Every sport requires certain safety equipment and clothing. Martial arts sparring gloves are an essential part of your protection. I’ve spent some time in the combat game and I know that having the right type of equipment is essential. Essential for your peace of mind, which will directly impact the outcome of your fight or training session. This post is all about where and why, you should choose a certain brand of training glove.
Martial arts Sparring Gloves.
Let me take you to the contact zone. Picture this, you’re standing in a cage and the only other person in there with you is guy intent on causing you harm! Not really a nice position to be in but this is the nature of the sport. Unless you are void of emotions your head and limbs will be tingling, your fists eager to connect with something. You punch your palm to encourage focus as the bell sounds, it’s time to get to work!
When Can You Blame Your Tools?
Having the right mental aptitude isn’t going to be enough, you will require a killer instinct. Your tools are your limbs, they are the only thing you can rely up on but they need your guidance.
In a mixed martial arts fight you will have approximately 3 x 5 minute rounds and in a title fight this can be longer. I have made this assumption relating to UFC rules. The only safety equipment that can be worn is your gloves and a groin guard. Because your groin guard is there to protect you in a totally different way, I see your gloves has your go to guys!
They are your “Bread and butter” tool, from the moment the bell rings they’ll go to work on your opponent. Your martial arts sparring gloves need to be good, in fact they need to be the best for you!
No Room For Doubt!
I can remember my days of competition when every fight was a fight and If that wasn’t bad enough, having your mind distracted by your gloves which were either to loose or too tight didn’t help. It can cause your mental state to plummet to new lows, which isn’t what you need at this moment in time.
Martial arts sparring gloves for today.
So, your martial arts sparring gloves need to fit as well as possible and offer your hands the best protection possible. Gloves, like any other piece of equipment will come in various designs and this can affect the fit. I would always advise you to also consider wrapping your fists/knuckles, this is a precautionary measure but a sensible one.
There’s no excuse for not doing this, just think of the impact your hands will be going through. The fight eventually will end with you being the victor or the loser! But there will be another fight or training session that will require you to use your hands. So please wrap them for longevity’s sake.
Take It On The Chin!
To be honest your gloves are like a double-edged sword, they’re designed to protect the wearer but also designed to deliver a powerful punch with every blow! Your type of glove will be either:
- Lightweight.
- Synthetic leather.
- Leather.
- Offer thumb support or not.
- Wrist support.
The glove has a role to play but remember where your martial arts sparring gloves fall, short a good pair of hand wraps will take up the slack. Having the topics above covered is just sensible and smart, wrist and thumb protection is very important when choosing a glove and combining them with a trusted pair of hand wraps will finish off the team.
Ten – Nine – Eight – Seven!
Well done! Your opponent is down! The clock is counting down, your superior technique, fighting style and good choice of gloves have clinched you the fight.
Spoiler Alert!
THEY’RE DOWN BUT NOT OUT, GET BACK TO WORK!
A little insight into the mind of a fighter. I hope you enjoy this short article and you use it to make the right choices that will hopefully give you the right outcome!
Please leave any comments or questions below, I will answer them as soon as possible.
Ultimate Training Gear.
Thanks for sharing Derek. I’m new to MMA so I’m still learning a lot…are there any rules or regulations about the types of gloves you use? It seems like different materials could potential provide advantages over others?
In any competition situation everyone wears the same type of glove, with the same padding and so on, so no one can gain an advantage over anyone else.
Fantastic article. In sports people tend to forget how important their gears is and it could be the reason they lost to poor gear choices. If I was in a fighting match I would most definitely want to know my gloves are not going to fail me.
Thank you so much for this great review as I will be passing your link on to some friends.
David
HI Derek – thanks for the informational article. The only things I know about MMA is from the movie “Warrior” LOL!
With over 30 years invested in the sport you are obviously quite knowledgeable, and it’s great that you are sharing that knowledge with the young people coming up.
Best of luck!