The whole purpose of taking BJJ is to learn how to handle yourself in either sport grappling or a real fight, both of which leave you vulnerable to a guillotine choke. If you can't be guillotined, then you can't do BJJ, period. As far as headgear goes, you aren't taking any strikes to the head in BJJ. Ultimately, if your parents are paying for your BJJ, you will have to listen to them or give it up until you become an adult.

What is the point of this question being so long, the answer is simple..Your parents will not pay for you to do BJJ unless you wear headgear so clearly you have to wear head gear so the rest of the stuff is 100% irrelevant. Head gear will not hurt technique, they will catch and make it harder to escapr so learn to train with the head gear but compete without it.

Best of luck

Been around GJJ all my life, see the odd person train with them but not too often, but never anyone of notable achievement if that helps

Alright... (bottom paragraph has the question, I'd love if you'd read the whole thing though!)

So I'm super serious about BJJ, 18 years old, but still living at home (going to college next year). I compete in the IBJJF in the adults blue belt division and have done extremely well (gold medals, sometimes all submissions). I'm really getting good and developing into a good grappler. I got a nasty case of cauliflower ear and had to get it surgically remove (risk of infection, plus my parents and gf hated it!).

So my parents are paying for BJJ, and I train six times a week. I love this sport, it's my friggin life. It saved my life, and it's all I ever want to do. More importantly, I love competing. I train so hard and have learned so much. I don't want to take any steps backwards, so this is where my question comes up.

My parents said it's either I wear headgear or they're cutting BJJ off. This would ruin my life, there's a very good chance I'd never talk to them for taking away something that has meant more than the world to me. This is how I express myself, it's what saved my life in really bad times.

I have one weakness: guillotines (the two times I've lost came by way of guillotine). My coach and I have been working extensively on guillotine defense. Now, I'm just wondering, if I wore headgear, would it make guillotines harder to slap on or defend? I want the purest form of the match as possible. I don't want it to be that my guillotine or any defenses for that matter decrease because I'm wearing my 'earmuffs'.

I legitimately hate the idea of headgear, and don't hate cauliflower tbh. I figure that it someone doesn't like me because of my ears, it's best I don't know them for how shallow they truly are.

Also, my coach told me he would not appreciate if I wore headgear. I don't like the idea of moving backwards in my training, and would personally rather quit than move backwards because my parents can't stand a little cauliflower. So all I need to know, does headgear hurt technique? If not, why don't you ever see high level guys (IE: Lister, Lovato Jr., Ribero, Garcia, Gracie, Galvao or Braulio) wear them? Could you name some high level dudes who do wear them?

I know this is long, but I'd love some great answers!