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.
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 wear my "nerd gear" whenever I roll (I like my ears and learned the habit from wrestling in HS). I have tried a few types and found that this one rarely presents any problems when rolling. More recommending this type of headgear rather than the brand, but this is the one I own. They stay on well, don't choke me under pressure, and I've never had a rolling partner complain.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006SBMZXU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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.
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.
Second this one. I've been using it for a couple years without any complaints from teammates.
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.
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.
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.
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
I'm definitely the minority but I wear headgear even during drilling if there can be head contact. All it takes is one blow or bad decision by yourself or your partner before your ear blows up. It makes my stomach turn seeing a 3 month white belt with ears like balloons. Those are scars that wont go away.
They have saved me dozens of times because some spazzy partner kneed or elbowed me in the ear.
I use these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M8P2TS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_7qDgFb3JW3YMH. The all black ones are $15 right now. Totally worth the investment.
If you haven't already, watch some of the videos on youtube about how to properly adjust the straps, it should help with the breathing issues. Or you could get a chinstrap extension so that it doesn't hit your throat.
Second the head gear comment, have longish hair and it keeps it out of my face. Stops your ears becoming all weird too.
I got this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006SBMZ9Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My ears were hurting pretty bad so I bought the Grapple Arts soft headgear.
Disclosure: the chin strap broke. According to the reviews, this is common. I re-sewed it with lots of reinforcement stitching and it has held fine since. It doesn't get in the way, isn't hot, and doesn't seem to affect my hearing. My medium-length hair gets caught in the velcro every now and then.
Lately I have developed much better posture, am not getting choked constantly, and thus have found that the ear pain has diminished to the point that I don't need it.
I have 2 x brute quad III's now and 1 x matman ultrasoft.
I like the brute quad III's better but I can't find them for sale at a good price.
Thought I'd try Stephan Kesting's ear guards. They look slim and I trust Stephan - he's pretty thorough in his videos! https://www.amazon.com/Grapplearts-Wrestling-Cauliflower-Construction-Protection/dp/B01DAYR9ZG
Wear headgear when you train so you can avoid wearing it when you compete. I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/Grapplearts-Wrestling-Cauliflower-Construction-Protection/dp/B01DAYRA0U/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1479406882&sr=1-1&keywords=grapplearts+ear+guard
Started having sore ears from triangle drilling about a month ago, and it was painful when I had a haircut (the barber would bend my ear). Since I started wearing this, the pain has gone away.
Edit: the strap broke on this one last night. Don't buy it.