So don’t do it if you’re unwilling to risk them never shrinking. But if you are ok with no guarantee and just want to hedge your bets, then do it slowly, be patient, baby your ears with massages and TLC, and then try to get them to shrink while you’re still young. As we age our skin loses elasticity. So the 8g piercing you have between 13 and 15 is more likely to shrink than the one you stretch to at 23 and take out at 25.

You can just get pierced at 8g or 10g, and that’s would mean it’s a little more likely to shrink or close than stretching to the same size. Still no guarantee though.

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As for the small vs. large circle issue — and I believe this applies to just about any martial art — you start training with large movements, and eventually move on towards smaller, more compact and efficient moves. Large movements/circles are easier for beginners to follow and understand; and in the case of joint locks, during regular training sessions, people tend to be relaxed, so you need the large circles in order to position your partner’s body for the technique to click in. But again, practitioners of both arts will learn to apply small circle joint locks.