Muay Thai may be known for its explosive kicks and elbow strikes, but one piece of equipment is paramount for fighters of all skill levels and ages: tough and dependable gloves. From its inception, Muay Thai has been practiced by warriors during peacetime as a way to hone the mind and the body, and the last thing you want to do while strengthening yourself is get injured. Muay Thai gloves come in several different sizes and padding types to help with various methods of training.
So what size gloves do you need for Muay Thai? Here’s how you can find the right gloves to keep you, your sparring partner, and even your training equipment protected during competitions and practice.
What Is the Purpose of Gloves In Muay Thai?
Muay thai is an intense mixed martial art that focuses on striking with the fist. If you’ve ever been in real-life combat, or even participated in any form of high-contact sport, you’re probably aware of how easy it is to injure your hands. Gloves are meant to protect both you and your opponent, both in and out of the ring, and are arguably the most important gear you can wear. In competitive arenas, they are often mandatory.
Unlike boxing gloves where the majority of the padding is applied over the knuckles for direct punches, gloves used for Muay Thai feature padding that is more evenly distributed for clinching and blocking. Muay Thai gloves also feature stiff wrist support and specific shaping for the thumb to enable greater dexterity than a boxing glove would require. A good pair of gloves should fit tightly and minimize wrist motion. If you find your gloves don’t quite do the job, you can wear hand wraps beneath the gloves to apply additional protection and support.
Gloves for General Training
Often designed to be easy to put on or take off, training gloves are great for basic training and feature a good amount of padding (the weight of each glove can vary a bit). Whether you practice boxing, kickboxing, or Muay Thai, training gloves are great for everyday practice.
Best Gloves for Sparring
Sparring gloves feature a bit more padding than traditional or competition gloves, since the purpose of sparring is to practice without the threat of injury. They are also often the heaviest, with some weighing from 14 to 16 ounces. This allows you and your opponent more opportunities to study unknown or high-power techniques without increasing the threat of injury.
Best Gloves for Bag Work
Bag gloves are generally slimmer, featuring less padding to enable more precise hand and thumb movement during practice with the punching bag. This can increase the risk of injury, however, so some professionals choose not to use them.
Best Gloves for Competition Fighting
Competition gloves are by far the most specific in terms of design and padding. Using stiffer materials than other gloves, competition Muay Thai gloves are typically laced to the arm and feature less padding than sparring gloves to deal more damage. Most professional Muay Thai boxing tournaments require 10-ounce competition gloves. There will usually be strict guidelines, so before you compete, ask your instructor if your gloves will fit the regulations.
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