Are bag gloves really necessary?

[shawnrf]

Or do you guys just have a training pair for sparring and a training pair for bag/mit work? I noticed there are not a lot of options for 16oz bag gloves so I am thinking about just picking up another pair of training gloves. Thoughts?

[KennyWeldon]

As weird as it may sound the bag gloves actually work your speed better than the 16oz sparring/training gloves. If you want speed get you some bag gloves, if you want stamina use the 16oz sparring gloves.

Speed workout that have worked for me...
1 round of regular shadow boxing, the other two with 2lb weights, you can work your way up to whatever weight you want, the highest I do is 5lbs.

The more muscle the shorter your punch gets... muscle is good for the inside fighter.

The less muscle the faster and longer your punch goes out, for defensive fighters the better it is to be more agile and keep the muscle down.

[KennyWeldon]

As weird as it may sound the bag gloves actually work your speed better than the 16oz sparring/training gloves. If you want speed get you some bag gloves, if you want stamina use the 16oz sparring gloves.

Speed workout that have worked for me...
1 round of regular shadow boxing, the other two with 2lb weights, you can work your way up to whatever weight you want, the highest I do is 5lbs.

The more muscle the shorter your punch gets... muscle is good for the inside fighter.

The less muscle the faster and longer your punch goes out, for defensive fighters the better it is to be more agile and keep the muscle down.

keep in mind you will need both bag gloves and training gloves. so get both.

[AndyTravis]

Or do you guys just have a training pair for sparring and a training pair for bag/mit work? I noticed there are not a lot of options for 16oz bag gloves so I am thinking about just picking up another pair of training gloves. Thoughts?

It is all personal preference. I actually use double wraps on the bags without gloves because I find it more comfortable, and for some reason it doesn't hurt my hands or knuckles. I have however used 16oz on one heavy bag because it was old and as hard as a brick wall. Just remember that the more padding you have, the less you can feel your punches and the more likely you will pick up bad habits. I like to know if my punches are landing cleanly and my fingers are in the right position.

[kryo]

It is all personal preference. I actually use double wraps on the bags without gloves because I find it more comfortable, and for some reason it doesn't hurt my hands or knuckles. I have however used 16oz on one heavy bag because it was old and as hard as a brick wall. Just remember that the more padding you have, the less you can feel your punches and the more likely you will pick up bad habits. I like to know if my punches are landing cleanly and my fingers are in the right position.

So you're saying you don't use gloves while hitting the heavy bag?

You just use two pairs of wraps per hand instead?

[AndyTravis]

So you're saying you don't use gloves while hitting the heavy bag?

You just use two pairs of wraps per hand instead?

two pairs of wraps per hand with extra focus around the knuckles. I'm not saying this is for everyone though. I just found my bag work instantly improved when I started doing this.

[Trrmo]

two pairs of wraps per hand with extra focus around the knuckles. I'm not saying this is for everyone though. I just found my bag work instantly improved when I started doing this.

If it works for you thats great but the point is to improve in the boxing ring not on the bag!

Anyway it is a good question, I know a good gym in Oz that uses old boxing gloves for bagwork. I guess the argument is that you dont fight wearing bag gloves so why do bagwork with them.

I use both, but mostly bag gloves. Interesting to hear what others say....

[AndyTravis]

Trrmo, I really think it depends on what you want to get out of bag work. Like you said, who cares how good if I can hit a bag if I can't hit in the ring. My definition of 'hitting the bag better' is technique based rather than power based, but then the better my technique, the better my power. Lol.

[ironalex]

bag mitts, the small old school ones, are used to a. strenghten the hands, b. punch properly with the fist.

[Landon S]

I found my technique cleaned up when I used just wraps because, like the other guy said, you can feel your punches more. Bag gloves are better than 16oz gloves in that respect, you can still feel your punches plenty well through bag gloves so theres no real need to go without but you can if you want.

I like using my 16oz for everything sometimes though, usually for a stretch of about a month and then I'll switch back. It does seem to help my handspeed and my shoulder endurance a bit but I tend to do strange things with my wrists if I do that too long without focusing on my wrist position when I'm shadowboxing.