It’s crucial to have the right-sized boxing gloves for your hands when training, sparring and fighting in real matches, otherwise you risk injuring your hands, wrists, arms and even your neck and shoulders. But having the right boxing gloves is also important to help you unleash your full potential in a real fight, and protect your training partner when sparring.
Thanks to the 19th-century Marquess of Queensbury rules, boxing gloves are essential in real fights, but you should also ensure you always wear them when training as well. Here’s how and why women should choose the right boxing gloves for them.
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How to Find the Right Size Boxing Gloves
A common misconception about boxing gloves is that they make you hit harder, so if you want to produce a heavier punch, you need weightier boxing gloves. But this is very far from the truth.
Some boxing gloves are sized in Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large, however, boxing gloves are predominantly sized according to their weight in ounces (oz). The weight of the boxing glove is about the amount of padding in the glove, which is there to protect your fists from the impact of your punch against the training bag or opponent. After all, you’re not swinging your fists, but using your bodyweight to throw your fists forward, so the weight of the glove won’t help you have a mightier punch.
Boxing gloves will come in sizes from 6 to 18 oz, depending on the weight of the person using them and the type of boxing activity they’re doing. Training with heavy punching bags requires the most average weight of gloves, so you can use the following size guide to choose your training boxing gloves according to your weight.
- People under 45 kg need 6 – 8 oz gloves
- People weighing 46 – 68 kg need 10 – 12 oz gloves
- People weighing 69 – 80 kg need 14 oz gloves
- People over 80 kg need 16 – 18 oz gloves
However, as general size guides are according to the weight of a person, it doesn’t take into consideration men’s or women’s hand size.
Are There Different Boxing Gloves for Women?
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Most boxing gloves are unisex so when choosing the right pair of boxing gloves for men or women, you can simply look at the weight of the gloves and your own weight. If your partner is a keen boxer and you think you’d like to try out the sport, unless you’re the same weight, you shouldn’t wear each other’s boxing gloves.
But if you’ve tried a pair of boxing gloves that fit a man of the same weight as you and find that your hands are loose inside the glove, then you need to look for boxing gloves of the same weight but of a smaller size. Some people’s hands are smaller or larger than others, which is why some manufacturers of boxing equipment provide S, M, L and XL versions of the same weight glove. Some even produce a line of boxing gloves for women, as their hands are generally smaller than men’s, so for their comfort and safety, they should use smaller gloves.
There are also different gloves for children to accommodate their smaller hands comfortably.
Measuring Your Hand Size
If you’re not sure what size boxing gloves to buy and you think you have small or large hands for your weight, then it’s a good idea to measure your hands first, so you can have an idea of what oz boxing gloves will fit you best.
The circumference of your hand will dictate what size boxing gloves to buy:
- 5 – 6.5” (14 – 16.5 cm) for 6 – 8 oz gloves
- 5 – 7.5” (16.5 – 19 cm) for 10 – 12 oz gloves
- 5 – 8.5” (19 – 21.5 cm) for 14 oz gloves
- 5 – 9.5″ (21.5 – 24.1 cm) for 16 – 18 oz gloves
You can measure the circumference of your hand by wrapping a cloth tape measure or piece of string to be measured against a ruler, around the palm of your hand, above your thumb knuckle and below your finger knuckles. Keep your palm flat for a more accurate reading.
Should Gloves Be Too Big or Too Small?
If, for example, your palm circumference measures around 18 cm and you weigh around 70 kg and are not sure whether you should buy 12 or 14 oz boxing gloves, you’re better off choosing the 14 oz boxing glove, as the size won’t be too different, but you’ll benefit from the added protection of the heavier glove. However, ideally, you won’t be choosing between gloves that are too big or too small, but you’ll find that Goldilocks pair that will fit you just right.
Boxing gloves that are too small will restrict your hands too much and make it difficult to punch well, as well as making your hands uncomfortable and potentially even cutting off circulation. Conversely, boxing gloves that are too big will allow your hands to move around inside the boxing glove, allowing for unnatural movements that may cause twisting or bending that result in sprains, strains or other hand and wrist injuries.
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However, when you try on boxing gloves with bare hands, they shouldn’t be too snug; you need a little space between your hand and the glove because you’ll need to wear your hand wraps underneath. Hand wraps are an essential part of a boxer’s equipment, as they prevent your bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles and tissue from moving unnaturally when you strike your boxing equipment or opponent. They’re usually around 4 metres long, so make sure you have enough space inside the glove for the material to wrap several times around your hand, between your fingers and around your wrist.
How Many Pairs of Boxing Gloves Should You Have?
The decision to buy the perfect boxing gloves for you becomes a little easier when you learn that each boxer needs a few different pairs of boxing gloves anyway. As the weight of the glove is about the amount of padding in the glove itself, you’ll need different weight boxing gloves depending on what aspect of training you’re doing.
The most average pair you’ll need are for training with heavy punching bags. Whether you’re a seasoned pro, a beginner or just taking part in boxing fitness classes for the cardio, heavy punching bags are an integral part of your boxing training regime. You’ll need some form of padding to protect your hands, but not too much that the gloves are too heavy.
On the other hand, for sparring, you’ll need heavier gloves. If you use 12 or 14-oz gloves for training on the bags, you’ll need 14 or 16 oz boxing gloves for sparring. This is because you don’t actually want to hurt your sparring partner, so to protect their face and body as well as your knuckles, you’ll want heavier boxing gloves to prevent doing any damage.
For real fights, the opposite is true. You want your opponent to feel the full force of your punch, so the lighter the glove, the less protection. That’s why even heavyweight pros will usually use 10 oz boxing gloves.
Boxing Glove Maintenance
So, if you’re boxing regularly, and enjoying each aspect of training you’ll need three pairs of boxing gloves, right? Well actually no, you’ll need at least three pairs.
Boxing gloves can’t be put in the washing machine, so if you want to clean them – which you should after each use so they don’t smell and become worn quickly – you’ll have to spray them with disinfectant and let them air dry. This might take a while, especially in cold, rainy British winters, so having a few pairs of boxing gloves of the same weight will help you continue your training and keep each of your gloves in good condition.
Buy the Best Boxing Gloves – Maxx Pro Boxing
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