Boxing gloves - what size to choose, what to follow?

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What affects the size of boxing gloves ?

The size of a particular model of boxing gloves is determined primarily by the materials used - especially the filling of the gloves. Most gloves are filled with foam, but depending on its parameters, its volume and weight can vary significantly.
On the market you can also find many models of boxing gloves with layered filling in which each layer is made of a different material and different parameters.
An additional element that can affect the weight of the gloves can be additional inserts in the wrist area or in the blocking zones as is the case, for example, in the following glove models.

Does glove weight affect glove size ?

To some extent, yes - this is evident primarily by comparing the weights of 6 oz , 8 oz and 10 oz as shown in the photos below.


This difference, however, ceases to be so noticeable from a weight of 10 oz and above, at higher weights the external volume of the gloves increases, which is related to the use of more and more foam in the impact zone, but the internal size of the gloves is very similar and usually the difference does not exceed 1 cm, which in the case of boxing gloves is not so important and can be reduced by using the appropriate length boxing wraps or inner gloves  

Shown below are boxing glove inserts weighing : 10 oz and 14 oz. As you can see the 14 oz glove insert is larger however the A and B dimensions in both inserts are very comparable. So the outer glove volume and weight has increased but the inner size is very similar.


 

Weight vs. glove size

What the weight of the glove depends on? It depends on the size of the cartridge it is filled with. Most gloves available on the Polish and world market are filled with foam castings. Different foams have different impact absorption. Less common are layer-filled gloves. Gloves in the smaller weight options - 6 oz, 8 oz or 10 oz - have a larger variation in the size of the inside of the liner, so here the weight of the glove really has an impact on its size. On the other hand, in options above 10 ounces, this dimension no longer changes so significantly, but the thickness and density of the foam insert, as well as its surface area, do change. The internal dimensions between the different weights are already millimeter differences, which have little effect on whether the gloves will be suitable for larger or smaller hands. The various boxing glove designations should be interpreted like this: 6 oz - for children aged 6 to 9 years, 8 oz - for youth, women and people with small hands, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16 oz - for adult fighters. Weight differences between gloves from 10 to 16 oz can be bridged with the use of boxing wraps.

So how to choose the right size/weight gloves?

Since you already know that the weight of gloves quoted by manufacturers does not necessarily go hand in hand with the size of the glove, you're probably wondering how to choose the right one for you in this situation? Fortunately, there is a certain unwritten standard among the vast majority of boxing glove manufacturers as shown in the table below.

Glove weight	Destination
4 oz - 6 oz	Gloves designed for children up to about 10 years of age
8 oz	Gloves designed for youngsters up to 15 years old and women with small hands.
10 oz - 12 oz	Gloves designed for adults Purpose: technical training, instruments
14 oz and heavier	Gloves designed for adults Purpose: sparring

Starting with the smallest 4 oz gloves, they are dedicated for the youngest martial arts adepts, mostly up to the age of 6 years.
Gloves 6 oz a little larger and can be successfully used for children up to about 10 years of age.
The 8 oz gloves are a good choice for women with small hands and for youngsters up to about 15 years of age.
From the weight of 10 oz, the inner size of the gloves is suitable for adults with normal-sized hands. From this weight on, the subsequent weight options do not affect their internal size as much (the maximum difference is usually within 1 cm), so the choice of a specific weight option should be determined by their purpose, which I will write about in the next section.

The 10 oz gloves are provided for training on instruments such as bags, targets and the like, as they allow to develop speed and dynamics. The 12 oz gloves are also suitable for training on instruments, but they are also good for people who train with a partner. They provide better cushioning of the force of impact, so they increase the safety of the sparring partner in various tasks. They are a good compromise between weight and impact force absorption. The 14 oz gloves are quite heavy and have a thicker foam insert, so they are excellent for sparring. Perfectly absorb the force of impact and make it easier to block blows when training with a partner. The same is true of the 16 oz boxing gloves, which have a large size and considerable weight, so they are designed for sparring training, with a partner. It is a good idea to consult with your trainer about which gloves are used at the club and which will be best for you.

How to choose boxing gloves according to their purpose ?

As you already know from the weight of 10 oz, the inner size of the gloves does not change that much, however, the outer size changes which is related to the use of more and more filling in the impact zone.
Whether the gloves are larger and thus have a thicker strike zone the safer they are for your sparring partner. An additional advantage of large gloves is that it is easier to hide behind them when blocking blows which will also increase your safety.
In conclusion, the big heavy gloves are great for sparring.

The situation is completely different during technical training, for example, on instruments such as a boxing bag or targets. In this situation, a better solution will be lighter gloves that will make it less difficult to work on technique, dynamics and speed. So let's summarize in the form of a table what size gloves to choose depending on the purpose

Glove weight	Destination
10 oz	Gloves designed for children up to about 10 years of age
12 oz	Gloves designed for youngsters up to 15 years old and women with small hands.
14 oz and heavier	Gloves designed for adults Purpose: technical training, instruments

 

How to choose the weight of gloves depending on your training goal ?

A slightly different system of selecting boxing gloves should be followed when preparing for a competitive start.
Depending on what stage of preparation you are at you should use gloves of a different weight.
If you are at the stage of building strength endurance and conditioning you should use heavier gloves - even if you are only training on instruments.
Some athletes use an extra load on the gloves, as this helps to increase the body's capacity and strength of the athlete. The training goal can change, so some of the players who compete in tournaments have several pairs of gloves in different weight options. The weight of the gloves may vary, depending on whether the athlete is at the beginning of preparations for competitions or at the end of such trainings. You need to follow a different criterion when you are training amateur boxing, and another when you are preparing to compete in competitions - then what matters most is the weight of the gloves and matching them to the training goals and preparation phase of the athlete.
The closer you get to the competitive start, the more attention is paid to building speed and dynamics and catching freshness, so at this stage you should use lightweight gloves.
In most cases, tournament weights are 10 oz gloves, so in the final stage of preparation you should train with just such gloves. It's important not to limit yourself to training with big gloves all the time, which can lead to bad habits in both blocking and delivering blows.

