Also like shoes, I highly recommend trying on gloves first before you buy to make sure they even feel right in your hand. I have known some people who physically cannot box in certain gloves because it hurts when they punch for more than a round or two (but don't have this issue with different gloves). Whereas I know other people who use those exact same gloves and have never felt anything even resembling pain. What is the difference? Usually just the shape of their hands. A different hand shape can change the feel of gloves entirely so that is why trying them on first is usually preferable. Or if you order online, just make sure they have a simple return policy that you don't mind following if you don't like the feel. I just want to reiterate this point again because it is so important: you could have the highest-quality, most expensive, best glove in the world but if it isn't comfortable for your particular hand, then it is not the glove for you.
- Fits comfortably on your hand after a reasonable break-in process
- Doesn't hurt or even put a lot of pressure on your hands when you throw hard punches (provided you are wrapped and punching properly). Or cause delayed onset pain.
- No additional pain or pressure for each, specific punch (again, assuming you are punching properly). I have used gloves that feel fine for some punches, not for others.
- Will last and continue to protect your hands for at least 9 months of regular usage.
- That you like and looks good. Bonus points if it represents you in some way. Like for instance, colors you like/wear all the time. Of course looks should never come at the expensive of comfort, protection or durability but they do matter.
Here are some other general tips to help you find the best pair of gloves:
Weight
A general rule of thumb for glove weight is that the harder you hit, the heavier you want your gloves to be. With the exception of separately-weighted gloves (which I am not talking about here), the extra weight is usually extra padding. That extra padding protects your hands and if you train on the heavy bag for any significant length of time, you really should use at least 12-ounce gloves. Any lower than that and you are putting your hands at risk for no great reason. Yeah, you can train a little lighter but that can be hard to manage, especially when you are tired, and the heavy bag is really the best tool to train heavy. Might as well take advantage of that.
If you are a little bit bigger person and like to throw power shots on a bag, I would recommend going with 14-ounce gloves instead though. Provided they are of decent quality, still in decent shape and your hands are wrapped properly, you should not feel any pain even when throwing your hardest punch on the heavy bag. But there are also not so heavy that they should make a big difference with your hand speed or make mitt work feel clunky, as heavier gloves sometimes can.
Many different boxing gloves are not based on size at all, just weight. In those cases, the bigger gloves for larger hands are often 16-ounces. So if you're particularly tall/big, these will probably not only be the best fit for you but also provide the most protection, which you very well may need. For someone smaller who maybe doesn't hit super hard, I don't think I would recommend 16-ouncers, even if you found something that fit great, because the extra weight does not do a whole lot for you. For anybody of any size, that extra weight and size will slow your hands down a little bit but that's not necessarily a terrible thing, The 16-ounce gloves tend to last a little longer too as they are just made for more powerful punchers. If you feel your hands in 14-ounce gloves when you hit the bag and feel them more when you hit harder, you should go with 16-ouncers.
There are 18-ounce gloves and even heavier as well but honestly, I don't think many people would ever need them for bag work and certainly not mitt work. I have known some fighters who like to use the heavier gloves for practice so that when they use smaller gloves in a bout, their hands feel super fast. Or even those who train for fitness that want to get more of an arm workout from the heavier gloves. These are both real things, I just don't know how ultimately valuable they are.
There are the specially weighted gloves that I mentioned earlier, where you can add usually up to 2 pounds of additional weight into the wrist. This is meant to be a training tool only and once again, I don't know if I find it worthwhile. Your hands will feel a lot lighter if you get used to boxing with that extra weight but just like punching with dumbbells, this isn't something I would recommend doing day-in, day-out. Instead maybe do a few rounds in the weighted gloves, then a few in the 14-ounce. The other thing to consider when trying weighted gloves is that the fit and feel of them will be different, as the weight is added to the wrist, and they may mess with your form a little. They also have a higher chance of causing injury.
NOTE: What about the notion of training with lighter gloves and still hitting hard to build up strength in your hands? Or people who punch the heavy bag with no gloves? I made a video about this a while ago - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uji0INq3g4g&list=PLN0PPf0o8X6X1Te2zEgHrqy-BtyI-RAg3&index=15 - but the gist is that this represents a much higher risk of injury (even permanent) and the reward is...I don't know. Your punches might hurt a little more in the MMA 4-ounce gloves but in boxing, I really don't believe it will make any significant difference.
