What properties 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 similar. We have listed the characteristics of good quality gloves for you.
Fit of good boxing gloves
The best way to determine whether the fit of a glove is suitable for you is to try it on and try it out if necessary. When trying on, make sure you have enough room to move around your fingers.
Thumb stability
When you make a fist, your thumb should be held stable in its natural position by the glove. If this is not the case, you run the risk of breaking your thumb when you hit hard.
Closure: Velcro or laces?
For boxing, Muay Thai and kickboxing gloves you can choose from a closure with Velcro or a closure with laces. A closure with laces gives more stability to your wrist and you can better adjust the glove to the shape of your hand when closing. The disadvantage of laces is that someone else always has to tie and open your gloves. The gloves with lacing are therefore generally only used during competitions, because you do not take off your gloves during a competition. During training it is useful if this is possible. That is why the most commonly worn gloves during training have a Velcro closure. With Velcro closures, make sure that the glove can be closed tightly enough around your wrist. This is important for wearing comfort and for the stability of the wrist. The Velcro itself must have an adhesive surface that is large enough and strong enough to securely close the glove.
Filling/padding impact surface
The padding of the impact surface must be thick and sturdy enough to ensure that you do not punch through the padding. Foam padding is ideal for this. The padding should, as it were, partially absorb your blow, reducing the risk of knuckle injuries. You also limit the risk of injuries to your training partners because the sharpness of your fists is taken away. By punching someone with your bare fists you can seriously injure him/her, the same also applies to gloves with poor padding.
Padding palm
Not every boxing, Muay Thai or kickboxing glove has padding on the inside of the glove. This is an extra filling/reinforcement in the glove on the side of your palms. This padding gives you extra grip for making a fist. It is also ideal for training combinations with a training partner. The padding on the inside of your glove partly absorbs the punches and kicks of your training partner when you absorb them with your gloves. This can also have its advantages during sparring.
100% Leather, microfiber or synthetic leather
You can choose artificial 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, grease the gloves once a month with leather grease, otherwise the leather gloves will quickly show cracks due to dehydration. There is often a big difference in the quality of the leather. The leather that is mainly used is bovine leather, this leather is extremely suitable for a high-quality glove. By the way, nowadays there are microfiber and synthetic leather boxing gloves that are at least as strong, if not stronger, than real natural leather.
Stitching, double stitched and control
For the strength of the gloves, it is important that the stitching is double stitched at critical points. This means in places where there is a lot of pressure on the leather and fabric. This ensures that the gloves do not break at the stitching (this is generally the place where most gloves break first).
Lining
This is generally made of fabric for all gloves. Feel carefully to see if the lining has any imperfections or loose threads. The lining must flow smoothly with the glove, so that it will not break easily and will not 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 high. By training with a heavier glove you will not punch harder. You don't train that with gravity. It can ensure that you can hold your arms up for longer during the match, because you generally fight with lighter gloves during the match. An increase in weight in gloves can also mean an increase in size or bulk of the gloves. Is the glove a bit bigger? Then you also have a larger impact surface. A larger impact area 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 tip of a knife or a punch with your fist). This is often the reason why heavyweights are advised to use a heavier glove.
Normally children train with 6, 8 or 10 oz, women with 10, 12 or 14 oz and men with 14 or 16 oz. Heavyweights generally use 16 or 18 oz gloves and some exceptions even use 20 oz gloves. The best boxing gloves based on price-quality are the XPRT boxing gloves.
Tips for use and maintenance of boxing gloves
- Never leave your gloves in your bag or in the car after use. The gloves remain moist in your bag and in the car you expose the gloves to extreme temperatures and temperature differences. Let the gloves dry as quickly as possible at room temperature. Preferably use a deodorizer to dry them better.
- After use, it is best to fill your boxing gloves with a deodorizer (such as Hayabusa, No-Stink or Rival) and let them dry in a place with a constant room temperature.
- Grease leather gloves well but thinly with leather grease once a month (note: dried sweat causes the leather to dry. The leather must be kept supple at all times to prevent cracks). Good leather grease does not contain acids that attack the leather. Pay close attention to this!
- Make sure you have short nails when using the gloves. Long nails can damage the lining and ultimately destroy it.
- It is best not to use your gloves on the punching bag. This causes the gloves to wear out very quickly. There are also special bag gloves for sale.
If you choose a glove with the above quality features and you use and maintain the gloves according to the above tips, the gloves will last approximately 9 months to a year with training 2 to 3 times a week. Whether the gloves can last even a little longer or perhaps a little shorter depends on your punching power and the training intensity.
