Want to know the secret sauce of how to choose MMA gloves? Mixed Martial Arts gloves have become popular boxing gloves among fans. It is no wonder that sales of MMA gloves have risen dramatically. MMA gloves are gloves that are specifically for the sports of MMA. MMA gloves are open-fingered. This means that the finger is exposed and the padding only extends down until past the first or second knuckle.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHILE CHOOSING MMA GLOVES:
A good MMA glove just has the same piece of padding covering the back of the hand and the knuckles. One of the best ways to test MMA gloves is to wear them and try opening and closing your hand. Your hands should open and close easily. They are designed in such a way that they would be able to absorb the impact that is usually caused by a solid punch. They are an eloquent tool that protects both the fighter and the opponent from severe harm and allows a fight to go through smoothly.
The padding of an MMA glove increases the surface area of the blow and distributes the force allowing any possibilities of serious harm to be minimized. It is important to consider the following factor before choosing your MMA gloves. The first thing to consider in choosing the right glove for you is figuring out your MMA glove size.
For a good and fair fight, you need a glove that has a perfect fit. An ideal MMA glove fits snugly into the hands of the fighter. It is not that difficult to find the right glove size for yourself. Your glove size should ideally be dependent on the circumference of your hand and as well as your body weight.
Sizes may vary depending on the brand. For example, the sizes of MMA gloves have unit oz and are generally sold in the sizes 5oz & 8oz. Both sizes are available at RingMaster Sports MMA gloves.
It is also necessary for you to consider the types of MMA gloves before choosing the right glove. There are several types of MMA gloves. These include; MMA bag gloves which are used during training.
The bag type is suitable for many practice-related situations but is commonly purchased to use while practicing on the bag. Many fighters only use them when practicing on heavy bags or other similar equipment, but it is always suggested to protect your hands at all costs. You can use them to hit the speedball as well and there are bag gloves designed just for the heavy bag.
Then we have training gloves, they are used for training as the name implies. They have segmented fingers with padding covering up to the second knuckle. This type of finger design allows your hands and fingers to have enough movement to grapple while giving you some level of protection for punching.
These gloves have the least amount of padding in them and are mostly used for training purposes in grappling and holding techniques. And finally, sparring gloves; this is the glove that helps form a tight first for punching. This also makes them less suitable for grappling-style workouts. When sparring in MMA and doing heavy bag workouts the main focus is on striking and punching techniques.
MMA sparring gloves have more padding around the top and front of your hand to protect them from unnecessary punishment.
Lastly, you must consider the quality of the material used to make the MMA gloves. Leather is the higher quality material and the best choice for MMA gloves. it’s much more durable and natural. When compared to other materials, it is very expensive to procure. Apart from the above, It’s always important to look for a solid Velcro wrist strap when purchasing MMA gloves and also look for gloves with quality foam padding. The truth is, MMA gloves can be very expensive. It’s important to find a pair of quality gloves that are more durable and longer-lasting than a cheap pair that will only be good for a few months.
MMA gear has quickly become a big business. With the popularity waning in boxing and more and more fight fans switching their loyalties to the UFC and WEC, it is no wonder that sales of MMA gear and clothing have risen dramatically.
Not only has the fan base increased but so have the people who enjoy participating in the sport. Most of the participants of course are amateurs and are receiving the benefits of a physical activity that has cardio and other health benefits and learning self defense at the same time. Very few are working towards the pros.
Since most of us are amateurs the question of gear can be tricky. You have joined the gym or club and you have signed up, your first day you might show up with a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. You quickly find out that the clothing is gear.
There are rash guard shirts designed to minimize friction on the mats. There are shorts made for the movements of MMA. Then there is the matter of using the club’s gloves. I don’t know about you, but I have never really enjoyed putting on a pair of MMA gloves that hundreds of other people have worn.
Now you are getting serious, you decide you really like it and start buying some of the shirts and shorts you see the others wearing. It is kind of easy, the brand names are plastered all over the clothing and from there it is a matter of taste. Gloves on the other hand (forgive the pun) are another matter.
There are several factors that have to be weighed out before jumping in and possibly making the wrong purchase. You have to consider the style of gloves, the purpose for the gloves, the brand and finally the price. If you are reading this article I am going to assume that you are not an expert yet, and so we will cover the basics.
First the style. There are several types of gloves, which also leads to the purpose for the glove. Let’s start with bag gloves. These are primarily designed for working out with the speed bag, they are light weight and tough.
Not much padding in the knuckle area and most people use hand wraps with these gloves. You can use them to hit the speed ball as well and there are bag gloves designed just for the heavy bag. Then we have training gloves, they are used for training as the name implies.
