sparring and amateur boxing? Every time I was sparring I felt like I was committing suicide by putting on headgear. It decreases head movement speed and makes it hard to work on the inside. If you get particularly lucky the headgear will turn on your head and completely block your vision. Happened to me nearly every sparring session at one point or another.
In the gyms you see a lot of guys that become head gear dependent. If they ever plan to turn pro they'll have to learn to fight all over again because don't pay attention to where they stick their head.
headgear is training equipment. if it is a liability (ex. moving around) then it's not being used properly (ex. not fitted correctly). if you're getting grazed on the side of the headgear when you slip, then move a half inch more, or get faster, and be grateful for the head gear so you don't get cauliflower from that grazing shot on the ear. headgear protects against cuts, and for that reason should definitely be used for infighting. headgear will nullify the force a little, but when my head snaps back from a shot, my brain is still bouncing off the front of my skull. that's where the brain damage comes in (plus in the rear near the connection of the brain stem/spine). boxing is not the most dangerous sport in the world. there's many more fatalities in football, cheer leading, rodeo, race car, etc, BUT boxing is one of the few sports where the intention is to do damage to another human being (football/rugby/etc the intention is to get the ball across the line, and damage to the opponent is a result/by product). if you are serious about this sport, and desire any longevity in boxing, please use headgear for open spar.
I feel I take more unnecessary shots while wearing headgear because I can't use my peripheral vision to see hooks or uppercuts even with the tightest of headgear.
If you turn your lefty shoulder into his chest you immediately block the right uppercut and hook. You can see his left hand. Keep your right hand homeboys and Roll to your left away from left hooks
I'm fighting guys a lot shorter than me. Getting down to that level is near impossible without taking a lot of punches on the way in.
Watch Alexis Arguello, watch Sandy Saddler. I was always taller myself. Turned that left shoulder into them, use your right hand. Uppercut. Or grab an elbow or shoulder and turn them
headgear is horrible and once i put it on i always started to panic, it makes me feel claustrophobic and paranoid.
I see what you're saying. I'm not referring to having trouble on the inside against short guys strategy wise, I am referring to not being able to see because the headgear is physically blocking my sight. There is always going to be a spot where I can't see regardless of my orientation.
Hardly anyone wears it in my gym and I don't like to wear it either. It's much harder to defend with headgear and if the other guy isn't wearing it I feel that I'm at disadvantage and I'm just giving him free shots. The main purpose of headgear is to reduce cuts but since I never had problems with that and since I currently don't prepare for any fight, I'm willing to take that risk.
Dusting of this old thread! I'm planning on getting my self a headgear. I'm torn between the open faced and the Mexican style. Could you give your opinion on the two?
I'm a rookie, but I did spend a bunch of time reading, viewing, etc. and came up with this: https://bucketofhenry.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/purchased-my-own-boxing-headgear/
Mexican style might just be a marketing term now to get people to buy stuff. traditional mexican style is no padding in the back (just a flap of leather with laces), big cheek protectors, and high forehead padding, with a smaller eye opening. they can be a bit tricky with vision, but I like them. (note: true Mexican style gloves have more padding in the wrist and less in the knuckle, which is ridiculous for sparring, but every once in a while someone will come in the gym and try to use them. is the headgear for sparring or competition? competition? check with your national governing body for the rules. if they allow cheek protectors, get them. if they don't, then open face. if the headgear is for sparring, I suggest cheek protectors.
Personally, I would forget about open face. Too little protection. The real choice IMO is between Facesaver vs Mexican Style. I'd look at either Winning or UMA. Winning if you don't mind blowing a hole in your wallet. All the pros use Winning and you'll notice the Winning and UMA look very similiar, obviously there's a fairly good reason for that... There are many other companies with a multitude of headgear products out there but it becomes sort of a morass to find out if they are any good. You definitely don't want to buy a piece of **** headgear that moves around, obscures vision or has hard padding and weighs a ton. That's when you get guys like OP saying they'd rather take the headgear off. Which isn't really advisable. This guy is really good at reviewing gear This content is protected This content is protected