In the sport of boxing, protecting your head while also maximizing your field of view is one of the most important equipment choices you’ll make. Read on to find out more about this headgear and which one might be a good choice for you.
What are the top 7 best pieces of boxing headgear for vision? Here are the best seven pieces of boxing headgear to support peripheral vision during a match:
- Title Boxing Amateur Competition Headgear
- Title Boxing Classic USA Competition Headgear (Open Face)
- Fighting Sports Boxing Competition Headgear (Open Face)
- Title Boxing Aerovent USA Boxing Competition Headgear (Open Face)
- Ringside Competition Boxing Headgear (Without Cheeks)
- Century Brave Open Face Headgear
- Twins Special Headgear Head Guard
Choosing a Piece of Boxing Headgear for Vision
When choosing a piece of boxing headgear, most boxers are going to narrow their purchases down into two major categories:
- Closed face headgear
- Open face headgear
The biggest difference between these two designs in martial arts protection is that closed face headgear features more padding around the cheeks, chin, and mouth, while open face headgear focuses protection on the skull and the sides of the head and leaves the front of the headgear as open as possible.
Whether a boxer chooses closed face or open face headgear largely depends on their individual strategy as a boxer. Open face headgear is the best choice for good vision during a boxing match, and vision is vital.
Open-Faced Helmets are the Best Boxing Headgear for Vision
When you’re looking for superior vision during a boxing match, you can’t really beat the peripheral range you get with an open face helmet design. While these helmets do require a bit of faster footwork to keep your face safe from your opponent’s strikes, they make up for this by giving the boxer increased perception that allows him to counter his foe more easily.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before Choosing a Headgear
Regardless of whether you ultimately purchase a closed face or open face helmet design, there are several questions to ask yourself in order to determine what helmet would be the best choice for you. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- How often am I taking hits? Those boxers who find themselves taking a lot of shots to the face already might not be willing to part with cheek guards or other facial protection, while those who are confident in their ability to backpedal and dodge might be comfortable with less padding.
- Do I need a headgear that is competition approved? Some headgear that is on offer is approved to meet competition regulations for US Boxing and to meet the standards of other major boxing leagues. Other helmets are not regulated and are only suitable for sparring and practice.
- What size is my head? If you’re planning on purchasing a piece of boxing headgear off the Internet rather than in a store, it can still be worth it to go into a sporting goods store and try on several different pieces of boxing headgear to get an idea of what your general head size is. This can make it easier for you to get a more accurate online fit.
- How much am I willing to spend? Martial arts gear varies pretty widely with regards to cost and you don’t want to overspend on any one piece of gear since you’ll have to buy several, but you also don’t want to shortchange yourself and end up with a shoddy piece of equipment that will only have to be replaced soon after purchase anyway.
- Do I want to try it on first? If you’re not willing to purchase a piece of headgear without trying it on first, you’ll be limited to selecting a helmet from a physical sporting goods store, which will severely limit your selection in comparison to online shopping.
- What kind of warranty/return policy do I want? Physical stores are easier to return defective gear to in most cases but don’t have as much selection as digital storefronts. Many aggregate markets such as eBay and Amazon also have individual vendors with their own return policies, so read the fine print carefully before purchasing anything.
#1 Title Boxing Amateur Competition Headgear
TITLE is a boxing club that started in 2008 and now spans over a hundred and sixty locations in twenty-two Americans states as well as locations in two other countries. Over the years, they have developed a line of solid boxing gear that is designed for both newcomers to the sport and veterans alike.
This open-faced piece of headgear is approved by USA boxing regulations and is designed specifically for amateur-level competitions. This makes it a good option for young boxers and those who are early in the process of getting involved with the sport. You can see it on Amazon.com.
What We Like
- Snug fit: This helmet fits well and isn’t prone to sliding around on the boxer’s head and potentially obscuring their vision or distracting them in a fight.
- Professional standards: This headgear comes with a USA Boxing seal of approval. This makes it a good choice for amateurs who are becoming competitive.
- Good cushioning: Lots of cushioning in critical places protects the boxer from heavy impacts to the skull and face. This is important for preventing both acute and cumulative head injuries potentially caused by a boxing match.
- Support the sport: Title donates a portion of every sale to advancing the sport of amateur boxing and is a good choice for the philanthropist boxer who wants to help youngsters get in the ring early.
#2 Title Boxing Classic Competition Headgear (Open Face)
This is another headgear offering from Title Boxing, and rather than a piece of headgear aimed at amateurs. This is the classic version of the design, suitable for both novices to the sport as well as more advanced boxers. You can check the price on Amazon.com.
Like Title’s other piece of headgear in this list, this Classic Competition model is USA Boxing approved, and buying Title equipment helps to support the advancement of amateur boxing as a sport, allowing boxers to give back to the community and build up the younger generation.
