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Pros and Cons of Wearing Headgear
Despite its name, most headgear is actually made to protect the ears and not the entire head, though there are a few brands that do provide more protection against concussion than traditional wrestling headgear.
Repeated rubbing, bruising, hitting of the ears (as is common in wrestling) can cause hematoma in the ears which makes them look puffy, swollen, and bruised. This is more commonly known as cauliflower ear and wearing headgear is the best way to prevent that from happening. For more info on what cauliflower ear looks like, checkout this video.
If you like to read research studies, you can view the definitive research study on wrestling injuries  from the NIH with the NCAA, which analyzed thousands of practices and matches over a period of 16 years.
On the plus side, headgear is effective at preventing cauliflower ear and some headgear is effective at preventing concussions (See headgear likeLDR). These two points cannot be overstated as they can both lead to more serious medical conditions with repeated occurrences.
Another study done with NCAA wrestlers shows that wrestlers who do not wear headgear are nearly 3 times more likely to develop cauliflower ear than those who do wear headgear.
Many would argue these two pros alone more than makeup for any cons which have also been well documented, both in research and anecdotally from surveying wrestlers at all levels, including:
- It’s harder to hear through the headgear
- Ability to hear beeps and instructions given different levels of ambient noise
- Cost is prohibitive
- Few design options
It is worth noting that several research studies have debunked the reported noise issues – citing the overall level of noise in wrestling competitions as the cause for the wrestler’s inability to hear referee whistles or their coach’s voice, not a direct result of the headgear.  Item #4 has been somewhat mitigated by additional styles that have come onto the market, especially for youth wrestling, in the past ten years. #3 is, of course, specific to the wrestler and their family situation. Again, it’s worthwhile to check with your coach or club leader to see if they have gently used headgear that have been passed down from prior team members for use by others. Like shoes, it’s common to leave behind headgear for other younger wrestlers to try before they buy their own. Many clubs have a used-gear bin for this purpose.
Most folkstyle and scholastic events require wrestlers to wear headgear during events, so you’ll likely need to invest in a pair for those activities anyway. It’s highly recommended that you wear headgear during practice as well, since that is where the bulk of your time on the mat is spent.
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