m worried about getting cauliflower ear: how do I avoid it?
^ I’d recommend checking out the Fightworks Podcast interview with a doctor who also has experience in BJJ. On that same site, there was also a post put up about the same topic. See also the article on Grapplearts. Cauliflower ear, to quote from Caleb’s post, is caused “when the ear receives a blow that shears away the ear’s cartilage from its overlying perichondrium. Liquid fills the new space between the two layers, and will harden into a hard fibrous lump if not drained.” So in other words, any kind of heavy trauma to the ear can result in a cauliflower ear: that could be a small number of solid blows (again in that post, Robson Moura mentions that he got cauli after just one incident, so you could be unlucky), or it could be extended damage (such as driving the side of your head into someone else, as might occur when working for position in wrestling). To prevent cauliflower ear, invest in protective equipment, like a headguard or earguards (since September 2008, I’ve used a Brute