What We Like
- Layered protection: This headgear features both high density and low-density layers of padding that help buffer shock absorption and prevent injury, as well as cumulative impact damage such as concussions.
- Ear air channels: This helmet incorporates ear air side channels that provide protection to the ears without adding more bulk to the headgear’s design.
- Good selection: There are a variety of colors and sizes to choose from, allowing the boxer to color coordinate his gear across different brands.
#3 Fighting Sports Boxing Competition Headgear (Open Face)
Like Title, Fighting Sports offers a wide variety of boxing gear that includes both closed face and open face pieces of headgear. This open face helmet has a sturdy leather design and features four layers of safety foam for maximum protection. Check the availability on Amazon.com.
What We Like
- Durable build: This helmet features high-quality construction materials that give it longevity and decrease the effects of everyday wear and tear if used during sparring rather than just in competition settings.
- Comfortable fit: This helmet has a lacing system that allows the user to manipulate it at the top, rear, and chin for customized comfort.
What We Don’t Like
- Runs small: Some people might find this helmet too tight for comfort if they don’t order up a size when determining which helmet to buy.
- Needs more Velcro: This helmet can be difficult to keep secure for some boxers, even with the lacing system.
#4 Title Boxing Aerovent USA Boxing Competition Headgear (Open Face)
Title Boxing might be showing up a lot on this list, but it’s due to the fact that this company is good at making solid, economical pieces of boxing gear for a variety of experience levels and is very active in the boxing community.
Another reason is that unlike other brands, Title manufactures a large number of open-faced helmets that allow for unobscured vision. Many boxing helmets have moved to designs that emphasize cheek guards and other face protection, which increase security but decrease visibility. Open-faced helmets like the Aerovent prevent this problem. See this headgear on Amazon.com.
What We Like
- Non-slip lining: The secure lining in this helmet makes sure that it stays in place and doesn’t slip into the boxer’s line of vision even during the most violent of boxing matches and during extended bouts.
- Vented design: The vented design of this headgear helps prevent the build-up of hot air around the boxer’s face, keeping them cooler and drier during a match. This increased comfort can lead to an increase in overall performance.
- Customized fit: Plenty of straps allow individual boxers to adjust this helmet to the proportions of their head for the perfect fit.
#5 Ringside Competition Like Sparring Protection Headgear
Ringside is one of the more well-known boxing brands that offer a variety of quality, competition-grade boxing equipment at economical prices.
Luckily for those boxers invested in enhancing their vision during a match, they also offer an open face variation of their headgear that allows the boxer to remain safe from wild punches while at the same time allowing them to fully see their opponent. You can check the price of this Ringside Headgear on Amazon.com.
What We Like
- Good padding: This piece of headgear features dense, almost hard padding with cushions at the rear and in sensitive areas for maximum protection. This padding both protects the boxer as well as makes the helmet itself more comfortable to wear for extended periods.
- Strong build quality: Everything from the stitching to the leather used for the construction of the helmet is top-notch work. This is a piece of headgear that is designed to last, even through heavy use.
- Soft inner layer: The innermost layer of padding in the helmet is super soft and molds to the boxer’s head and face for the best comfort and fit possible.
- Velcro closure: The addition of Velcro for adjusting the helmet makes it easier to adjust on the fly than those that are adjusted with lacings.
What We Don’t Like
- Runs small: Like the Fighting Sports helmet model, this helmet runs small on many adult male boxers. Consider size carefully when determining whether you should purchase this helmet.
- Not competition approved: This helmet is not approved for USA boxing competitions, so it is suitable only for practice and sparring.
#6 Century Brave Open Face Headgear
Century is a long-standing name in the martial arts community and has been around in competitive fighting since 1976. Century has the distinction of being founded by martial artists themselves. This company has a wide variety of martial arts gear available, including this open face helmet. See this headgear on Amazon.com.
What We Like
- Simple design: The simple open-faced design of this helmet is sleek, and the logo is not ugly or distracting in comparison to some other headgear models.
- Cool aesthetics: The diminishing chevron-esque racing stripes down the sides of this helmet are cool to look at.
- Very open face: This headgear has one of the most open-face designs in this list, making it perfect for boxers who feel like their vision is inhibited by cheek guards and other closed-face headgear designs.
#7 Twins Special Headgear Head Guard
Twins Special bills themselves as a global leader in martial arts equipment and this company does feature a wide array of both well-designed and stylish pieces of gear for many varieties of martial arts, including both kickboxing and traditional boxing.
This comfortable model of open-faced headgear keeps the boxer’s line of sight open while still providing some jawline and chin protection. You can check the availability of this headgear on Amazon.com.
