What to look out for in boxing gloves? – Boxing gloves have plenty of features that should be looked into before you buy a pair. Whether you want to buy boxing gloves or are just using them every day, it is always a better idea to be familiar about the common features of boxing gloves and what they offer.
At Infinitude Fight, we understand the importance of tiny details that make up a glove whole for a positive and constructive experience of a boxer.
By now, you should know about the basics when it comes to boxing gloves, their types, boxing gloves price and sizes/weights etc.
In this article, we will break down some additional features of gloves that improve usage and add that extra something.
Note: Be advised, not all boxing gloves are designed with these features, and some athletes prefer to buy boxing gloves without these added features for different reasons.
Let’s discuss some of the common features of boxing gloves first;
Boxing Gloves Common Features
Attached Thumb – When we say attached thumb or boxing glove thumb attached, the thumb of the boxing gloves is connected to the fingers with a strip of leather. Initially, the boxers were more likely to sustain thumb injuries and intentional/accidental eye gouges to their opponents in boxing.
Almost all gloves now have attached thumbs to keep the thumb in place and prevent such injuries.
Grip bar
Grip bar boxing gloves have a light weighted bar, mostly made with a thick foam sitting in between the palm and the fingers.
Grip bars are placed to facilitate making a fist and stop the leather from clustering up uncomfortable in hand.
Breathable Mesh
Gloves that are classified as breathable gloves have part – or sometimes all – of the palm made of breathable mesh. These breathable meshworks are much better at letting air flow through for increased and maximum comfort.
Sometimes, however, the mesh reduced the natural shape of the gloves a little.
Punched holes
These holes look meagre but serve a lot bigger purpose; the holes are often punched directly into the leather surface on the palm or the inner side of the thumbs and fingers.
The holes allow air to flow through and keep the wearer’s hands cool and assist the gloves in drying faster and slightly easier, all of that without losing the natural shape of the leather.
Boxing Glove Elastication
With some Velcro boxing gloves, the separation of the two sides of the palm comes up relatively high; hence the gloves are made with an elasticated strap to hold everything in the glove together.
Additionally, elasticated strips more often than not provide a tighter fit, also making the boxing gloves easier to slide onto the hand and secure, compared to the other gloves.
Tucked Thumb
As it is common with many gloves, the padding on the knuckles overhangs a bit, striking out over the thumb, making it look like it is tucked in slightly.
This will protect the thumb from getting the impact by accident and taking full force on the knuckles instead.
Boxing Gloves Less-Common/Exclusive Features
Shielded Knuckles – Shielded knuckles are exclusively found on bag gloves, which are not suitable for sparring. Some gloves are designed with hard padded layers on the outer layer of the gloves, reducing impact.
The outside of the gloves with hard padding reduce the impact and allow you to hit much more fiercely yet safely while increasing the durability of the boxing gloves.
Padded Palms
Padding on the palms of boxing gloves is found more often in Muay Thai gloves. The padding helps protect against kicks; however, it can also be found on regular boxing gloves.
Padded palms of the boxing gloves are not necessary for boxing, yet they can add an extra layer of comfort and protection while parrying or blocking.
Shielded Wrists
Boxing gloves with shielded wrists have gotten a lot of traction in recent years. Shielded gloves are usually Velcro gloves, where the Velcro strap inside the wrist is covered with a shielded section.
This feature could immensely increase wrist stability and create an extra layer of support while blocking strikes.
Sweat Absorbent Thumb
Sweat-absorbent thumb feature is highly exclusive and is not found often. However, some gloves do have sweat-absorbent thumbs.
The sweat absorbent thumbs are great for wiping off sweat while training without you needing to go and grab a towel.
Two Strap System
Some of the Velcro gloves styles use a two-strap system. The feature is more common on MMA but can also be found in standard boxing gloves.
Ideally, one of the straps will be a shorter elasticated strap to keep the glove firm and tight. The other strap wraps around the wrist area, keeping it all secure.