How To Choose Headguard?

Headguards in Muay Thai, Mma, boxing and other contact sports. Are they really necessary? Why don't professionals wear protective helmets during fights? Let's try to find out.

Anyone who has ever taken a blow to the head knows that protection during training is very important. In contact sports, such as martial arts, it becomes even more important. Strong blows can accumulate and can have an extremely detrimental effect on brain function after several years of training. Every fan probably knows the cases of Mark Coleman or Magomed Abdusalamov. In addition, the largest MMA Federations in the world, such as UFC and Bellator, strongly promote and help develop medical brain research programmes designed to improve training and minimise the risk of health loss during sparring and fighting.

However, the first step starts with the gym and selecting the right protection and helmets. Today we're going to look at the subject of head protection and which boxing helmet you should choose.

This choice, contrary to popular belief, is not an easy one. A number of factors that an ideal helmet should meet makes the task of making a helmet a daunting one, as it should at least enhance the fighter's safety and cause as little discomfort as possible during training.

How do you choose a headguard?

So what is the guideline to choose a headguard for contact sports? 

Let's start with the price. A good headguard for athletes who are just starting their journey can be found from 50 USD. It will do its job perfectly. Prices for professional helmet with increased demands for the fighter starts from 100 USD, but it's not a high price for reliable and quality equipment, which will save your health and will serve for a long time faithfully.

Discipline you are practicing

A headguard should be chosen for the discipline it is meant for.

When you take up traditional boxing or Thai boxing, which are purely impact sports, you expose yourself to a high frequency of blows to the head. In this case, you need a well-fitting, fairly thick helmet that will cushion the impact gently.

Slightly different is the case for MMA headguards - a sport where the blows tend to be much lower than in the aforementioned disciplines. Therefore the main features become comfort and good fit of the helmet to the head that will not interfere during sparring or freestyle wrestling training. A MMA headguard should be lightweight - and that is what manufacturers often achieve through lightweight construction. It does not have to be very bulky. The main thing is to protect sensitive parts of the head (cheeks, chin, forehead). The back part can remain more open.

Headguard Structure 

The inner layer, i.e. the material responsible for shock absorption, is designed to absorb shocks so that they are not felt with full force, thereby protecting your head from injury. The most common fillers are such as:

• gel;
• foam;

several layers using different technologies.

We advise you to choose gel and multi-layer fillers as they protect your head better than foam or single fillers.

Quality of vision 

The visibility level needed and adjustability is a must for any helmet. It has to have large enough eye openings to ensure a flawless view, but the protective features must not be compromised by visibility. The helmet's primary function, to protect the competitor's eyes, cheeks and nose.

Naturally, a perfect design is difficult to achieve, but quality protection should be comfortable for the wearer while in use

Fastening system

An important feature of any helmet is how it attaches to the head. This may be by means of Velcro, laces and/or clasps. During wear, the protection must not slip or move around.

Each person has individual proportions and head sizes, but helmets are manufactured as a universal fit for a particular head volume. We strongly recommend that you try the helmet on before you buy, paying particular attention to the fit to your head size.

Hygiene and comfort

Even the safest helmet is useless if it is not properly ventilated and comfortable for the wearer's head. The wrong size can cause tremendous disturbance during use, as you are constantly exposed to external influences. If the helmet itself chafes, presses or makes you uncomfortable, over the course of even one training sparring session, all the negatives will be multiplied.

In addition to proper ventilation panels, a good helmet should have liners that are comfortable for you to absorb the athlete's sweat. Once again, the ventilation and moisture-absorbing pads must be just right for you. Be sure to confirm this before you make your purchase.

A headguard for boxing and Muay Thai in SUPER EXPORT SHOP

A headguard  for boxing and other types of martial arts can be purchased in SUPER EXPORT SHOP. For your convenience, SUPER EXPORT SHOP offers the ability to filter products by price and manufacturer to find the right fit. In addition to jaw protectors, you can also buy helmets, shinguards, boxing gloves and other protective gear from our online shop.

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