Choosing boxing gloves can be an absolute minefield. There’s such a variety of styles, shapes, materials and designs to consider and picking the right one for your needs is simply not that easy.
The first and most important decision to make when starting to look for boxing gloves is what enclosure system to choose. This might initially look like an easy decision to make, but all come with different benefits and drawbacks.
Here we offer a bit of general advice and guidance to help make the right decision for you. There are three main methods of closure for boxing gloves; Velcro, full lace up or a newer type of Hybrid glove (involving both systems).
Velcro Boxing Gloves:
A great and really convenient method to seal your boxing gloves. The biggest and most obvious benefit to the Velcro enclosure is the ease of use. As seen in the image above you can put them on yourself, you can remove them yourself and you can make adjustments easily and quickly. This makes them a huge favourite among gym goers looking to get fitter, attending classes and releasing stress.
You can also use them alone, for instance at home on the punchbag as you don’t require any assistance to apply them (with the occasional use of teeth). Velcro Boxing Gloves are a great option when integrating striking exercises into a broader workout drill that involves moving from one exercise to another quickly
Pro’s: The most popular system, Convenient, Easy to apply, easy to adjust, simple to use, can be used alone.
Con’s: Generalized wrist support.
Used for: Entry level boxing, boxing classes, solo punchbag workouts, pad work, mma, kickboxing, muay thai, exercise classes. The most popular choiceL
Lace up Boxing Gloves:
The traditional fight glove. Full 18 point lace up boxing gloves are generally only used by serious boxers or mixed martial artists working specifically on striking. Lace-up gloves are without a doubt the best for customized wrist support. The laces allow the user to individually tighten the glove down the wrist area every 2cm. This allows the athlete to adapt their wrist support to their individual needs, whereas the Velcro has one large surface area across the wrist to apply pressure.
The difference is similar to that of a general sized suit and a tailor fitted suit, but with boxing gloves the aim is to prevent injury rather than just to look good.
The laces allow the fighter to customize around all sorts of lumps, bumps and bone structures for the very best support possible. So if you are training a lot of hours as a professional boxer would, then this system is great as it reduces the chances of injury.
The big negative with lace up boxing gloves is they take time to apply and you will require a friend/ coach/ sparring partner to help put them on. However, if you’re a serious striker the benefits of the customized wrist support far outweigh the inconvenience of putting them on.
Pro’s: Professional’s choice, custom wrist support, injury prevention, personal fitting.
Con’s: Can’t be used alone, lengthy time to apply, assistance required.
Uses: Sparring, Pro/ serious boxers, mma fighters, serious strikers, previously injured athletes.
Hybrid Boxing Gloves:
The hybrid glove is a relatively new type of boxing glove that attempts to capture the best of both worlds. It has a smaller 14 point lace-up system where as the full lace up gloves have 18 points. This is because the focus here is to create a middle ground for ease of use and customizable wrist support, which is a great idea.
So you tighten the lace up to the required fitting then wrap the Velcro around. This also seals and conceals the laces under the Velcro, therefore removing the need to tape your laces down when sparring. Users of the hybrid gloves have also at times completely removed the laces for convenience but keep them handy just in case they need the additional support.
The hybrid gloves can be applied on your own, but the laces cannot be tightened, therefore you would need to revert back to just using the Velcro. All in all a great option for users looking for the option of extra wrist support or returning from injury.
Pro’s: Best of both designs, can be adjusted to suit immediate needs.
Con’s: Not full lace up, not as easy to use as the Velcro.
Uses: All levels of athletes in a variety of disciplines such as boxing, MMA, muay thai, kickboxing, pad and bag work, personal protection.
Summary
It really depends on your intended use and the time spent training. If you’re a pro fighter training over 10 hours a week, then the full lace-up option is a must-have. For the additional support and the fact that you won’t be training on your own, therefore you will have a friend to assist you in putting the gloves on. Also if you are returning from a wrist injury and want additional support the lace up is a great option.
If convenience and ease of use is a high priority for you then Velcro is the best for your needs, as you can use them alone and you’re not likely to be sparring heavily. If you’re looking for a bit of additional support from time to time but want to be able to go on the bag alone then the Hybrid is a great option.
As boxing gloves are used for a variety of activities and levels of training the decision is not definitive, just like the trainers on your feet they are not the definitive choice of everyone. We hope this helps provide an insight into why there are different enclosures and the benefits offered by each type.
To find out what size boxing gloves to order please follow the link to our blog.