Equipment

On Gloves: Uses and Typology; or Mama said "Always use Protection"

Gloves - Our Primary Piece of Equipment

When you think of striking arts, the first thing people think of is gloves. What a hammer is to a carpenter, are hands are to boxers. Contrary to popular opinion gloves are not meant to protect your opponent, rather they are to cushion and protect the puncher. But when it comes to training we are looking to improve (opposed to win) so when working with a partner you want to have their safety in mind as well.

Sparring Gloves - In order to protect you and your partner you will want to look for 16 oz. gloves. Most modern gloves have the thumb stitched to the rest of the glove to stop eye pokes/gauges. Outside of weight, there are other aspects you can look for in a sparring glove. Each brand (even models within brands) differs in shape of gloves therefore making some gloves are more appropriate for different styles. Clinch focused fighters should look for a glove that easily opens to grab, post, and clasp. Heavy punchers will normally look for compact gloves that maintain a fist. Other things to look for are easiness to clean and breathability for comfort.

Bag Gloves - Bag specific gloves are significantly smaller. There are two main styles of bag gloves. The thinnest gloves are just leather (synthetic or genuine) but also some have some padding (up to 6 oz.). Bag gloves have a detached thumb and differ whether or not the glove is exposed. These minimalist glove doesn't offer the protection of a traditional glove in term of padding and wrist support, however this is by design. You do not have a partner you are concerned about injuring. Furthermore the lack of support is meant to focus the practitioner on technique and punch alignment (thick padding compensates for this and desensitizing the fist to contact).

Pad Gloves - These are a bonus piece of equipment. Because you are not hitting a person, bag gloves do not need to be 16 oz. but you will still want some protection as pads are not fully cooperative and odd things happen. The main purpose of pad gloves is so that your main gloves (for sparring and drilling) remain intact and last longer with integrity. While some people like to hit the pads with 8-14 oz. gloves it is perfectly acceptable to use old gloves that aren't being used for sparring anymore.

Reputable Brands:

Thai: Fairtex, Twins, Windy, Primo

Western: Cleto Reyes, Winning, RevGear

Canadian: Hayabusa, Matsuru, Select, Rival

Amazon: get better equipment (Bezos has enough money too)