3 Best Youth Wrestling Headgears

qualities of best youth wrestling headgears

Wrestling is a quite popular sport in high school and college and it is quite dangerous. Youngsters need to have the best youth wrestling headgears to protect their heads from concussions and any other injury.best kids wrestling headgear reviews

Your ears are susceptible to many injury types including cauliflower ear and the ears can look quite awkward with a simple injury. And young guys also care about their looks as well, right? So in this list, I gathered quite awesome headgears, which can be found in almost any college, high school wrestling tournaments.

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  1. Cliff Keen Youth F5 (Best Choice for Youth!)
  2. Cliff Keen Youth Signature Headgear (YE58)
  3. Asics Youth Gel Guard
  4. Final Thoughts

1. Cliff Keen Youth F5 Tornado Headgear


review of kids wrestling headgear Protection: 9.4 / 10.0

Stability: 10.0 / 10.0

Materials (Durability): 9.2 / 10.0

Cost Efficiency: 9.0 / 10.0

Product: Cliff Keen Youth F5 

Exclusive Features

  • Durable materials
  • Made exclusively for children
  • Stays quite stable
  • Durable straps
  • Popular!

Cliff Keen made this headgear for young guys and it has five straps.

It has a hard shell and it is quite sturdy. It can last more than three years without too much deformation. The material is quite hard and thanks to the solid straps it stays in the place without moving during the training. It is exactly what you want from a proper wrestling headgear during a session.

Guys, there is honestly a few brands which produce wrestling headgears exclusively for kids and according to my research, this is the only good one which has a hard shell. Awesome thing is that it also has a lot of holes and it lets you hear the interval timer‘s buzzer clearly during a match in the gym or your trainer’s instructions. Obviously, these holes also let air in and out constantly. When this is the case your ear is protected and children’s ears will be less sweaty during the time on the wrestling mats.

As you can see even though the ear protection part is bulky its design is quite ergonomic and it is not too wide. Thanks to that, it has a lightweight. The hard shell will stay at the same place even during a takedown. The straps have a little elasticity and this is actually what is preferred for headgears which have hard shells, for sturdiness.

Size: If your head’s circumference is between 18 and 21.5 inch, it fits just well. You can also adjust the straps for a more stable fit.

The cool thing is that you know that the headgear is good for at least one year as Cliff Keen Youth F5 comes with one year warranty.

Also, wrestling headgears for youth are not expensive gears and this one is no exception even though it is the most quality one!

Guys, this headgear really does not have any drawback and I highly suggest you consider Cliff Keen Youth F5. This headgear’s color will not fade for a long time. If you are interested, check it out the other colors on here.

Cleaning of this headgear is quite easy with antibacterial wipes as it does not affect the material badly.

2. Cliff Keen Youth Signature Headgear (YE58)


Protection: 8.7 / 10.0

Stability: 8.9 / 10.0

Materials (Durability): 8.5 / 10.0

Cost Efficiency: 9.0 / 10.0

Exclusive Features

  • Soft foam
  • Durable straps
  • Fully adjustable
  • Trustworthy brand

This headgear is quite ergonomic even though it has a shell which is filled with quality foam. It provides solid protection for your ears and the soft tissue around it. It is definitely a huge plus if you complain about soft tissue injuries, rashes in this area. So even you got hit in that area (as you know, it is allowed to hit in some circumstances or accidents may happen) this soft foam is basically quite good at absorbing the shock and will surely protect this area. As you can guess that concussions are less likely to occur with this protection type.

The straps are adjustable and it has also a chin strap for better adjustment. Thanks to these, it can get adjusted according to any head.

Relatively bigger holes let more air in and out. Also, the softer shell is relatively better for wicking the moisture. I can say that Cliff Keen Youth Signature is the most comfortable headgear for kids.

It has five straps at classic locations. There are two at the back of the head, one at the chin, one at the forehead and one on the upper side. These are hard and don’t stretch a lot. Thus these minimize the risk of moving.

One thing is to note that even though the straps are quite solid these are a bit harder than usual. So it can be rough on your skin and cause a bit redness.

3. Asics Youth Gel Guard


Protection: 9.1 / 10.0

Stability: 9.0 / 10.0

Materials (Durability): 8.2 / 10.0

Cost Efficiency: 8.3 / 10.0

Exclusive Features

  • Soft and hard shell
  • Adjustable straps
  • Holes for hearing
  • It is also suitable very young guys!

This ear guard has soft ear compartment and it also has a relatively harder shell as well. The cleaning it can be tricky as the hard shell, which is the outer part, and cushion need a different type of cleaning but this design is quite good for protection, hearing, and comfort. First of all, the harder shell can protect you better than softer shells. And it has a cushion for skin irritation etc. So even though it is not a classic hard shell still it is a bit harder than soft shells so you get the best of two worlds in a way.

However, because of this truly awesome quality, there is a drawback. The straps have more deformation when your opponent throws you around on the mats and this lowers the durability of this wrestling headgear. So durability is a bit lower than you expect.

There are smaller holes but these are enough for hearing what is going on.

The straps are also adjustable and you can even adjust Asics Youth Gel Guard for 4-year-olds.

Final Thoughts

These headgears are preferred for matches and they are perfect for classes, which many young people buy them for, as well. These have qualities like ear protection, skin protection, hearing which make them suitable and safe for these training sessions.

So these can be used all the time including while your trainers are speaking, giving instructions on movements and defensive wrestling techniques.  Also, the inner materials are soft and can accommodate youngsters well. These are basically crafted for young guys’ head as well and even the headgear, which has the most basic design, can surely prevent cauliflower ear. As a final note, there is no reason to break the bank for a good youth wrestling headgear.

If you decided which wrestling headgear to buy, go on and read the best youth wrestling shoes to complete the gears for the college tournament!

If you have questions about any of these decent youth wrestling headgears or want to get more information for the safety of another wrestling headgear for kids just have a comment below and I will get back to you shortly!

Image Courtesy of Jeremy Polanski, MARINES via Creative Commons License, Some Rights Reserved
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2 thoughts on “3 Best Youth Wrestling Headgears”

  1. It is very interesting to see the different kind of ear guards that can be used. It is not only the safety aspect that is important but how it looks. If it is hip wear it, if not don’t. My question is, how long would a head protector last, as children costly grow?

    1. There are certainly different types. Some may suit a child better than the other. Obviously knowing what she/he needs is the most important thing.

      That depends on the material and design but the wrestling headgears on this list last at least a year even a kid participates in a lot of matches.

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