The design is basically a glove used for boxing, and they work well for training in MMA as well and are constructed a little differently than a glove that is sanctioned for an actual fight.. I wear them to hit the focus mitts with a partner, hitting the heavy bags, sparring and even shadow boxing. Something to consider here is weight. I prefer a heavier training glove.
When you train with a heavy glove you are building the muscles in the shoulders, next to the leg muscles these are the muscles that will be strained most during a stand up fight. If you spar or plan on competing this is a great way to train.
And finally, grappling gloves; this is the glove that many people refer to as an MMA glove. They were designed for the earlier competitions such as Vale Tudo and shoot fighting and are used today in most MMA matches. The gloves give your hands more freedom for grappling and provide some padding for striking.
The padding is sufficient enough to minimize the damage to the hand and provides some protection for your opponent, but not much. In my opinion these gloves are really only for those who are seriously considering competing.
Having said that your club or gym may still require that you use them in training. Lastly there is a new hybrid glove, a combination training and grappling glove.
So now you that have decided on style, we come to brand. There are a lot of excellent brands out there and it can be confusing. Let’s take names like Everlast and Title, most of you are familiar with the name Everlast.
Everlast and Title have been around a long time and are big names in the boxing game. Both Everlast and Title anticipated the surge in popularity of MMA and have done a great job of making the transition. Since they have been trusted names in boxing the switch was natural for them and their products are sound.
There are some newer brands too, like Hayabusa. Hayabusa makes a lot of products but may be best known for motorcycle gear. This was a natural market for them as well. A lot of the same technology that goes into protecting motorcyclists goes into the manufacture of an MMA glove.
Lastly there is the matter of price. No small matter. Gloves are an investment, and the right pair can last you years of heavy wear. The prices range from around $20 up to about $100. Quite a range!
Now that you have a little more info, this should help you make a good purchase and I have two more suggestions. First, ask your instructor (some gyms will suggest the gear that they carry in stock, usually there is a small mark-up and you may want to purchase from them, it is a good way to help support your gym) or training partners what they think.
Then shop around. Whamoozle.com has a good site with a large selection of brands, styles and prices. The best thing about their site is that you can search by brand, style, price, best sellers or cutomer reviews.
The reviews are big help, covering the pros and cons of some of the gloves. The reviews can usually be trusted. The customers can only write a review if they have made a purchase and have an active account at Whamoozle.com. This helps keep the competing brands from writing their own reviews.
And there is usually more than one review on many of the products. What you learn from reading the reviews, is if the gloves perform well for their specific purpose, and if they are comfortable and durable.
What Size MMA Gloves Do I Need? And How to Choose
MMA gloves are one of the integral parts of every mixed martial artist’s kit. There are so many options available both in terms of design and the training you are undergoing. From vintage iconic Randy Couture gloves to the regular boxing gloves being sold online, several options are available. The first step in choosing the right glove for you is figuring out your glove size.
The fit of your MMA boxing gloves is the most telltale feature about the glove’s functionality. The glove needs to fit securely in the fighter’s fist; otherwise, their motion will be restricted. The wrist also needs to be secured snugly so that the glove does not slip or change positions.
In Mixed Martial Arts, there are numerous layers to a fighter’s technique and functionality. The fighters’ gloves are one of the most critical parts of their attire as the gloves can significantly impact the form and training of the fighter. Finding the right fit of gloves can not only be daunting but confusing as well, and we are here to make your dilemma easier.
How to choose MMA gloves
There is no doubt that Mixed Martial Arts has become one of the most popular sports today. MMA fans are significantly higher today than they were in the past decade. People of all ages are now interested in Muay Thai, boxing and MMA. From young people to older fans, watching MMA icons like Conor McGregor and Anderson “The spider” Silva is nothing short of an experience.
Because of the increase in the popularity of MMA fights, many people have shown interest in learning MMA techniques. The primary and foremost concern that new fighters learning MMA have is choosing the right sized fighting gloves.
This confusion stems from a vast number of options and opinions available all around the new fighters. Contrasting opinions are circulating regarding which size of MMA gloves you should opt for. It is not that difficult to find the right glove size for yourself. Mostly, fighters tend to buy their gloves online and cannot try them before purchasing. For this reason, a size chart helps. Sizes of MMA gloves have the unit oz. and are generally sold in the sizes 8oz., 10oz., 12oz., and 14oz.
