How to choose boxing gloves

Boxing / Popular

Pick glove weight and type for bag, pads and sparring.

What coaches agree on

  • Use a lighter glove, roughly 8 to 12 ounces, for bag, mitt, and pad work — it keeps your hands faster and your punches more precise than training in a heavy sparring glove.
  • Make sure the glove locks your wrist in place, with a snug lace-up or a Velcro strap that wraps all the way around, since the wrist takes the brunt of the stress on hooks and uppercuts.
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  • Pick gloves by their ounce weight, not your hand size — the ounces measure padding, and the same weight fits differently from one brand to the next.

Common mistakes

  • Sparring in bag gloves or bag mitts is a real risk — that padding isn't built to take repeated shots, and it can hurt your partner.
How To Choose Your Boxing Gloves
Beginner

How To Choose Your Boxing Gloves

Coach's take: Ties glove weight to your actual bodyweight instead of just throwing out a number — and the brand takes are from real years of use, not a sponsorship.

3.8
How to Choose Boxing Gloves
Beginner

How to Choose Boxing Gloves

Coach's take: The velcro-wrap detail alone will save people from buying a glove that falls apart in six months.

3.7
How to choose boxing gloves
Intermediate

How to choose boxing gloves

Coach's take: Best tip here - close a fist in them before you buy - wrapped in some odd theory you can ignore.

2.8
BAG GLOVES FOR BOXING TRAINING
Intermediate

BAG GLOVES FOR BOXING TRAINING

Coach's take: The 'your arms aren't ready for 16s if you only ever train in 12s' point is the kind of thing you only learn by getting caught out by it.

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