I dont think anyone who knows anything at all about what they are talking about thinks any brace of any kind is ever an advantage. I wore a mask once and hated it, never ever talked to anyone that didnt think it was tough as heck to wrestle with one. You get your head stuck everywhere you cant see you cant breath. Common get real, if a kid is tough in a mask or brace he is tough anytime because it is a very difficult task to wrestle with any impediments.