Morris County Personal Trainer

What Kind of Boxing / Sparring Gloves to Get

By Arnel Ricafranca

Leading Personal Fitness Trainer in Randolph / Stanhope NJ

If you do an online search of BOXING GLOVES, you’ll get more results returned than you know what to do with! First of all, you need to determine the purpose of your gloves. Are they for full contact boxing? Martial arts sparring? Training? Bag work? Aerobic kick boxing? Establish which kind of fighting you plan on participating in first. Then look at the various styles, sizes and weights.

You truly will get what you pay for. But that’s ok in some cases. If you’re not in the Golden Gloves, or plan on being a contestant on The Contender, then you may not need $400 gloves. But if you spend $15 on a pair, don’t expect to be the next Oscar De la Hoya. If you’re serious about the sport, and aren’t just trying it out to see if you like it, or even just periodically hitting the bag as a hobby, then invest in a good pair of gloves.

You can go to any sporting goods store or eBay and pick up a stock pair of gloves. But will they protect you and will they help you to become a better fighter? Or are they basically worthless? Many fighters will tell you that leather gloves are the best. They may cost a little more (likely), but you will get a quality pair that will provide better support and will last longer. Note: For the purpose of this discussion we will assume you’re not a fitness class or hobbyist boxer.

Get the right size. Most gloves are sized small, medium and large sizes. On average, men will wear large, women will wear medium and youth will wear small. Of course this will vary if one has exceptionally large or small mitts. Some manufacturers also vary slightly, but for the most part the sizing is fairly standardized.

The weight of the glove is also important. You will be able to find weights ranging from 10 to 20 ounces. In most professional boxing matches, the fighters usually wear 10 oz gloves. However, for training purposes, most gloves weigh 12 oz, 14 oz, and 16 oz. The heavier the glove, the more protection it offers. For beginners, 14 oz and 16 oz gloves are recommended. For sparring purposes, 16 oz boxing gloves are standard.

Another factor to consider is the closure on the glove; do you prefer Velcro or laces? The classic style boxing gloves that you always see in prize fights are tied on with laces. Just like lacing up your shoes, laces provide a nice snug fit. It takes two people to get lace up gloves on.

The advantage to buying a pair of boxing gloves with Velcro straps is that you can easily put on the gloves, and remove them yourself. If you have ever tried to lace a pair of gloves when nobody is around, it is almost impossible. For your average person and general training purposes, gloves with Velcro straps are very acceptable.

Buying a decent pair of boxing / sparring gloves isn’t too difficult. It just takes a little more thought that simply making a run to your favorite sporting goods store and picking up a pair that is on sale. Determine which type will suit you best. Now show me some combos!

Author: Arnel Ricafranca

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