Punching technique with boxing gloves vs MMA gloves?

[Legendary]

I know that 16oz gloves are the norm for sparring and for good reason. I also know that you shouldn't go hard on the heavybag if you are using MMA gloves due to the limited padding. This post really pertains to MMA and bareknuckle situations.

In boxing, you are taught to keep your fist loose until right before impact. Make sense as you will lose speed if you tense up too much. The way boxing gloves are constructed makes it pretty much impossible to make a proper fist with the thumb below the index and middle finger(s). The extra padding and wraps makes up for this lack of a closed fist that would be normal in a bareknuckle or MMA fight. In my experience this significantly changes the punching mechanics.

When punching with MMA gloves, it seems like you need to keep the fists closed even when accelerating your punches. If you dont, you are likely to injure your knuckles or fingers. I think this is another factor in why the punch count is lower compared to boxing, even when fights remain on the feet.

Most people opt for throwing hooks with the thumb facing up as it feels more natural, especially in boxing gloves. With MMA gloves, I can throw a really hard hook with the thumb facing horizontal and it feels solid. When throwing this punch in boxing gloves, my wrists gets hyper-extended and its simply not an option.

If you are training for self defense, bareknuckle, or MMA, you should consider doing some bag work and pad work with MMA gloves. Whenever I switch between the two, they both feel foreign and it takes a few sessions to get the "feel" correct.

When using boxing gloves, my long hooks are hardly effective and at range I am using more jabs and straights When I use MMA gloves, long hooks become more of a weapon because of the closed fist. Try throwing a long hook with boxing gloves and it you will often land below the knuckles. Igor, Gus, and Fedor successfully used these in MMA, where as in Boxing they tend to throw shorter hooks with a 90 degree arm bend.

Does anyone notice these differences?

 

[FighterTwister]

Oh, this is what caused my thumb injury I purchased gloves with the webbing between the thumb like this.........

Since then with scissors I cut the webbing allowing the thumb to curl in like it should, much better and thumb is protected as it should be.

So to anyone using this type of glove be aware before you go hard on bag, at least for me anyway!

 

[Inquisitus]

I know that 16oz gloves are the norm for sparring and for good reason. I also know that you shouldn't go hard on the heavybag if you are using MMA gloves due to the limited padding. This post really pertains to MMA and bareknuckle situations.

In boxing, you are taught to keep your fist loose until right before impact. Make sense as you will lose speed if you tense up too much. The way boxing gloves are constructed makes it pretty much impossible to make a proper fist with the thumb below the index and middle finger(s). The extra padding and wraps makes up for this lack of a closed fist that would be normal in a bareknuckle or MMA fight. In my experience this significantly changes the punching mechanics.

When punching with MMA gloves, it seems like you need to keep the fists closed even when accelerating your punches. If you dont, you are likely to injure your knuckles or fingers. I think this is another factor in why the punch count is lower compared to boxing, even when fights remain on the feet.

Most people opt for throwing hooks with the thumb facing up as it feels more natural, especially in boxing gloves. With MMA gloves, I can throw a really hard hook with the thumb facing horizontal and it feels solid. When throwing this punch in boxing gloves, my wrists gets hyper-extended and its simply not an option.

If you are training for self defense, bareknuckle, or MMA, you should consider doing some bag work and pad work with MMA gloves. Whenever I switch between the two, they both feel foreign and it takes a few sessions to get the "feel" correct.

When using boxing gloves, my long hooks are hardly effective and at range I am using more jabs and straights When I use MMA gloves, long hooks become more of a weapon because of the closed fist. Try throwing a long hook with boxing gloves and it you will often land below the knuckles. Igor, Gus, and Fedor successfully used these in MMA, where as in Boxing they tend to throw shorter hooks with a 90 degree arm bend.

Does anyone notice these differences?

Try bag mitts instead. Less padding than MMA gloves and thumb is free. Forces you to have the correct fist and hit with the right knuckles . Your knuckles will be sore but won't have scrapes or friction burn.

Or do old school karate and hit bare knuckle.

 

[ARIZE]

I also know that you shouldn't go hard on the heavybag if you are using MMA gloves due to the limited padding.

Not really...

Like Inquisitus said, mitts for bags have a lot less padding than regular gloves and can be compared to MMA ones. Sorry, but it's nothing new. People use big gloves for sparring, and smaller ones for the bag.
Experienced fighter may not need to use small ones on the bag, and some of them want to protect their hands after chronic injuries. But usually beginners are told to get specific bag gloves.

 

[biscuitsbrah]

I rarely hit mitts with mma gloves and never hit the bag with mma gloves. It’s cool to experience but it’s hard to get good work in unless you have a good mitt holder. And your hands and wrists will be bad sore afterwards.

I do like to spar in hybrid gloves. (6-7 oz) But almost no touch sparring with hard kicks to the leg and body and full on grappling. Full speed, zero or minimal touching to the head. I feel like for mma fighters this is the equivalent to Muay Thai ‘flow’ sparring or bjj ‘flow’ rolling. But because we don’t get to train these arts as much as specialists, we have to spar or roll hard almost every time we hit the mats for live work

 

[JKD sanda]

I use bag mitts on bag , hybrid mma/boxing gloves on pads and of course boxing gloves for sparring . Only time mma gloves for sparring is training for lei tai match . if I do use no gloves on heavy bag I have hand wraps on .

