There are enough types of boxing gloves out there to make your head spin. New quality products are coming out all the time. This can be confusing, even if you know your way around a gym. With that in mind, many people are asking: what are the best boxing gloves for beginners?
There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer. However, it’s something you need to consider as a boxer. Even if you’re just a hobbyist, you’re bound to stagnate if your equipment isn’t right.
With all that said, let’s look at the best boxing gloves for training.
What to look for
A good pair of amateur boxing gloves needs to tick a few key boxes. If you don’t have a particular brand in mind, it’s worth looking into the following:
Size & Weight
A lot goes into finding the ideal size and weight for boxing gloves. In short, your glove weight should go up with your body weight. If you’re a complete amateur, gloves that are too heavy can make it more difficult to learn the proper form.
On the other hand, you may want to go a size up or down depending on your expertise. Less experienced boxers may prefer more padding for added protection. Seasoned pros, however, feel more comfortable making contact with lightweight gloves.
For more detailed instructions, you can look at our glove sizing guide.
Price
For a complete rookie, it’s important to remember that buying overpriced gloves won’t make you a better boxer. As we mentioned, the early stages are all about developing your technique.
There’s plenty of time to upscale your gear if you stick with boxing. As far as the best boxing gloves for beginners go, you can find extremely solid picks for £80 to £150. Still, don’t hesitate to go a bit over budget if it means you’re getting a product with longevity.
Brand reputation
There are many gloves vying for your attention. It’s common to make the wrong call when you aren’t sure what to go for. What often happens with rookies is they pick a brand their favourite boxer uses, only to find out it doesn’t work for them.
Brands like Rival Boxing, Cleto Reyes, and Venum tend to be the most reliable picks for all skill levels. The specific one you should choose depends on many things. One of them is whether you need something for bag training or sparring – more on that below.
The best kinds of boxing gloves for beginners
Technically, there are many ways to classify boxing gloves. It’s worth looking into all of them. Still, as far as amateur boxing goes, these are the main categories to keep in mind:
Bag gloves
As the name suggests, designers created these gloves specifically for punching bag practice. These feature less padding than most other kinds of amateur gloves. They are intended to help you get an idea of how a well-thrown punch should feel.
In other words, these are the ultimate tools for developing proper technique. When you don’t land a punch correctly, you can feel the impact on your knuckles at zero risk of hurting yourself.
Bag mitts
Once you develop a better sense of how hard your hits land, bag mitts can be great for beginners. These feature little to no padding. They are useful for speed training and shadowboxing.
Keep in mind that mitts are mostly there to protect your skin, not your knuckles. You can graduate to mitts relatively quickly with consistent practice. However, they shouldn’t be the first gloves you buy when you start out.
Training gloves
These gloves serve as a middle ground between sparring and bag gloves. They can generally be used for both. This can be a good budget investment if you can’t afford two pairs. They also feature more padding than bag gloves to make sparring matches safer.
When you’re starting out, you may find these a bit unwieldy since your hands won’t be acclimated to the weight. The upside is that once you get used to them, you can hit heavy bags as hard as you want without worry.
Sparring gloves
At one point or another, you’ll have to start duking it out with other boxers. This is where sparring gloves come into play. These are also padded to prevent serious injuries during training, especially to the face and arms.
Sparring matches require more speed, accuracy, and reflexes. Designers created these to give you the best possible performance in a one-on-one match. Again, expect a bit of a learning curve if you’re used to lighter gloves.
Competition gloves
If you don’t have much experience, a pair of amateur competition gloves is something you’ll need to get used to. What sets these apart from pro gloves is the higher weight due to padding. This adds extra safety to adjust for the lack of experience.
FAQs on the best boxing gloves for beginners
What should I choose as my first pair of boxing gloves?
For the best progress, it’s recommended that you invest in several kinds of gloves. If you’re just getting started, though, training gloves offer the most versatility.
Outside of professional boxing, these are usually appropriate for every kind of training. Just be aware that if you diversify with different gloves down the line, you’ll have to put in extra work to adapt.
Can I use bag gloves while sparring?
Gyms will not allow you to spar with bag gloves under any circumstance. There’s no room for compromise in that regard. The design of sparring gloves is such that they keep the risk of injury to a minimum for you and your partner.
How should I clean and maintain my boxing gloves?
As a beginner, learning how to keep your gloves clean takes some getting used to. There are little things you can do daily, like leaving them to air out. You can also use wet wipes or baking soda to get rid of bad smells.
For more information, consult our guide on how to clean boxing gloves.
How often should I practice boxing?
Like with any sport, the more time you put in, the better results you can expect. In general, people who train at least five to six times a week tend to progress faster. Just be sure to add variety to your training. You can focus on bagwork three times a week and spend the other three on footwork or shadowboxing.
That said, don’t overexert yourself. If you keep forcing practice and the wounds on your knuckles get worse, you might see diminishing returns. Investing in wraps or bandages can help you get around that.
Conclusion
That concludes our list of the best boxing gloves for beginners. The key takeaway is that there’s a pair of gloves for every occasion. It’s important to understand the differences to make the most of the learning process.
Also, there’s more to picking out gloves than just figuring out the type. Never forget to take the weight of the gloves into account before deciding. Making the wrong call early on can leave you disheartened. If you feel you aren’t making progress, consider that it might have to do with your gear.
Once you get past the initial hurdles, you might be amazed at the richness of the sport. Until then, stay up-to-date on the necessary equipment and remain persistent in your training.
Step into the gym or the ring with complete confidence in your equipment. Our buyer’s guides are designed to help you make informed decisions on the gear that matters most. Shop with confidence using our guides.