Martial Arts Gloves

Boxing gloves

Sparring gloves

Sparring gloves are subdivided according to their weight, which ranges from 8 to 16 ounces (oz). Heavier gloves are softer. Gloves for women generally weigh 10 oz or less, while gloves for men should be 12 oz and heavier. As a rule of thumb, choose your gloves depending on how much you weigh.

Bag gloves

As their name suggests, bag gloves are used mainly for training with a punching bag. They are lighter and harder than sparring gloves and are primarily designed to protect your hands and wrists. Using sparring gloves for punching bag training without strapping down your wrists beforehand may lead to an injury.

Material

Boxing gloves are made from either real or synthetic leather. Leather gloves last considerably longer, but are also more expensive. If you train a few times a month at the amateur level, then synthetic leather gloves are more than enough. But if you box several times a week, synthetic leather will start peeling after just a few months, so buying gloves made from real leather would be a good idea.

MMA (grappling) gloves

MMA gloves are considerably lighter compared to boxing gloves and leave your fingers uncovered. MMA gloves all weigh the same; the only difference is their size.