What qualities should good boxing gloves or kickboxing gloves have? We asked this question to a large number of experienced boxers, kickboxers, and Muay Thai fighters.
The answers they gave us were largely the same. We have listed the characteristics of good quality gloves for you.
View in webshop:
Key features of good boxing gloves:
The fit of good boxing gloves
The best way to determine if a glove fits you properly is to try it on and, if possible, test it out. When trying them on, make sure you have enough room to move your fingers.
Thumb stability
When making a fist, your thumb must be held securely in its natural position by the glove. If this is not the case, you risk breaking your thumb when you punch hard.
Closure: Velcro or laces?
For boxing, Muay Thai, and kickboxing gloves, you can choose between a Velcro closure or a lace-up closure.
A lace closure provides more stability to your wrist and allows you to better adjust the glove to the shape of your hand when closing it. The disadvantage of laces is that someone else always has to fasten and unfasten your gloves.
Therefore, the gloves with lace closure are generally only used during competitions, because you don't take your gloves off during a competition.
During training, it's helpful if this is possible. That's why the most commonly worn gloves during training have a Velcro closure.
When using Velcro closures, make sure the glove can be fastened tightly enough around your wrist. This is important for comfort and wrist stability.
The Velcro itself must have a sticky surface that is large and strong enough to securely close the glove.
Impact surface padding/filling
The padding of the impact surface must be thick and firm enough to prevent you from punching through it. Foam padding is ideal for this purpose.
The padding is designed to partially absorb the impact of your punches, reducing the risk of knuckle injuries. It also minimizes the risk of injury to your training partners by reducing the sharpness of your punches.
Striking someone with bare fists can seriously injure them, and the same applies to gloves with poor padding.
Palm padding
Not every boxing, Muay Thai, or kickboxing glove has padding on the inside of the glove. This is extra padding/reinforcement in the glove on the palm side.
This padding gives you extra grip for making a fist. It is also ideal for practicing combinations with a training partner.
The padding on the inside of your glove absorbs some of the punches and kicks from your training partner when you catch them with your gloves. This can also have its advantages during sparring.
100% Leather, microfiber or synthetic leather
You can choose between synthetic leather or leather gloves. Leather gloves last longer. The chance of them tearing (especially at the seams) is considerably smaller.
However , maintaining leather gloves is very important. To do this, treat the gloves with leather grease once a month; otherwise, the leather gloves will quickly show cracks due to dryness. The quality of the leather also varies greatly.
The leather mainly used is cowhide, which is extremely suitable for a high-quality glove. However, nowadays there are microfiber and synthetic leather boxing gloves that are at least as strong, if not stronger, than genuine natural leather.
Stitching, double stitching and inspection
For the durability of the gloves, it is important that the seams are double-stitched at critical points. That is, in places where there is a lot of stress on the leather and fabric.
This ensures that the gloves don't tear at the seams (which is generally where most gloves break down first).
Lining
This is generally the case with all fabric gloves. Make sure to feel the lining to check for any irregularities or loose threads.
The lining should move smoothly with the glove, so that it won't break easily and won't cause irritation when worn.
Weight
Gloves are available in different weight classes (8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and even 18 and 20 ounces). The heavier the glove, the harder it is to keep your arms raised.
Training with heavier gloves won't make you punch harder. You don't train that with gravity.
It can help you keep your arms up for longer during the match, because you generally fight with lighter gloves during the match.
An increase in the weight of gloves can also mean an increase in the size or volume of the gloves. If the glove is larger, then you also have a larger impact surface.
A larger impact surface of the glove means a reduction in the impact of a punch (an exaggerated example of this is the difference between a punch with the point of a knife or a punch with your fist).
This is often the reason why heavyweight fighters are advised to use heavier gloves.
Normally, children train with 6, 8, or 10 oz weights, women with 10, 12, or 14 oz weights, and men with 14 or 16 oz weights.
Heavyweights generally use 16 or 18 oz gloves, and some exceptions even use 20 oz gloves. The best boxing gloves in terms of value for money are the XPRT boxing gloves.
Tips for the use and maintenance of boxing gloves
- Never leave your gloves in your bag or car after use. In your bag, the gloves will stay damp, and in the car, you expose them to extreme temperatures and temperature fluctuations. Let the gloves dry at room temperature as quickly as possible. Preferably, use a deodorizer to help them dry better.
- After use, it's best to fill your boxing gloves with a deodorizer (such as those from Hayabusa, No-Stink, or Rival) and let them dry in a place with a constant room temperature.
- Condition leather gloves with leather fat once a month, applying a thin, even coat (note: dried sweat causes the leather to dry out. The leather must be kept supple at all times to prevent cracking). Good leather fat does not contain acids that damage the leather. Pay close attention to this!
- Make sure your nails are short when using the gloves. Long nails can damage the lining and eventually destroy it.
- It's best not to use your regular gloves on the punching bag, as this will cause them to wear out very quickly. Special punching bag gloves are also available for purchase.
If you choose a glove with the above quality characteristics and use and maintain the gloves according to the tips above, the gloves will last approximately 6 months to a year with 2 to 3 training sessions per week.
Whether the gloves can last even longer or perhaps a little shorter depends on your punching power and the intensity of your training.
Good boxing gloves at Fight2Win:
Of course, Fight2Win.nl sells fantastic boxing gloves. Check out our entire range in the webshop.
