In MMA fights, grappling is one of the basic techniques of fighting to outperform one’s competitor. MMA grappling gloves are open-fingered and light. It gives more gripping strength than boxing gloves can do. But Grappling gloves tend to be exposed to injury while training, especially punching heavy bags. This is because MMA training is extensive and includes boxing training as well. Today’s topic is about grappling gloves or boxing gloves, which one is suitable for MMA training.
A brief history of boxing and MMA gloves:
Boxing developed from bare-knuckle fighting and the fighters got seriously injured when the Marquess of Queensberry’s rules introduced padded gloves in 1866. While the first MMA gloves were similar to Kempo gloves as seen in the 1973 movie “Enter the Dragon” acted by Bruce Lee which premiered in Los Angeles. However, MMA gloves imitate Kempo gloves that allow for flexibility and mobility of their wearers. The hands and knuckles are fully padded on the back to protect the fist from the impact that could result in injury in the Metacarpophalangeal joint. MP joints are very important for both strong grip and pinch activities. They are where the fingers move about the hand.
MMA or Boxing Gloves for training:
Using gloves in competitions whether in Boxing or MMA fighting is mandatory. There is no argument about it. But in training MMA whether wearing grappling gloves can be worn or not. The simple answer is No. This is because MMA gloves are scanty. It does not give your fingers enough protection from the impact caused by a punch on the heavy bag. The infrastructure beneath your fingers is vulnerable. That’s why heavily padded gloves weighing from 16 oz. to up are recommended to wear when punching for both boxing and MMA training. MMA punching training might not always be done under the trainer. So a random throwing punch onto a heavy bag requires heavily padded gloves that fully cover your fingers to avoid getting hurt yourself. You might have noticed an MMA fighter training with boxing gloves. Because they need to keep their hands in good condition. Safety is more precious than anything else. Punching with MMA gloves which are open-fingered is different because they’re much smaller. You can do more damage to your opponent, but your hands get hurt easier too. You should learn how to punch properly with MMA gloves. And at the same time, you must prioritize protecting your hands from dryness. Practicing with MMA gloves surely incurs injury unless it is performed under a trainer. An MMA professional might use the MMA gloves for light practice just to be used to them before a fight. Generally, boxing gloves are the only option to train for MMA.
Grappling gloves:
MMA Gloves also called grappling gloves, are the main component of MMA fighting. The pair of gloves is quite suitable for this combat sport. Because it is unlike boxing, MMA fighters grapple each other to make the opponent submit. But in boxing, there is hardly any grappling. But they often clinch sloppily with each other. While in MMA fighting, the fighters have to use grappling gloves to have a firm grip on the opponent. MMA training is multi-faceted. Hitting any concrete objects might cause permanent damage to the fingers. Wearing grappling gloves when MMA fighting does not expose your fingers to an injury. Because the nature of MMA fighting is essentially different from other fights, especially from boxing.
MMA fighting is a multi-combat sport. Its distinctive feature is to grapple with each other. Grappling gloves only weigh only 4 oz. to 6 oz. so it properly works for fighting purposes. But for mass MMA fighting training, grappling gloves are not good for safety reasons. Grappling gloves when used for training purposes are open to injuries. Therefore heavily padded boxing gloves are quite suitable for MMA training, including regular sparring and punching heavy bags.