Size
Some gloves come in different sizes, like small, medium, large, some are just one size fits most relative to the weight of the glove. For instance, if you had big hands, it is possible that 14-ounce or lower don't even fit you. One thing I have noticed is that sizes can vary quite a bit, even within the same brand. It's usually pretty easy to tell if gloves are too small or too big.
Some gloves will be tight at first, as they take some time to break in, but if you find your fingers are cramped at the end of the glove, they are definitely too small. If they come right to the edge, they may be just fine but if they feel small in other ways, it is smart to try the next size up just to see. Some gloves and some hands are very tight right around the area where the thumb meets the palm. They will likely loosen up over time but if it's super tight, this may impact your gloves' lifespan as there is often stitching in that area that will rip over time.
On the flip side, if there is significant room between your fingers and the end of the glove, so much so that you are unable to bend and make a solid fist, those gloves are definitely too big. If your hand slides around inside (with wraps on), those gloves are also too big. If you are able to put the put the wrist strap on (for velcro gloves), then shake your arms wildly and the gloves actually fly off, they are positively, absolutely too big.
Beyond hand size, some gloves are also just physically larger. Like two pairs may fit roughly the same but one is bigger, like your hands look bigger, in the gloves. This comes down to a personal preference kind of thing. Some people like the big, hulk hands, some people don't.
Couple Things About Style
As mentioned earlier, there are gloves of different sizes and shapes, beyond just hand size. Too many variables to mention here but I did want to briefly talk about 3 important things here, knuckle protection, wrist support and interior lining.
For knuckle protection, the majority of gloves use foam padding. There are many different types of foam. Some is denser and more durable than others. Some is also softer and more poofy than others. Certain brands, TITLE being the main one, also use a gel substance for hand protection. It is thinner than foam and made specifically for shock absorption. Then some gloves have both.
Next you have wrist support. The majority of the heavy bag gloves use a velcro strap so you can tighten the glove around your wrist. Some even have two straps so you can adjust the tightness a little more. There are also gloves that you lace up like a shoe. These are better to use if you are sparring as the velcro strap can annoy both you and your training partner when throwing live punches at each other. Lacing up will also give you the option to make the fit even tighter around your wrist. I personally don't find this super meaningful. Wrist support is nice but you cannot depend on your gloves or your wraps to keep your wrist straight from punching while punching a heavy bag. You depend on your gloves for knuckle/hand protection but not wrist protection. A little support, sure, but if you are experiencing wrist pain, it is not because of your gloves.
Then you have interior lining. Some gloves are very comfortable on the inside, with less perceptible lining and lots of padding. Some gloves, you can really feel the lining itself, and how it is detached from the interior of the glove except for it's seems. I myself do not like the ladder at all as I find it less comfortable and more likely that lining is going to rip at some point. As always, you want your hand to be comfortable and if it doesn't feel good the instant you put your hand in the glove, it is probably not going to feel good when punching the heavy bag for hours and hours.
Brands
There are many, many different glove brands but the main ones who sell boxing-specific heavy bag training gloves are TITLE Boxing, Everlast, Hayabusa, Rival, Cleto Reyes, Fighting, Adidas, Venum, Sanabul. I will do a quick run-through of my own personal experiences with each brand, including what I have heard from others in my career.
TITLE - As I own a TITLE Boxing Club, I have certainly tried the most varieties here. My first pair of gloves were TITLE brand as well, long before the clubs like mine existed and it is generally known to be a good brand. There are some varieties I really don't like, some that I like a lot. I would say that in terms of hand protection and preservation, their World Bag Gel 2.0 gloves are the best I have ever used*. I've tried more expensive TITLE gloves, more expensive other brand gloves, but when I hit with the World Bag Gel gloves, as hard as I possibly can, I feel nothing. There are no bad angles to hit from and they last for years, even with consistent use. I have also sold many of these gloves to people serious about their training and to date, have heard nothing but rave reviews from everyone else. Only downside is that they are heavy - 16 ounces - and relatively big so people who like little, lighter gloves aren't going to be as enamored with them. You rarely see professional boxers using them in the ring but this could be a sponsorship issue more than anything else and even if it isn't, this does not change the fact that they are great heavy bag training gloves.