 

[fighthug]

The fight to workout in punching bag the thumb is free.

 

[eternaldarkness]

I know that 16oz gloves are the norm for sparring and for good reason. I also know that you shouldn't go hard on the heavybag if you are using MMA gloves due to the limited padding. This post really pertains to MMA and bareknuckle situations.

In boxing, you are taught to keep your fist loose until right before impact. Make sense as you will lose speed if you tense up too much. The way boxing gloves are constructed makes it pretty much impossible to make a proper fist with the thumb below the index and middle finger(s). The extra padding and wraps makes up for this lack of a closed fist that would be normal in a bareknuckle or MMA fight. In my experience this significantly changes the punching mechanics.

When punching with MMA gloves, it seems like you need to keep the fists closed even when accelerating your punches. If you dont, you are likely to injure your knuckles or fingers. I think this is another factor in why the punch count is lower compared to boxing, even when fights remain on the feet.

Most people opt for throwing hooks with the thumb facing up as it feels more natural, especially in boxing gloves. With MMA gloves, I can throw a really hard hook with the thumb facing horizontal and it feels solid. When throwing this punch in boxing gloves, my wrists gets hyper-extended and its simply not an option.

If you are training for self defense, bareknuckle, or MMA, you should consider doing some bag work and pad work with MMA gloves. Whenever I switch between the two, they both feel foreign and it takes a few sessions to get the "feel" correct.

When using boxing gloves, my long hooks are hardly effective and at range I am using more jabs and straights When I use MMA gloves, long hooks become more of a weapon because of the closed fist. Try throwing a long hook with boxing gloves and it you will often land below the knuckles. Igor, Gus, and Fedor successfully used these in MMA, where as in Boxing they tend to throw shorter hooks with a 90 degree arm bend.

Does anyone notice these differences?

nope. you can punch or you can't. i'm a boxer that has fought mma and the odd bare knuckle "match". you either have good hand posture or you don't. you can actually punch the bag full power with mma gloves or small bag mitts with a semi loose fist if you have correct bone alingment.

 

[lee0413]

if you throw a long hook with mma gloves on you might have more of an incentive to throw it with the back of your hand faceing you than with boxing gloves. Fedor used to throw hooks with his wrists curled foreward

 

[j123]

I've rarely done bag or padwork with MMA gloves, even if they're the more padded version (7-8oz)

Pad/bag has always been big gloves

The smaller gloves actually keep your technique more honest. Eg you get lazy on hooks and don't curl the wrist in as much, but the big gloves let you get away with it. Smaller gloves you'd cut your fingers since if you didn't they'd hit Hirst before your knuckles

Defense is different as well, as you've probably already experienced first hand. Things are more compact, and relying on shelling up isnt going to bode well

 

[Cole train]

if you throw a long hook with mma gloves on you might have more of an incentive to throw it with the back of your hand faceing you than with boxing gloves. Fedor used to throw hooks with his wrists curled foreward

They teach that in russia as correct way to throw hooks(they call it "soviet style" lol)

Vovchanchyn hit the same way also

Also works good with mma gloves.

 

[trendnick]

I use cheap punchbag gloves no fixed thumb 8 0z or so.

 

[Ilk]

I always did bagwork with big 16 oz spar gloves. But I ll do a few rounds per week bare knuckle for technique and conditioning reasons. I actually read that advice from someone in this forum.

 

[shincheckin]

Oh, this is what caused my thumb injury I purchased gloves with the webbing between the thumb like this.........

Since then with scissors I cut the webbing allowing the thumb to curl in like it should, much better and thumb is protected as it should be.

So to anyone using this type of glove be aware before you go hard on bag, at least for me anyway!

the webbing is actually designed as thumb protection.

 

[Sensei Student]

In boxing, you are taught to keep your fist loose until right before impact. Make sense as you will lose speed if you tense up too much.

When punching with MMA gloves, it seems like you need to keep the fists closed even when accelerating your punches.

Wrong, Wing Chun teaches you to relax your hands until impact.

We also see many MMA fighters keeping their hands open when guarding or posting or even throwing that's why we see so many eye pokes.

People need to fight more like the Diaz and start slapping

 

[rick reeves]

Maybe I am just a bit country but gloves you use are made for everyone and not every is the same. We have different hand structures, digit length, and even our joints are individually different. There fore, it seems logical that some glove just don't fit some people. I wish I had mine, I made them but unfortunately a flood trashed everything. Anyway, I made mine using lots of leather and what ever to bastardize a few pair of skate board gloves that my kids refused to use. I could adjust it and change it until it fit perfect. See I was a father of 10 kids married to a very angry woman. I do not hit women instead I put up a heavy bag a with a picture of her on it. Every time she pushed my buttons, down I go to my heavy bag. I was down there so much, I had to make gloves that didn't hurt cause I needed to work. The right fitting gloves saved my family. All of us doing well, She died.

