How to choose Boxing Gloves?

The GBefore Boxing are regulatory padded gloves used by boxing fighters, Muay Thai, Kick Boxing and Full Contact among other sports. They are one of the essential protections for the boxer since soften the impact of blows during combat and prevent injury. Therefore, and to help you with the choice of this important element, we have created this guide post in order for you to find the most suitable boxing glove for you.

If you want to know the origin and history of boxing gloves, click here

First of all, we will review the types of gloves that exist according to the use that will be given:

Types of boxing gloves:

1. Competition Gloves

Competition gloves are more small and compact than any other glove. It is very important that competition gloves adapt to the athlete's hand. In lower categories, gloves require protection and differentiation by colors. It is very important that the Competition Boxing Gloves are approved by a National Federation. 

Here We show you this example of an approved competition glove available at Buddha Fight Wear: 

2. Training Gloves

As its name suggests, they are gloves used to perform different exercises during training therefore, these are gloves made in a more standardized way. Its design is intended for sparring activities (training with another boxer or assistant who receives the blows) or exercises with bags and others. It is an essential element for every boxer.

To differentiate them from professional use gloves We can see that the training gloves have a velcro that helps the glove to fit the boxer's wrist, while the professional gloves have a strap. The training gloves have that velcro instead of the tape to make it easier to take them off and to be able to carry out different activities.

View Complete Collection of Training Gloves

 3. Sack gloves

The purpose of these gloves is for the athlete to achieve the final objectives of the training and to perfect the technique. They are used to practice blows and movements with the punching bag, so it is advisable to also have one of these. They have a padding to cushion blows and injuries due to the hardness of the material that the punching bag is stuffed with. 

4. Aerobics Gloves

Aerobics gloves are made of less resistant materials than bag gloves and have more varied designs. They are used for aerobic combat modalities or to hit the speed bag, which is the bag that is used to perform repetitive blows at high speed.

According to the materials from which it is made:

1. Boxing gloves made of vinyl

They are the cheapest and are designed for people who are starting in the boxing world. It is not the most recommended material since they wear out quickly with use and can damage the wrist and knuckles.

2. Gloves made of PVC

PVC gloves are quite cheap although its price is higher than vinyl. These are hard gloves and not very comfortable. These gloves, like vinyl ones, are also recommended for starters.

3. Gloves made of Leatherette (PU)

In this type we can find three different qualities:

• Low quality leatherette: They have the same drawbacks as vinyl ones. Its price is quite cheap.

• Mid-range leatherette: It is a training glove highly recommended for beginners or for those people who do not want to invest a lot of money in this element.

• High-end leatherette: They are of a higher price than all the previous ones but they are also more comfortable and more durable. These gloves are recommended both for beginners as well as advanced and for competition

Here We show you this example of high quality gloves available at Buddha Fight Wear 

4. Leather boxing gloves

The most used gloves are made with buffalo, goat and cow skins. Buffalo and goat skins are the cheapest. Cowhide is of the highest quality and is recommended for all types of practitioners . They are the ones that best adapt to the hand and withstand impacts better.

Here We show you this example of leather glove of the best qualities made in thailand available in Buddha Fight Wear.

What to choose: Leather or Leatherette?

En Buddha Sports we recommend that if you are a beginner choose the ranges of cheap leatherette or faux fur gloves since they are perfect to start your workouts. In addition, they are inexpensive and available in many models and ounces.

If instead you are looking for gloves to more frequent training and professional materialWe recommend, without any doubt, leather gloves. In Buddha Sports You can find a very good range made in the best factories in Thailand.

Boxing Glove Size

The size of boxing gloves is expressed in Ounce (28 grams). The Ounce, which represents the weight of the glove and its degree of protection, must be adapted to the weight of the boxer. In Buddha Sports We recommend that:

• 4 (113,4 gr), 6 (170,1gr) or 8 Ounces (226,8 gr) for children between 6 and 12 years old.

• 10 ounces (283,5 gr) for women and men whose weight does not exceed 50 kilograms. These gloves are usually used for amateur and professional competition. It is characterized by having little padding which means less protection for the opponent and for oneself.

• 12 ounces (340,2g) is most popular measure. It is recommended for women and men who do not exceed 70 kilograms. It also works for professional low-weight fighters and for high-weight fighters who want to use it for punching bags, paws or mittens.

• 14 Ounces (396,9 gr)  recommended for people who weigh less than 80 kilos and 16 Ounces (453,6gr) for people weighing less than 95 kilos. 14 and 16 ounce gloves are recommended for hard workouts and moderate gauntlets since having more weight on the hands protects the hands and wrists better, strengthens the hands and shoulders, helps to catch bottom and improves speed.

• 18 Ounces (510,3 gr) they are totally recommended for Sparring.  

If you are still not sure which size is the most suitable for you, we recommend that you speak to your coach. He will indicate the most suitable Ounce for you.

Other factors to choose from in a Boxing Glove

Clasp types: Velcro or Ropes?

There are only two types of closures for boxing gloves: Strings and Velcro.

The rope gloves are specially indicated for professional fights due to their comfort, positioning and grip. They are also recommended for professional wrestlers or long training, circuits and sparring.. Before choosing this closure you must take into account that help is required to tie the laces, therefore they are not recommended for daily training (unless you have slim wrists since you can tie the laces only once and then you can put your hands in and out each time you use them)

The gloves with velcro closure are the most popular and are easy and quick to put on.  Velcro gloves are very practical and comfortable since they are easy to put on and take off. They are the ideal type of closure for a daily workout. However, it should be borne in mind that the velcro elastic can break the cotton bandages on the hands and offer a less efficient grip.

The quality of the filling

Boxing gloves are filled with foam rubber layers and the price of a glove can depend largely on the quality of the padding itself. The denser the filler, the better absorption capacity it will have. In high-end gloves we can find gloves filled with gel layers in addition to foam ones whose function is to distribute the impact of the blow throughout the glove. These gloves are identified with the word Gel.

Format

We can find three types of formats in boxing gloves:

• Gloves that force the hand to be closed with Velcro

• Gloves that leave the hand half open. MMA gloves

• Gloves with folded thumb.

Choosing one or the other format is a matter of taste. However, it should be borne in mind that gloves that leave the hand half open require a double effort since before striking, the hand must be closed.

Perspiration and seams

Regarding this section, you should bear in mind that:

• If the glove is double stitched you will make sure it lasts longer

• To absorb perspiration from your hands and extend the life of your gloves, it is recommended to use boxing bandages or fingerless gloves.

Boxing Glove Design

This aspect is simply aesthetic and subjective. Today there are gloves in almost all colors and all kinds of prints. You can choose the one you like best!

As color recommendations we can tell you that the red is the classic color, and is less visible to the human eye than other colors. Also, in this color of gloves you see less blood than in other colors. In Buddha sports We recommend that if you are practicing sparring, you use gloves in a color other than red so that your coach can see the blows better.

If you are looking for a more innovative and creative design, here we show you the Fantasy Gloves of Buddha, which are one of the best-selling lines of Buddha.