your trainer is not informed and i doubt he wrestled for any length of time.
headgear is specifically suited to protect your ears. however, you do NEED to adjust it to fit your head correctly.
i wore headgear religiously for 10 years of competitive wrestling and i have zero cauliflower. (ok i have some but it's from bjj)
i recommend getting some CK headgear. it's simple and effective. this was the only kind i liked while wrestling.
also, if a wrestler has cauli, it's because he practiced without headgear or competed freestyle/greco and opted not to wear it. headgear does NOT cause cauli.
Personal fav, may be biased because I used to wrestle but never slides off of the ears and will keep them protected. Also won’t injure your training partners
Permanent cauliflower can come from 24 hours on due to the hematoma, go as soon as you can, and wear your ear muffs (Cliff Keen E58 Headgear https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M8P2TS/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_GW9GJVYBDH6A6P7T4H1H, these are great, especially if you buy the chin strap attachment). Your ears are shaped the way they are to better focus sound, take care of them.
Bodyprox Protective Knee Pads, Thick Sponge Anti-Slip, Collision Avoidance Knee Sleeve https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L379FPE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_T9KG530TPXRMRY5GPXJM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I use these for jam skating. They’re super cheap, slim/discreet, comfortable, and cute.
I just ordered these CK's since a rolling mate also wears it and they seem to be working fine for him. I will try out your suggestion if the CK's don't work out.
I also had previously got these but they kept falling off during training and my ear infection worsened after those rolls.
I think it depends on your ears. I'm a hobbyist and had it one year in. Some of my training partners trained way longer and their ears are fine. Luckily, my coaches had a draining kit and drained it for me. I wore this headgear for a bit after. If I feel my ears getting sore again, I'll wear it again.
I'd rather get called a pussy and save my ears and be able to wear earbuds.
If you want to cheap out, you can buy knee pads that aren't specifically for paintball on Amazon for cheaper than any pair of paintball knee pads. I play the snake and am diving constantly, and this pair of knee pads I bought have done just as good as a job as any paintball specific knee pad I've had (GI, Empire). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01L379FOA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
As for elbow pads, you'd have to look at paintball specific ones as far as I know. Most people like Exalt and PE elbow pads.
Not as important the first day, but afterward I highly recommend a good pair of knee pads. These are the type I use. http://www.amazon.com/ASICS-ZD360-Super-Sleeve/dp/B005ACKNAK/ref=pd_sim_200_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=14QGB2D94H009RS4M423&dpSrc=sims&dpST=_AC_UL200_SR118%2C200_
This is what I use. It's low-profile, soft, comfortable, stays in place fairly well, and you can throw it in the washing machine.
I also wear knee pads under my scrubs. These are very comfortable, easy to slip on/off, and safe to throw in the wash/dryer. Some of my coworkers were surprised when I mentioned wearing knee pads, so they're low-profile. It also helps to not wear skin tight scrub pants to keep them discrete! That said, please do not be ashamed of wanting to keep your joints healthy and pain-free.
When I wrestled, guys would wear a face mask that attached to their headgear whenever they had a cut on their face or a broken nose. It was very uncomfortable, so I probably wouldn't want to wear it day in and day out, but it's a possibility for you if all else fails.
It will help you not get cauliflower ear unless your head gets slammed against a mat or hit by a knee. It will primarily provide protection against your ears getting ground/rolled up while rolling.
If you already have cauliflower ear and need something to prevent it from getting worse/stopping healing the scrum cap won't be as useful since you need to really protect your ears. I recommend wrestling head gear with plastic covers. This worked nice for me:
Cliff Keen Wrestling-Protective-Headgear Cliff Keen F5 Tornado Headgear https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KEFWUE/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_TQYE3WPK4G9DJF66MWAT
Get whatever wrestling headgear you like. People like different things, but these are incredibly common in high school and college wrestling.
These have worked great for me. I wear them under my Bauer Knee pads with Vaughn Pads. Without these my knees get sore after lots of dropping to butterfly. With these I haven't had any issues. I play 3 to 5 times a week.
Pretty cheap. I've had them over a year and have noticed they are not as soft as new but still do a great job of removing knee pain. I'll probably replace them in a while but even with over a year of use and some wear they are still doing the job.
Cliff Keen classics work the best and are soft for your partner https://www.amazon.com/Cliff-Keen-E58-Headgear-Color/dp/B001GKZSSM/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=2HFQWKMROLURM&keywords=cliff+keen+classic&qid=1648959915&sprefix=cliff+keen+class%2Caps%2C136&sr=8-4
This isn’t the one you’re looking for, but I use this one and it’s awesome. It’s soft yet durable and easy to size.
Volleyball knee pads- soft, padded knee pads that I slide/rotate so the padded area sits over the inside of my knee caps.
They are unnoticeable to wear, provide some cushioning to my old knees and give you a little bit of protection against pucks that make their way onto your knee.
They aren't an equal replacement for proper goalie knee pads but I can never get used to the big bulky knee pads and the volleyball pads help my knees.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L379FPE/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_03CZH60JYZ085AV62KAQ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 via @amazon
Hey that looks like a great product, because you can't loose one of the magnets. My caulibuds are separate, so is easy for one of them to fall off without noticing and then you spend an hour trying to find it.
I agree with the insulin needles, the smaller the better honestly. It is some terrible pain lol. I have never got more than 1ml out so all that info lines up with my experience.
I have used many different ear guards and these ones have been the best for BJJ. I would recommend them.
Hope you are able to manage it okay. Definitely sucks being someone prone to it.
I use wrestling headgear since I move around too much at night. The ear guards form a nice dome over the ear :)
I use Matman headgear when my ears start bothering me and it works very well. You can buy it off of Amazon here
I rolled with the standard style headgear. I went without chin guard/cup, but a lot of guys swore by the chinstrap version. For me, the chinstrap was a distraction and would need to be screwed with throughout the match. The chin thing would always end up off of my chin and then the whole headgear is loose and causes major distractions.
As for getting it properly adjusted, getting the headgear over your ears properly is pretty easy to do and easy to test (punch yourself in the ear, if it hurts, you did it wrong). The hard part is finding the balance between the headgear being tight on your head at all three straps without it choking you or causing you to struggle to snap your chinstrap. You want to tighten it up until your partner can't get their fingers under the earguard or straps. It should feel uncomfortable at first ... like a weak toddler put you in a headlock, but once you get rolling you'll stop feeling it. Issues happen when your headgear can slide around on your head, so the tighter the better.
You'll be fine. I got some squishy generic ones that worked just fine until i bought a set of real pads. Something is better than nothing. I think the more purpose designed pads will do a better job protecting from injury.
People don't care to wear their ear guards; your ears are shaped the way they are to focus sound, take care of them. These are great Cliff Keen Two-Tone Signature Wrestling Headgear - COLOR: Black/Black (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M8P2TS/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_JA7V7DN07295CYV3DXA5) especially if you buy the chin strap
no one cares if you wear headgear. i would recommend Cliff Keen. those are my favorite.
Chin length here - I started using a durag cap with a soft matman ear protection headgear. Black on black, works pretty well to keep it maintained and safe. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006SBMZ9Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_7Q0W72ATTY7SZSP07Z2N
that is how it starts.
I wear this headgear for a week or so when my ears start to get sore
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KEFWUE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1