So making a glove fit right is not against the law and I think you should do it until you are confident in your punch throwing technique and how effective your punches are. you only get one chance to throw it right. They allowed me to use them in a couple of "every which way but loose" type of events. Hey kids had to eat and I had to fight bikers at twice my weight.
Throw it with impact.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

I rarely hit mitts with mma gloves and never hit the bag with mma gloves. It’s cool to experience but it’s hard to get good work in unless you have a good mitt holder. And your hands and wrists will be bad sore afterwards.

I do like to spar in hybrid gloves. (6-7 oz) But almost no touch sparring with hard kicks to the leg and body and full on grappling. Full speed, zero or minimal touching to the head. I feel like for mma fighters this is the equivalent to Muay Thai ‘flow’ sparring or bjj ‘flow’ rolling. But because we don’t get to train these arts as much as specialists, we have to spar or roll hard almost every time we hit the mats for live work

It's funny how everyone online values technical, play sparring. Including myself. Yet, in reality most people spar hard.

Are people that post about it softer by definition? Or

I know that 16oz gloves are the norm for sparring and for good reason. I also know that you shouldn't go hard on the heavybag if you are using MMA gloves due to the limited padding. This post really pertains to MMA and bareknuckle situations.

In boxing, you are taught to keep your fist loose until right before impact. Make sense as you will lose speed if you tense up too much. The way boxing gloves are constructed makes it pretty much impossible to make a proper fist with the thumb below the index and middle finger(s). The extra padding and wraps makes up for this lack of a closed fist that would be normal in a bareknuckle or MMA fight. In my experience this significantly changes the punching mechanics.

When punching with MMA gloves, it seems like you need to keep the fists closed even when accelerating your punches. If you dont, you are likely to injure your knuckles or fingers. I think this is another factor in why the punch count is lower compared to boxing, even when fights remain on the feet.

Most people opt for throwing hooks with the thumb facing up as it feels more natural, especially in boxing gloves. With MMA gloves, I can throw a really hard hook with the thumb facing horizontal and it feels solid. When throwing this punch in boxing gloves, my wrists gets hyper-extended and its simply not an option.

If you are training for self defense, bareknuckle, or MMA, you should consider doing some bag work and pad work with MMA gloves. Whenever I switch between the two, they both feel foreign and it takes a few sessions to get the "feel" correct.

When using boxing gloves, my long hooks are hardly effective and at range I am using more jabs and straights When I use MMA gloves, long hooks become more of a weapon because of the closed fist. Try throwing a long hook with boxing gloves and it you will often land below the knuckles. Igor, Gus, and Fedor successfully used these in MMA, where as in Boxing they tend to throw shorter hooks with a 90 degree arm bend.

Does anyone notice these differences?

I spar with Twins 12 Onzes and people that spar in the clubs I have seen certainly don't spar with bigger gloves.
I have seen many people spar with smaller gloves even.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

Not really...

Like Inquisitus said, mitts for bags have a lot less padding than regular gloves and can be compared to MMA ones. Sorry, but it's nothing new. People use big gloves for sparring, and smaller ones for the bag.
Experienced fighter may not need to use small ones on the bag, and some of them want to protect their hands after chronic injuries. But usually beginners are told to get specific bag gloves.

In my experience it's about not crushing the foam of your sparring gloves on the bag, so that it is safer. Nothing to do with being a beginner or whatever.

 

[SandisLL]

Because beginners might heavily use the same gloves for long bagwork sessions and use them for this purpose also at home on daily basis and then come to spar with " old " gloves with too pressed padding material in them. Beginners also might be with lower conditioning and to help them not injury themselves with too long hot bagworks ….

not crushing the foam of your sparring gloves on the bag

 

[SandisLL]

But I ll do a few rounds per week bare knuckle for technique and conditioning reasons. I actually read that advice from someone in this forum.

https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/your-experiences-with-broken-hands.3978895/
There I think.

I'm not trainer or instructor, however will wrote someting. Conditioning purpose isn't only for knuckles. Knuckle is just the end tool for striking with bare hand fist.
Initially when conditioning programme are done, better is to do it slowly and with all exercises complex.
Bag beating barehands I initially did with low force, later increased force during months, later longetivity of sessions increased.
Modern striking is built around the hand wrap and only after this glove. Without hand wrapping feeling and fist closing will be slightly different. There's not worth to hurry, better slower progress in conditioning than damages to forearm.
I feel comfortable to beat heavy bag for shorter timeframe barehands and this likes me. To hit chin, jaw etc with bare hand don't fear, but forehead i really fear to hit with bare hand.
Long work I prefer hit bag like all modern guys, wrappings, gloves. Beat bag with MMA gloves doesn't likes me, I usually use bare hands for really short work or with wrappings for longer, for more diligent longer work even 10 oz KB gloves likes me better, then boxing gloves. I use MMA gloves for some kind of spar, cos I cannot grapple normally with KB gloves but on bag rarerly. I don't do for MMA training so it not so important for me, but if you wish to compete in MMA, this different approach to question than my exp.