Your glove size should ideally be dependent on the circumference of your hand, as well as your body weight. The general size chart used by MMA trainers and players is as follows:
Fighter’s Weight | Hand Circumference | Size of the glove. |
88-120 pounds (40-54 kgs) | 5.5” – 6.5” | 8oz. |
120-151 pounds (55-68 kgs) | 6.5” – 7.5” | 10oz. |
151-186 pounds (69-84 kgs) | 7.5” – 8.5” | 12oz. |
Above 186 pounds (84 kgs) | 8.5” – 9.5” | 18oz. |
Measuring your hand’s circumference can be difficult and confusing to you, especially if you are an amateur in the world of MMA. However, the process of doing that is quite simple. Take a measuring tape and wrap it around the fullest part of your hand. Ensure that you are using your dominant hand to wrap the tape around, as this will minimize error entirely. Furthermore, ensure that your thumb is outside the measuring tape.
Measure your hand circumference in the method described above. Tally it with your body weight and figure out which MMA glove size will suit you best. The chart is more or less universal, but exceptions may occur depending upon the muscle mass of your hand. For this purpose, it is essential to correctly measure your hand’s circumference and body weight.
It also helps if you compare your hands with other friends that do MMA to figure out whether you have more muscle mass than usual people and could be an exception from the size chart – although that is highly improbable.
How Should MMA Gloves Fit?
Fighters tend to become severely attached to their fighting kit and gear. However, one part of an MMA fighter’s attire that becomes their style uniquely is a fighter’s gloves.
However, MMA gloves have a lot of purposes other than looking good. They are an eloquent tool that protects both the fighter and the opponent from severe harm and allows a fight to go through smoothly. The padding of an MMA glove increases the surface area of the blow and distributes the force – allowing any possibilities of serious harm to be minimized.
These purposes of an MMA fighting glove cannot be achieved if the glove does not fit perfectly in the fighter’s hands. A fighting glove is easily the Mixed Martial Artists’ best friend when they are in the ring.
For a good and fair fight and proper and ideal training, you need a glove that has a perfect fit. An ideal MMA glove fits snugly into the hands of the fighter. Snug, by no means, is synonymous with tight. Tight gloves tend to restrict the motion of the fighter.
This can cause problems with the comfort of the fighter during the fight. It will also decrease the force with which the fighter will be throwing the punches. Ensure that it is comfortable and easy to clench and unclench your hand into a fist when you are wearing your gloves.
Moreover, the fitting of your fighting glove should be secure so that there is no possibility of your glove shifting positions or slipping off during training. For this purpose, make sure that the straps of your glove are fastening securely around your wrist. Although the lace straps are better when it comes to the fitting, the Velcro strapped gloves are easily more functional and easy to fasten.
What Are the Different Types of MMA Gloves?
Apart from fitting your glove, there are also different types of fighting gloves used for different purposes. The purposes differ based on the making of the glove. There are different types of gloves being used for different types of fights in MMA. These gloves differ with respect to the padding and sewing and the fit to some extent. Usually, there are three types of MMA fighting gloves being sold in the market. They include:
Training gloves: How to choose MMA gloves
These gloves are better known in the MMA world as grappling gloves or hybrid gloves. These gloves have the least amount of padding in them and are mostly used for training purposes in the grappling or grabbing and holding techniques.
These gloves have minimal padding, and the fingers also move independently of the other fingers. This allows for a more excellent range of movement, which is the prime need when practicing grappling motions in MMA fighting.
Sparring gloves
Sparring is a form of free fighting where the fighting session is extended. These sessions are usually used to train the fighter in terms of accuracy and stamina. Therefore, these gloves are more padded than the actual competition gloves and are not used for proper combat training.
However, the sparring gloves can minimize the force being thrown at the opponent during the sparring. This allows both the fighters to spar for an extended period as no seriously painful blow is being cast. However, it is still recommended to wear protective gear for your head and teeth during MMA sparring to avoid all sorts of damage.
Competition gloves
These are the MMA fighting gloves with a padding range between those of training gloves and sparring gloves. They weigh between 4oz. To 6oz. and are used in actual MMA fights and competitions.
The padding is generally thicker for beginners, and they use gloves that weigh 6oz. as thicker gloves offer more protection to the fighter and beginners require better padding.
Our Recommendation for MMA Gloves
MMA gloves are available all over the World Wide Web. You can pick many choices, and therefore the whole process of selecting a perfect MMA fighting glove becomes quite daunting and confusing. We are here to help you with your selection by giving you our top pick for MMA fighting gloves.
Our Best Overall MMA Gloves Pick
We take MMA very seriously and make sure that you get only the best information regarding recommendations. Our top pick from the massive range of MMA gloves being sold online is RDX MMA Gloves. They are a fantastic pair of fighting gloves that can be used both for sparring as well as combat. These gloves are multipurpose and can be worn for MMA, Muay Thai, and Kickboxing etc.