What Types Of Boxing Gloves Are There?

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What Types Of Boxing Gloves Are There?
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(No Transcript)
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• Whether youve been training for a while, or are
  just considering taking it up, youll no doubt
  have noticed that not all boxing gloves are the
  same. Theres actually more variation than you
  would expect, and each style of glove has its own
  uses. Heres a quick run-down on most of the
  types of boxing gloves you may come across.

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Training/bag gloves

• Youll often find brands advertising boxing
  gloves as training gloves or bag gloves. These
  are basically your typical all-round boxing
  glove. Sometimes theyre built for bag and pad
  work, however theyre usually pretty versatile
  and useful in any type of training. For most of
  what youll be doing, youll probably be using a
  pair of these. Not all general purpose gloves are
  labelled as training gloves though, and are often
  just referred to as boxing gloves.

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Sparring gloves

• In sparring, the aim of boxing gloves are to
  protect both you and your sparring partner, not
  to knock them out. You could use any pair of
  boxing gloves for sparring (assuming theyre an
  acceptable weight), however many brands sell
  specific sparring gloves which are optimised for
  the activity. Sparring gloves are pretty similar
  to training gloves, however the padding is
  usually slightly softer or more cushioned with
  better optimised distribution, to make impacts
  less sharp. Sparring gloves are often sold in a
  variety of weights, however you should only
  really be using these at 14oz or above, depending
  on your bodyweight.

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• Its always the coachs decision whether or not
  youre able to wear a pair of gloves during
  sparring. Your coach likely has a lifetime of
  experience under their belt and without a doubt
  knows more than you do, so if they believe your
  gloves are the wrong weight, unsafe or just
  generally unsuitable, then take their word for
  it. Its always best to check what weight of
  glove your gym suggest you should be using to
  spar and to make sure you buy your glove from a
  reputable brand if possible.

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• Most of it comes down to common sense though if
  youre a bigger guy trying to get away with using
  some worn-out, second hand 14oz gloves from a
  dodgy looking brand nobodys ever heard of, then
  you should really know better.

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Amateur Competition Gloves

• Youll probably never need to buy yourself a pair
  of these, but its worth knowing what they are.
  Amateur boxing competitions tend to use a
  specific style of gloves, which are usually
  provided to the fighters by the promotion. The
  gloves are typically coloured red or blue,
  depending on the fighters corner. Its also not
  unusual for the knuckle area of the glove
  highlighted. These features make it much clearer
  for the judges to score the fight.

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Professional gloves

• You should only really be worried about
  professional gloves if youre planning on
  competing. As the name suggests, these are boxing
  gloves which are specifically built for use in
  professional competition, and often sacrifice
  hand protection and sometimes comfort to maximise
  offence. Usually the padding is much firmer, also
  making the gloves smaller and more compact. 

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•  In a way these gloves are designed to deliver as
  sharp a blow as possible with each punch.
  Professional boxing gloves arent really suited
  to everyday training however, and shouldnt
  really be used much outside competition. For most
  competitions youll be using 8oz or 10oz gloves
  depending on the weight. Pro gloves are almost
  always lace-up, as its rare for high level
  competitions to allow Velcro boxing gloves at all.

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Mexican style boxing gloves

• In the early days of boxing when boxing gloves
  were big bubbles of padding, Mexican style gloves
  were vastly unique. Their sleeker shape and
  tighter padding made them stand out. These days,
  the features are more standard and the term has
  been thrown around a lot more, however there are
  still a number of mexican style gloves
  available. In essence, theyre really a
  sub-category of professional boxing gloves.

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• Many people will know Cleto Reyes as one of the
  top premium glove manufacturers. These are a good
  example of what are referred to as Mexican
  gloves. Theyre often slightly more fitted to the
  hand, with a longer cuff, however the main
  difference is in the padding which is often more
  compact. Supposedly they mould to the hand
  superbly after breaking them in, however it
  likely depends on the brand of the glove. Cleto
  Reyes for example still use horsehair to provide
  a much firmer padding, with goat skin for the
  leather.

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Muay Thai gloves

• Muay Thai is a completely different sport to
  boxing, and the boxing gloves have developed
  accordingly. The gloves are aimed more at
  kickboxers who need a move versatile boxing
  glove. Thailand has a large number of glove
  manufacturers which each excel in different
  aspects, however all of them focus a lot more on
  a more distributed padding for better protection
  on the back of the hand, and a lot more
  flexibility in the grip, allowing the palm to
  open more to catch kicks.

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• Its not uncommon for brands to have extra
  padding down the side of the palm as well. Some
  people simply prefer the shape of Muay Thai
  gloves, while some people dont at all, however
  its important to bear in mind the subtle
  features which make them slightly more suitable
  for kickboxing and Muay Thai.