Boxing is a contact form of martial arts. Gloves protect hands from injury. A boxing helmet helps to avoid head injuries. It is in this part of the body that the largest number of direct hits can occur, which can cause serious damage to health.
Boxing equipment
In addition to gloves, selected depending on the weight category, and a helmet, which will be discussed below, athletes use special shoes. Laced tight-fitting legs “boxers” are also necessary in the ring. They provide perfect grip on the floor and securely fix the foot in the joint.
For additional protection of hands, special bandages are used. Uniform (T-shirt and shorts) should not tightly fit and constrain movements. To protect the inguinal region in men, a special bandage is used. For women, instead of it, the set of mandatory equipment includes shields (protectors) for the chest area.
To protect the teeth and jaw, a mouth guard is used - a special device made of flexible plastic. Now it is made individually for each athlete, making a cast of teeth. A boxing helmet and a mouth guard help to avoid injuries during sparring from the very first trainings. However, one should not greatly exaggerate their role. The best defense is the skill of a boxer in defense.
Boxing helmet: appointment
Since 1986, this element of equipment must be used in official amateur level competitions. Among the Olympic disciplines, boxing is the most traumatic sport. For professionals, helmets are used quite often during training. For entertainment during boxing performances, boxers neglect this type of protection.
The use of a helmet makes it possible to significantly reduce the force of direct hit in the head, to avoid cuts, painful bruises and abrasions of soft tissues. It's no secret that boxers quite often have concussions or states close to this. Protecting the temples reduces the risk of such consequences.
There are opponents of the use of helmets during competitions. Their main motivation is that such protection does not save from side impacts with large angular acceleration. In addition, their use significantly reduces visibility, inhibits movement, the athlete loses the feeling of a blow.
But in any case, the head will remain whole. A well-matched Adidas boxing helmet will protect your eardrums, cartilage of the auricles, and the back of your head if you fall into the ring during a knockout or knockdown. For children, such an element of equipment is simply a must.
Helmets
There are two types of equipment: training and for performances - competitive (combat). Accordingly, for the preparatory period, it is more advisable to use maximum protection so as not to get an unfortunate injury or dissection even before the decisive battle. So it turns out that the training helmets are more closed. They protect to the maximum.
Competitive equipment is more open. In training, it is not customary to give all the best and put all the energy into the blow. During competitions, the force of impact is greater. Nevertheless, for performances, more open helmets are often used , protecting only the frontal, temporal, occipital areas of the head and ears. This is due to the fact that a good overview is no less important during the fight.
For maximum protection use helmets with a front bumper at the level of the chin. There are designs with transparent glass that completely covers the face, or with a lattice metal mesh. Such a children's boxing helmet, although rather bulky, protrudes much forward, but it has a greater level of protection against side impacts. Such designs are optimally suitable for beginner athletes.
Right choice
It is not enough to have a good helmet from leading manufacturers. It is also important to choose it correctly. It happens that during training or a duel a boxer after each hit corrects his helmet that is poorly held on his head. It is very annoying, distracting and even tiring. In addition, the protective properties of even a good helmet in such cases are reduced due to improper size selection, matching to the shape of the head or poor (insufficient) adjustment of the fasteners.
In addition to the type of construction and size, attention should be paid to the materials from which the boxing helmet is made. Ideal if they are natural. Leather and soft suede work best. It is not only pleasant to the touch, but also “breathes” well, absorbs moisture. However, you should not focus only on the naturalness of materials. Nowadays, there are enough good substitutes that are not much inferior to the skin, and even win in some respects.
Boxing helmet: reviews
What do the experts and parents of the children who came to the boxing sections say about quality? You should not focus only on prices. It is clear that the leading manufacturers keep the brand and do not allow defects in their products. Another thing is that under these firms often produce fake equipment. Just one bright famous emblem is not enough. If the material is clearly coarse, there is a suspicion that it is a simple dermatin, and the paint on it gets your hands dirty even from light friction, then it is better to refuse the purchase right away, even if the price is very comfortable. Most likely, there will be no sense from such a helmet, and the filler inside will be of the same quality.
Another point is the choice of design type. It is difficult to recommend something specific to everyone at once. It is clear that the choice should be approached individually. For a person who came to training with the understanding that a healthy face condition is very important for him tomorrow, choosing a helmet with maximum protection will be the best solution. Another thing is that you should not rely only on equipment, even if it will be perfectly selected from leading manufacturers. They say that the best defense is an attack, but you should not forget about defense tactics. In any case, training with real rivals of approximately the same level, as well as mutual respect in the ring, is important.