Bag gloves: when to use them and when not!
There has been a heated debate on bag gloves for some time. There are those who claim that they are indispensable for bag training and there are those who, on the contrary, claim that they are useless, if not downright harmful. Let’s see why bag gloves so deeply divide not only beginners, but also very experienced athletes and instructors.
How bag gloves are made
First of all, let’s try to understand how bag gloves are made, and how they differ from traditional gloves (10 oz, 12, oz, 14, oz, etc.). Bag gloves are lighter, weigh an average of 6 oz (approximately 170 grams) and are less padded. The difference in padding can be seen mainly in the “striking” part, because it is lighter, but at the same time flat and hard. The size of the bag gloves is variable (generally S, M, L), this is because unlike the gloves, which are one size and are chosen based on the use that must be made of them (10 oz for the fight, ounces upper for sparring and 8 oz for professional competitions. The bag gloves must fit in the best way, adapting to the hand of the boxer. Finally, the thumb is open and not padded, because you do not have to block the opponent’s blows and there is no risk of injury.
The advantages of using bag gloves
The above features help us to outline a number of advantages deriving from the use of bag gloves.
1. The lighter padding allows you to understand exactly how the fist is placed on the bag, and therefore whether you are hitting well or badly. This aspect is very important especially for beginner boxers in MMA training for example, because by better perceiving the blow they learn to improve their technical setting and correct any errors.
2. Bag gloves are practically indestructible. Their flat and hard shape on the front allows you to practice endless training sessions without the risk of them being damaged. On the contrary, when used in the bag, traditional gloves tend to flatten in the padding foams and to yield in the seams and in the lining. In other words, if we train in the bag with gloves, we considerably reduce their life…
3. Last but not least, bag gloves are very cheap: with just over twenty dollars you can have a respectable product.
The disadvantages of using bag gloves
The main feature of bag gloves, the lightness due to less padding, we find that if used for long training sessions with very pulled and loaded strokes, we risk creating small and sometimes large trauma to the hands.
Parenthesis: the hands are the boxer’s weapons, and must always be preserved in the best way. If your hands are particularly sore after a bag training session with gloves, it means that we have loaded too much. For this type of training it is good to use sparring gloves. It may also be that we are using the wrong bag, which is why I invite you to read the guide to choosing the punching bag.
Their lightness is criticized because with bag gloves the muscles are less stressed. True. If we want to strengthen the muscles of the arms it is better to choose sparring gloves (12, 14, 16, 18 oz) if we want to simulate the fight, the best choice is the 10 oz gloves.
Final remarks
Bag gloves are a very technical training tool, they are mainly used to work on the setting and accuracy of shots. For this reason they are great for beginners (possibly with instructor control) and for light training. They are not suitable for unloading the blows heavily on the bag, for this type of training it is always better to use sparring gloves. Therefore, for bag training they are not an alternative but complementary tool to gloves. Regardless of the type of glove you use, always remember to wear hand wraps.
Alternatives to bag gloves
A valid alternative to bag gloves are mma gloves, which weigh an average of 4 oz and allow you to practice a similar type of training. Karate and fit boxing gloves are absolutely not recommended, as they are too light and fragile.