- Everlast - Probably the most well-known boxing equipment brand and have been around for a long time. They are also one of the few brands that you can buy at Target, Walmart and other sporting goods stores. I have owned a couple of pairs but I must admit, they are the kind one would buy at a Target, Walmart or sporting goods stores. I have not tried the higher-end Everlast gloves but have known a few people who have them. They are okay. Not terrible but seemingly not great. What is kind of strange is that they seem to be the least durable of the major brands, despite being called "Everlast." I have had this experience with some of their other equipment as well - wraps and heavy bags mainly. Just not really made to last. I also think their lower-end gloves sell for more than they should, given these issues. A lower-end TITLE glove will hold up better for sure.
- Hayabusa - A little more expensive usually but good quality gloves. They also look cool, which matters. I have a pair of T3s that I like a lot and have held up okay so far. One thing that they offer that I have not seen in other gloves is that the leather on the T3 style has a little bit more friction than most, which really comes in handy for throwing chin-level uppercuts on the heavy bag. Instead of sliding off, when coming at an upward angle, they kind of "stick" to the flat surface of the bag a little better. If someone struggled with those chin-level uppercuts on a bag, I would highly recommend. Can be useful with other punches too. I will say that they do not protect my hands as much as the aforementioned TITLE World Bag Gels do but I don't feel like I'm in danger of necessarily hurting them either. You will almost never see pros using them in the ring but I honestly don't know if Hayabusa even makes competition gloves anyway. Like I said earlier about trying on gloves before you buy them, I can tell you that while I like my Hayabusas a lot, my wife has the exact same pair and doesn't like them at all. They cause her pain. So hand shape may make a drastic difference here.
- Cleto Reyes - Definitely more expensive and very high-quality. A big difference between Reyes and everyone else is that they use horse hair for padding instead of foam. Does horse hair protect your hands better than good foam? No it does not. And it's not intended to either. Because it works both ways. Your hands are less protected but it also hurts your opponent more. They are just harder gloves and this is one reason, they are highly-favored by hard punchers, particularly Mexican fighters (like we talked about the other week in regional styles). But this is why I would not recommend them for heavy bag work. They look cool, smell good, and aren't terrible on the bags but there are many better options for less money.
- Rival - Another brand you will see fightersusing in the ring a lot and also just okay on the heavy bags. I have a pair of RB1 Ultra Bag Glove 2.0s and I like 'em enough to use them sometimes but I don't love them enough to have a problem switching to something else. They are also a little bit harder glove and have good wrist support. I knew a pretty heavy hitter who loved his Rival gloves. The fit and shape of them are slightly different than other gloves I have used so it might be another case where they are good for some, not for others depending on the very specific contours of your hand. They also seem to run a little small and don't have a lot of heavier options.
- Fighting - Going back to what I said about my Rival gloves, I would actually say that my experience with Fighting brand gloves is somewhat the opposite. I often like to wear some gloves for a while and switch them out, just for the heck of it, but I really have a hard time not using my Fighting S2 Gel Power Training gloves. There is no one particular thing I can point to and say is special about them, I just love the fit, barely feel my hands, no real bad angles, and their size is ideal for me. Mine are 14 ounces and very versatile. I like the look too.
- Venum - Like Everlast, I have seen these for sale in the local Walmart, Target and sporting goods stores. They have some higher-end styles but nothing too expensive that I have seen. Seem like a decent value for the money, I don't know if they hold up for too long and at least with the lower-end styles, the padding is not super protective.
- Sanabul - Disclaimer: My personal experience is only with the lower-end Sanabul gloves and it is not great. You can get a decent price but the quality and durability are not there. I do know people, online, who say great things about Sanabuls and I know they have some pro gloves that are supposed to be pretty decent but for training on the bag, I would once again prefer most lower-end TITLE gloves. I also don't particularly like the look and even the shape of the glove is kind of a turn-off for some reason.
- Adidas - They make a boxing shoe I really like and was excited to try their gloves out. The problem that is that I personally don't like the look of most Addidas gloves. Found a higher-end pair I kind of liked - Speed Tilt 350 series - at 14 ounces. Unfortunately I don't really like them so far. I can definitely feel my hands when I hit the bag, particularly on body shots. It could be one of those shape things for sure but the padding doesn't feel super strong in general to me. I would also say that Adidas and Hayabusa gloves are the hottest to me. Meaning, my hand feels hotter inside. Not a big thing but noticeable. Could just have something to do with the density and breathability of their leather. There are holes for air flow, they just don't seem to help too much.
No comments:
Post a Comment