BOXING

Boxing is one of the oldest known martial arts, that are still being practiced today. Besides drawings of the ancient Egyptians, boxing has also been done by the Romans.

Over the years boxing has changed a lot, at one point in time it has been combined with wrestling or people used to wrap leather strips around their hands (filled with parts of lead for extra damage).

Nowadays the rules are strictly enforced for the safety of all parties involved.

A modern day competitive boxer will need the following items: an AIBA approved headguard and gloves, a shirt, shorts, mouth guard and shoes. Bandages underneath the gloves are optional.

Advise for gloves

At Aiki-Budo Sport we make the distinction between the “sparring gloves" and the “bag gloves”. A sparring glove is easily recognizable with the thumb protection, while the bag gloves will be smaller and have an open thumb.

If your training includes sparring with other people we will always recommend the sparring gloves. These are made with a lightweight and airy padding (sometimes in multiple layers of different densities), which will protect your sparring partner from the impact of your punches. These gloves do not have a “hand size” but instead are measured according to your weight. A heavier person will most likely be able to hit harder and thus need more padding.

When you are doing bag trainings only, we would typically recommend a bag glove, which features the open thumb. Because there is no ‘opponent’ except for the stationary punching bag, there is no need to protect the thumb. Be mindful to always place your thumb over your fingers to keep your fist closed, this way your thumb cannot be injured. The padding of the bag gloves is also a lot more compact to protect your hand from the impact of the punching bag. And these gloves do have a recognizable hand size.

Sparring with a bag glove is absolutely not allowed. Because the padding is a lot more dense it will actually harm your sparring partner more and the open thumb is a huge risk for all involved parties.

Nowadays because the trainings are usually a combination of both, a lot of people will use a sparring glove on the punching bag, but keep in mind that the gloves are not made for that kind of intensity and you will most likely notice the wear and tear a little sooner. 

In our experience having both sets of gloves for both types of training are best!