What's the pros/cons of the different types of headgear? Are cheapo ones a really bad idea, or not really that different from an expensive model? I'm getting myself one for Christmas, as I've been really
looking forward to doing more handstrike training & sparring (I'm mainly a grappler). But I don't want to give my nephew a broken nose, or get one myself either.
One option is a clear face-shield design, which would have great visibility but I'm guessing might be rather hot, and perhaps not actually bend-resistant enough to stop nose-impact. Something like: http://www.superfoots.com/profligclear.html
Or I could go with a heavier foam + cage design, that would have much poorer visibility, but might be cooler & more protective against boxing gloves, like: http://tinyurl.com/sqy85
Any advice for me? At the moment I'm tending towards the face-cage model, as I'm guessing that 'visibility' might be an overrated concern, because: 1. I'm very shortsighted anyway, so I'm used to not seeing
much. 2. 'precision targetting' maybe doesn't matter so much when you're sitting on foe's chest and 3. IIRC, in a 'real fight' its common to suffer tunnel-vision anyway as part of the bodies' stress response.
I'm very interested to read any of your experiences with headgear, and opinions. I'm not planning on full-strength hammering on each other, but I would like to be able to explore more realistic punch training, during groundfighting and stand-up boxing style.
Thanks,
Charlie