Glove weight	Destination
10 oz	Training speed and dynamics, catching freshness
12 oz and heavier	Conditioning and endurance training

How to keep your gloves clean? What to do when they smell bad?

After some time of using boxing gloves due to sweating hands, an unpleasant smell will start to come out of them. Sweat absorption into the gloves can, of course, be significantly reduced by using boxing bandages or inner gloves - but you probably won't be able to avoid the process completely. So what to do? First of all, remember to dry your gloves well after training - but do not leave them on a hot radiator as the material they are made of may crack. Dry gloves at room temperature - preferably in an airy place.

Another method used by many people is to put the gloves, for example, in the freezer overnight. Of course, it is important to remember to put the gloves in a plastic bag/reclamation box and not to move them after removing them from the freezer, leaving them to regain their elasticity completely (frozen skai/leather could crack). Such treatment should effectively eliminate the odor-causing bacteria.

Myths about. size of boxing gloves.

On the Internet you can find a lot of myths propagated by various people with which I do not fully agree. Let's dissect a few of them.

Myth 1. Choose the weight of the gloves according to your body weight.

This is one of by far the most popular myths with which I disagree. Probably a mental shortcut was used here based on the fact that people who weigh a lot have more strength and thus need thicker (and thus heavier) gloves. Just how do you know that someone who weighs less has weaker strokes than someone weighing more? I know a lot of people who, despite their light weight, have powerful punches as well as a lot of people who, despite their heavy weight, can't hit strongly.

Not true: the weight of the gloves should be selected for the specific application possibly training purpose and not for the weight of the trainer.


Myth 2. You should always train with the heaviest gloves possible because it will make you a stronger punch.

Training with heavy gloves will actually fatigue your arms faster so it may be advisable at the stage of developing fitness and endurance. It should be remembered, however, that the power of a blow depends not only on the strength of the muscles but also on many other elements, such as correctness of technique and speed, among others, and these qualities should be developed with the least possible muscle fatigue so as to avoid unnecessary muscle tension and movements.  

not true: the weight of the gloves should be selected according to your current training goal and this can change depending on what stage of preparation you are at. Training all the time with heavy gloves can perpetuate bad habits.

Myth 3. When training on instruments, it is not worth using gloves which will help harden your fists.

Although from time to time it is worth scoring training on instruments (such as a punching bag) without gloves, for example, to see how we react to the infliction of blows without protectors, it is definitely not a good idea to train like this all the time. During impact, our wrist and joints are exposed to numerous injuries and micro-trauma, which over time can lead to permanent degeneration completely depriving you of the ability to train.

Not true: If you are serious about training for the long term then you need to take care of your hands by using the right gloves.

Several common myths that you can read, among others, on various online forums, unfortunately, can prevent you from choosing the correct weight of boxing gloves. What information on the subject should be taken into considerable consideration? The weight of the gloves should be matched to the weight of the athlete. This is not entirely true, because the weight of the gloves goes with the force of the impact, not with the weight of the user. The rule that the greater the weight of the athlete, the heavier the gloves should not apply. It is a myth. The weight of the gloves should be adjusted to the purpose of using them. If the most important thing is the safety of training, you should use heavy gloves that better absorb the force of impact. Do not use gloves when training on instruments.
Nowadays, in professional sports, the priority is to take care of one's safety, and when boxing without gloves, micro-injuries and injuries can occur that will exclude the athlete from training. Using such solutions is designed to protect the hands from micro-injuries and provide training comfort, allowing the athlete to practice the sport longer. It is necessary to train all the time with the heaviest possible gloves, as this allows you to develop better, greater hitting power. This is a myth, because this strength is affected by many factors, m.in. dynamics, speed, technique of delivering blows. Training with only the heaviest gloves possible can involve making mistakes and signaling strikes unnecessarily. Only during certain phases of training are heavy gloves advisable. However, the weight of the load should vary depending on what stage of training you are in.

INTERESTING

In the case of professional gloves used by professionals, fillers with increased density are used so that while maintaining the required weight, such as 10 oz, the size of the gloves is reduced as much as possible.
In some federations, the gloves used are additionally weighted near the cuff which allows the gloves to be even smaller around the impact zone. Ultimately, such gloves despite weighing 10 oz are much smaller and tougher than those commonly used in amateur inches.
These treatments are aimed at making fights more spectacular by increasing the number of knockouts.

Summary

You already know the relationship between weight and size of boxing gloves and which weights to use for a specific application.
If you're going to get into boxing seriously then you'll probably ultimately equip yourself with at least 2 weight options i.e. 10 oz for instrument training and some heavier 14 oz or 16 oz for sparring.

However, if you are just starting out in combat sports and at this point can only afford to buy 1 pair of gloves then I suggest the following:

• 10 oz - if you need gloves for training on instruments at home (for example, on a punching bag)
• 12 oz - if you are starting to train in a club and will be using the gloves for both instrument training and partner exercises.

If you are looking for safe gloves that meet EU CE safety standards at a good price then I encourage you to browse our offer: DBX BUSHIDO Boxing Gloves>>.


See also:
How to choose gloves for training on a punching bag >>.
How to take care of training gloves? What to do to get rid of unpleasant odor?>>



Author of entry:
Damian Dubiel