What We Like
- Lightweight design: Despite having plenty of thick padding, this helmet doesn’t feel heavy to wear. This reduces a boxer’s fatigue over a long match. The light weight of the helmet also helps prevent it from slipping down during rigorous movement.
- Good balance of protection and vision: This helmet offers plenty of protection for your face during a match, but not at the expense of your peripheral vision. Since most boxers choose an open face design in order to maximize vision, this is an important purchase point.
What We Don’t Like
- Price point: This piece of headgear can be pretty costly in comparison to some similar models. It’s well worth the cost to protect your head, but for those boxers on a budget, it can be something worth considering.
- Velcro weakness: The Velcro on this model can seem a bit weak and can be difficult to attach unless you really press it down hard.
The Benefits of Open Face Boxing Headgear
Open face design in boxing headgear comes with many benefits for the boxer that chooses to purchase an open-faced helmet. The largest benefit is the increase in your peripheral vision, which is crucial to a boxer for predicting the movements of his opponent.
Being able to accurately predict a boxing opponent’s movements with split-second reaction times is dependent on being able to see what your opponent is doing, and that’s where an open face helmet comes in. Since punches tend to come in at the periphery, being able to keep your peripheral field of vision open allows you to intercept and dodge those incoming attacks.
Not only does having good peripheral vision allow you to dodge incoming attacks, dodging an attack in the ring rather than having to absorb it leaves a boxer open to answering with their own counter-jab since the attacking opponent will have their guard down.
By being able to predict an opponent’s movements and respond accordingly, a good boxer can quickly turn a defensive round into an offensive one.
The Disadvantages of Open Face Boxing Headgear
The largest disadvantage of selecting an open-faced helmet in boxing is that you lose a significant amount of protection in the facial area of the head, and this is the area where a boxer is most likely to sustain an injury in the form of busted teeth, broken noses, and cracked orbitals.
Open face boxing headgear might offer an expanded field of vision, but unless a boxer plans on using this extended field of vision to evade incoming hits, they’ll soon find themselves taking a lot of unprotected punches to the face. On the other hand, being able to see more easily makes these shots easier to avoid in the first place.
Depending on a boxer’s style, they may be more or less willing to be struck in the face while fighting. Some boxers are concerned with cosmetic damage, while others are simply trying to avoid long-lasting injuries that may negatively impact their boxing careers (and their daily lives).
When choosing a piece of open face boxing headgear, it’s important to be aware of how vulnerable your face is during a boxing match and strategize accordingly. Compensating for lack of protection means being lighter on your feet and more willing to duck a punch rather than take it.
Places to Buy Boxing Headgear
No matter what kind of boxing headgear you’re looking to buy, there are tons of different models and brands out there to choose from, and a couple of ways to go about purchasing your headgear.
You can find boxing headgear (the brands featured on this list and many more) from the following sources:
- Local sporting goods stores: Most sporting goods stores, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods or Winning Edge, showcase a variety of boxing gear to choose from, and the benefit of choosing a physical storefront to purchase your boxing gear is that you can try most of it on before committing to a purchase. Returns tend to be simplified as well.
- Online sporting goods websites: Many popular boxing brands, such as Ringside and Title Boxing, have their own company websites where you can purchase sporting goods directly from the dealer. While you don’t have the option to try things on in most cases when you purchase this way, you do know you’re buying from a reputable source.
- Online marketplaces: Large online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay have a wide variety of sporting goods available. The only caveat is that quality control over vendors and their goods can mean you might end up with lower quality or defective products through false advertising and be unable to return it.
- Yard sales and rummage sale: If you don’t mind buying used, yard sales, church rummage sales, and other secondhand venues are a good option for purchasing boxing headgear, especially if you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford the top-shelf stuff. This is also a good option for children’s gear since they will age out of it quickly.
Regardless of where you choose to buy your boxing headgear, there are things to take into consideration before making the purchase. If you’re buying used gear, you’ll want to inspect the gear carefully for defects like torn stitching or damaged straps that may impede your ability to use the helmet correctly.
If buying from an online vendor, be sure to read through all of the product description and user reviews carefully, since it is easy for online vendors to be somewhat evasive about the qualities of their goods, and you don’t want to end up with a knockoff product when you paid for something by a certain brand.
What level of boxing gear you buy depends on your individual needs and where you are in the sport. Are you a boxing mom who is just trying to keep little Timmy’s head screwed on straight while he decides whether boxing is the sport for him? Or are you a serious competitor looking for your next tournament, and you need the equipment to match?
When it comes to protection in boxing, you’re talking about protecting your brain (one of the most important organs in your body) and your face (they don’t call it the money maker for nothing). You don’t want to cheap out on your equipment if you’re putting your own safety at risk in the process.
