Will Jiu-Jitsu Give me Cauliflower Ear?

For anyone who has watched MMA or seen pro Jiu-Jitsu competitors, you have inevitably seen people that have ears that look like, well, a cauliflower.  And since you are reading this article now, you have either started or have considered starting jiu-jitsu.  One question that may be holding you back though is “will jiu-jitsu give me cauliflower ear?”

It’s a reasonable question.  Some people wear it as a mark of effort and pride in their practice.  Understandably though, not everyone wants to walk around looking like a professional fighter.

To give you one easy answer, jiu-jitsu certainly CAN give you cauliflower ear.  So if you’re between jiu-jitsu and dance class and you are highly concerned about cauliflower ear, then maybe you should go with the latter.

That being said though, I know a large number of high level black belts who’s ears look untouched and a number of white belts who are already starting to build up some knots in their ear.

So why is that?  Why do some get it while others don’t?  How can you prevent it if you do want to start jiu-jitsu?  In this article, we will answer all of these questions and more!

 

What is Cauliflower Ear?

Before diving into the nitty gritty, lets start with some basics.  According to the Cleveland Clinic “The term “cauliflower ear” refers to a deformity of your ear that’s caused by blunt force trauma”.  You may be thinking that means strikes, but that isn’t necessarily the case.  We will cover more around that below.

Your ear is made up of cartilage with skin around it and a membrane between them.  The “trauma” occurs when the skin gets separated from the cartilage.  When that happens, cartilage fluid will fill that space.  And as it does, your ear will swell, giving it a lumpy appearance, much like the one seen in the picture above.

 

What Causes Cauliflower Ear?

As defined above, cauliflower ear is caused by “blunt force trauma”.  While one may be thinking that it involves strikes to the ear, that is not correct as it relates to jiu-jitsu.

If we take a look at professional boxers, their ears actually look pretty darn good compared to professional jiu-jitsu practitioners. So it doesn’t seem to be actual striking impact that causes it most severely.

What seems to cause cauliflower ear more than strikes is the rubbing and folding of ears, particularly under pressure.  As mentioned above, this rubbing causes the skin to separate from the cartilage, which causes it to fill with fluid.

Since you can find your head and face trapped in tight positions in jiu-jitsu frequently, that “trauma” can certainly occur.

 

What Are The Positions That Can Cause Cauliflower Ear?

The bad news is that quite a few positions that can cause cauliflower ear. The good news however is that you will be able to feel if your ears are under direct pressure and stress.  From there, one can learn ways to get out of the positions properly without getting ears rubbed on.

While this isn’t a comprehensive list, it is a good starting point to learn to avoid getting your ears rubbed on.

 

The Triangle

 

This position and submission is brutal.  For me personally, it is my least favorite place to be in jiu-jitsu.

And it’s no wonder.  You are incredibly compromised on your arm, head, and neck, and all of those parts are fighting against the strongest part of your opponents body, their legs. And with one arm completely trapped an unable to help, you have to get incredibly good with your defense.

What makes this an incredibly compromising position for your ears is the fact that your opponents legs are wrapped and secured around your head.  If your opponent is stubborn, they can squeeze their legs as you try to escape which can be pretty rough on your entire face.  So trying to escape this position by pulling your head out is a definite no-no.

So learn this position and learn how to defend appropriately.  Your ears will thank you.

 

The Arm Triangle

This position actually has your head and arm (hence this also being called the “head and arm choke”) in the same position as the regular triangle.  This position though uses the arms rather than legs to complete the submission.

While not nearly as brutal as a regular triangle, this position is still not a fun one to be in.  And depending on where your opponent is positioned on you and how stubborn they are, your escape can give you some vegetables for ears if you’re not careful.

 

Kesa Gatame (AKA, The Scarf Hold)

 

If you couldn’t tell by now, these are all terrible places to be in jiu-jitsu.  The Kesa Gatame is no different.

This position once again has your head and arm trapped in a slightly different position.  And once again, if your opponent is stubborn and you try to escape out of the back, they can tighten their grip and rub your face and ears in the process.

 

Other Positions and Maneuvers That Can Cause Cauliflower Ear

While not submission attempts, there are some other positions that you should be aware of regarding cauliflower ear.

The first to be aware of is known as a “cross-face”. This is when your opponent has their forearm under your neck and their shoulder pressing into your face. While sometimes you need to turn into a cross-face to defend, being aware of where your head and ears are as you work your escape will always be wise.

The other one to be aware of isn’t a position.  It’s regarding your offensive and defensive game itself.

When doing double legs, shoulder pressure, or otherwise, pay close attention to how you keep your position. Are you using your forehead or are you using the side of your face, i.e. your ears to keep your opponents in position?  The people who aggressively drive into their opponents with every part of their face are the first to end up with veggie ears.

This also applies to your defense.  Try working away from the pressure rather than aggressively pushing into it.  By moving with the flow of the pressure, you can find ways to escape different positions while saving your ears in the process.

 

How Do I Prevent Cauliflower Ear in Jiu-Jitsu?

