When training for combat sports, one of the most important aspects of your training is sparring, especially if you compete professionally. Even if you are neither an amateur nor a professional, sparring is still important to your MMA journey.
Equipment required for combat includes gloves, either 4oz MMA gloves or boxing gloves, muay thai shin guards, and a helmet. Boxing or MMA helmet. It doesn't matter what helmet you wear, but it's important to know that there are helmets made specifically for MMA.
The difference is that you have less padding due to wrestling. The padding is stronger because MMA gloves are smaller. They are usually 4oz - 7oz. Boxing gloves can weigh up to 16 oz.
MMA helmets also have less cheek support, since in boxing it's important to move your head as much as possible. Some mixed martial arts helmets have full face protection and a face cage. Some helmets do not have a chin guard.
Full face coverage protects the chin, cheeks, forehead, temples and nape of the neck. It depends on how advanced you are and what your training goals are. Of course, the more protection you have, the more you can avoid getting hurt or run over. But the more protection you have, the less visibility you have and the less maneuverable you are because the helmet is heavier.
The most popular brands of MMA helmets are Venum, RDx, Fairtex and Eternal. All of these companies make solid headrests. Most of them also produce boxing headgear.
The most important factors when finding an MMA headgear are padding, protection, visibility, and ventilation. Some headbands have mesh to allow ventilation of the headband. This lets air in and keeps your head cool, and also helps the headgear dry after use, preventing odor buildup.
Now that we've covered what to look for in head protection, let's talk about why you should wear head protection. If you accidentally hit your head, it could be a disaster. When people fight, most of the time there are cuts and bleeding very quickly. Many fights suffer from this because then you can't see through your eyes and you need to be covered.
Other unnecessary injuries may occur that won't stop you but won't stop you from being worth your while, such as bruises, cuts, swelling, and dark circles. Now, if you don't compete in cage fighting, it can seem strange to be wearing circles under your eyes.
Wearing a helmet allows you to practice more shots and improve faster because you worry less about getting hit back. However, you still need to strengthen your defenses.
Combat is one of the most important aspects of mixed martial arts training, and wearing armor will give you more life on the move. So if you're serious about MMA, then consider finding some quality headgear and showing it off at your next class.
