Bad Boy Pro Series 16 oz Leather Sparring Boxing Gloves
Built 2 Fight Thai Style Boxing Gloves
Muhammad Ali Autographed Boxing Gloves
Platinum Leather Boxing Glove
Pro Series Youth Boxing Gloves
UFC Leather Heavy Bag Gloves
Century Women's Wrist Wrap Boxing Gloves
The Role of the Boxing Glove:
I know what some of you are wondering. You see people training
for MMA bouts in the gym with traditional 16oz boxing gloves even
though they fight with MMA gloves in the cage.
Why is this so?
If you have been a fan of the sport and have been watching it
for some time, you may very well be considering signing on for
lessons. That is definitely a good thing because there is much
value associated with MMA lessons.
But, there can also be a little confusion and it often is
because of the first "M" in MMA. It stands for "mixed" which
means there are several different martial arts integrated into
the system.
One such art is the sweet science of boxing and it has to
be trained separately in order to develop a reasonable level of
striking skills.
Once solid skills are developed in isolation, it may become
possible to cross train the art in with the total discipline of
MMA.
So, in order to do this, you need to use traditional gloves as
opposed to MMA gloves when isolating your striking training.
Boxing is an art and science that has been around for
thousands of years. While the art predates the Roman Empire,
these gloves have only been around maybe 150 years.
They are designed to maximize the safety and effectiveness of
boxing training. That is why MMA gyms do not disregard using
the gloves in their programs.
Boxing gloves serves two purposes: they protect your hand from
injury and protect the body of your training partner.
Remember, the hand is comprised of small bones known as
knuckles. When a punch impacts a surface, the knuckles compress
which means they can shatter.
Gloves prevent this from happening. And, in sparring, the
gloves also prevent serious damage and lacerations to your
partner/opponent.
Prior to the development of gloves, boxing was a brutal sport
known as pugilism which was far rougher and more dangerous. The
advent of gloves has helped the sport evolve tremendously. Again,
that is why MMA gyms do not ignore their use.
Specifically, MMA gyms employ these gloves in the boxing
and kickboxing component of the workout.
While actually MMA competition differs significantly from pure
striking competitions, it is not wise to eliminate traditional
striking training from the process. Really, you do not want to
completely eliminate a workable straining model.
In terms of frequency, you will be training with gloves any
time you step into a striking training session. This will vary
depending upon your own personal situation and the amount of time
you wish to invest in this type of stand up training.
In general, you will need at least 2 - 3 hours a week of
stand up training in order to become effective. Yes, some may
work out a little less and gain results but most people need
those extra lessons in order to get noticeable results.
Sometimes, boxing gloves can be integrated into grappling
training as well. A common drill that could be employed would
be to have one person wear the gloves and box while the other
person would be trying to shoot in and wrestle. This is a variant
of isolation sparring and it is very helpful to developing skill
in MMA.
And speaking of sparring, you will most definitely want to
use traditional boxing gloves when you are isolating stand up
in the ring. Yes, you will need to also use MMA gloves as well
but their use should be limited.
Why is this?
MMA gloves are very light and that means the person on the
receiving end will take a walloping over several rounds. Rather
than train like this, it would be much better to use boxing
gloves which are safer and easier to use.
While MMA can be considered a creative martial art, it is
never a good idea to start becoming creative with safety
equipment. Standard boxing gloves work well and their inclusion
into MMA training is a must. Keep that in mind when you start on
your MMA journey.
Training Tips
There is a new program out there called CrossFit.
It is a stellar program and teaches you how to be an all around
athlete. CrossFit says "Our specialty is not specializing."
CrossFit is incredible and some we’ve used the routines
to train for various sports. Some professional MMA fighters use
it and it is worth checking out. You do have to be comfortable
scaling, and developing your own program as far as rest and
combining it with your sport.
One option is to look into interval training that is tailored to your sport. There are several options out there
that are good. Check them out thoroughly and they might work for
you.