We’ve spoken about what cauliflower ear is, how it happens, and some of the positions that can especially cause it.  Now it’s worth jumping into how to actually prevent it.

The positions above can give you cauliflower ear precisely because your head and your ear is trapped against your opponent in some way.  The below will help you to learn what specifically to do in your every day practice to help reduce your chances of getting it.

 

Preventing Cauliflower Ear With Technique

To prevent getting cauliflower ear positionally, do not forcefully push or pull you way into or out of tight positions.  When your head and neck (or ears) are trapped, work to get out of the position by getting your opponent to release/lighten their grip, not by pulling your way out and getting your ears rubbed on in the process.

Let’s use the above positions as an example.  If you are caught in any of them, yanking your head out is certainly an option.  However, that is the option that will help you grow some veggies in place of your ears.

There are a lot of proper ways to escape that don’t cause rubbing, and Knight Jiu-Jitsu covers some great ones for the triangle choke in the below video.

As you can see in the video, he didn’t rub his ears at all in his escapes.  By using proper technique in your practice, you can help to limit and potentially eliminate the chance of getting cauliflower ear.

 

Preventing Cauliflower Ear with Training Partners

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give to anyone new in Jiu-Jitsu is to pick your gym and your partners carefully.  Every gym will have it’s own style and speed, and it’s important to test out a few to figure out what fits what you are looking for.

I wrote an article about Picking a Jiu-Jitsu Gym if you would like to dive into that further.

The reason I bring it up though is that your coach and training partners will have a major impact on your jiu-jitsu experience.  And to relate it to this article, your partners are the ones that can make your practice more or less favorable for your ears.

Some people practice jiu-jitsu to learn a skill and get a workout.  Others do it to compete and win championships.  If you are one of the former and want to keep your ears in tact, then find the gym and partners that won’t rip your head off at every chance they get.

 

Preventing Cauliflower Ear with Headgear

I’ve shown a number of ways to prevent getting cauliflower ear.  And while all of the above are incredibly effective, nothing may be as effective as a good set of headgear.

There’s a reason that all wrestlers wear them and a number of jiu-jitsu practitioners opt to.  Because it’s near impossible to get your ears rubbed on when you are wearing headgear.

So should you be really concerned about cauliflower ear, know there is no better preventative measure than some good headgear.

 

Preventing Cauliflower Ear By Leaving Your Ego at the Door

This one may be hard for some people but it may be the most effective counter-measure on this list.  Obviously you want to perform well in practice and don’t want to get tapped out.

Unfortunately though, you will find yourself in positions that you are trapped but want to fight out.  In those cases, you will want to ask yourself a few questions.

Is it worth me getting my ears rubbed on to get out of this submission?  Is my partner one who will crank this harder or let it off if I start to slip out?

Your ego will say “I’m not getting tapped”.  Your sensible side however will say, “I’m going to reset and work on not finding myself in that position again”.  You will find that these two parts of yourself fight in the exact situations that can give you cauliflower ear.

So, if you want to practice jiu-jitsu and your ears looking nice and untouched, leave your ego at the door.

I Have Cauliflower Ear – How Do I Get Rid Of It?

So now it’s too late.  You’ve been practicing jiu-jitsu and have started getting some buildup in your ears.

Depending on the severity of the buildup and the length of time you waited until doing something about it, there are two typical ways to get rid of cauliflower ear.

 

Drain Your Ears

This will require someone injecting a needle into your ear to literally suck out the buildup.  Doctors are one option.  The other non medical professional that can likely assist is one of your coaches.  This does need to be done relatively quickly after it happens.

Be absolutely sure they follow the below steps.  And if you’ve got the stomach for it, here’s a video of someone getting it done.

1. Make sure everything is STERIL.  Wipe down your ear with Betadine or rubbing alcohol.
2. Get a STERIL needle and syringe. 20 or 23 gauge is best.  25 gauge will likely be too small to suck out the fluid.
3. Insert the needle perpendicular to the skin in the squishy part of the ear.  Remove as much of the fluid as you can.
4. When complete, the skin needs to be held to the cartilage or it will just fill up again. Use magnets or cotton balls and an ace bandage to secure your ear for a few days after.

 

Surgery

This is obviously a bit more intensive.  Hopefully obviously, this is not one I would typically trust a non medical licensed coach with.

This will require a doctor to cut open your ears, remove the cartilage, then stitch the ear back together to give it its shape.  It is highly effective, but they will ask you to stop practicing to not damage your ears further.

So is it effective?  Definitely.  Is it something a practicing Jiu-Jitsu competitor would want to do?  Probably not.

 

Conclusion

A large part of getting or preventing cauliflower ear comes down to how you practice.  If you train hard and fast with tough partners and you force your way out of every position, then you’ll likely find some buildup in your ears.

If you train hard but sensibly and work proper technique while leaving your ego at the door, then you can certainly prevent it.  Just make sure you are choosing your training partners carefully.

If you still want to take extra precaution against getting it, there’s no shame in getting yourself some headgear for additional protection.

 

If I missed anything or you have any additional comments, please send them over in the feedback form below!