Review: Ring to Cage Hybrid Training Gloves

Punishment1320 · Oct 13, 2010

Review: Ring to Cage Hybrid Training Gloves | MMA Gear Advice

Per Manufacturer-

The most popular MMA training glove.
Ideal for both training and competition
Open palms.
Weighs 6oz.
Thumb and palm made of neoprene for extra comfort.
Extra wide velcro wrist strap for extra support.
Lightweight, but with thicker padding than other hybrid training gloves.
Made of genuine leather

First Impression- I got these gloves and when I first pulled them out of the box I thought that they seemed to be a little bulky. The fit was good, but still felt bulky. I guess we will see in training how they are.

Construction- One thing that I did notice is how well these gloves are constructed. There were no loose threads and all the leather piping is done well. They do have a screen printed logo across the knuckles which I think over time will come off, but they also have a stitched on logo down on the wrist strap. The padding on these is nice and thick. The lining inside these gloves is very soft. These gloves have a very long wrist strap, which is nice because it feels like it provides better wrist protection. The leather is thick and seems like it will be quite durable. These gloves weigh in at 6oz and are manufactured in Pakistan.

Fit- I got these gloves in a medium which is the smallest size that they make and the fit I would classify as pretty good. They are snug in the fingers, but the wrist is a little loose and to get it tight I really had to make the strap bunch up. It also feels like the gloves themselves are too long for my hand as there is some movement when I actually hit something like a thai pad. However it is easy to make a fist in these and palm of them feel comfortable. It is also easy to grab, which makes grappling very easy. With these gloves, like many other mma gloves they have that small pocket that forms on the outside of your hand when making a fist. I have never had a problem with this, but I have many people tell me that they have hand other people get their fingers stuck in that pocket.

Stand Up- These gloves worked well at stand up. I tried them on the heavy bag just for the sake of seeing how they would perform, and while they did better than 4oz gloves this is not what I would recommend them for. I also tried them with thai pads. On thai pads they moved a little too much on impact. Once I hit the pads a couple times though this seemed to lessen, like they were just shifting into the right position. When using these on mitts they worked well, this was probably my favorite place using them. They provided plenty of shock absorption, and good wrist protection. However I did have to really pull the wrist strap tight to get it to feel right. During sparring I still felt like I could not go full strength with these, even though the padding is good and there is plenty of it, it still feels quite hard. Had no issues with any sort of technique as far as being in a clinch or being to stop a take down. For the most part these gloves felt good for stand up, lets see how they are on the ground.

Ground- I actually think I liked these gloves better for ground work. Felt very comfortable and could easily grab and hold. I was a little worried that I would have some trouble sinking in some submissions, but the only one that gave me any kind of problem was a rear naked choke. The other thing that you have to watch out with these gloves is your opponent grabbing them as they are bigger than a 4oz glove. Ground and pound felt good in these, but still felt as if I should not go full strength. The padding on these is kind of stiff, but it does do a good job at protecting your hands. It was easy to open you hand all the way and place it flat on the mat. I have had gloves in the past that are difficult to do this with due to them being a pre curved glove.

Pros-

*Good Construction

*Lots of Padding

*Work well as a hybrid glove

Cons-

*Padding is a bit stiff

*Could fit better

*Not for heavy bag

Overall- These a good pair of gloves. They do a lot of things right. If you are looking for a pair gloves that you can use for almost any type of training then these might be a pair you want to take a look at. While the fit could be a little better and the padding is stiff, they do more right than wrong. With good construction from a company that is constantly coming out with quality products I can give these gloves a recommendation. They can be picked up for right around$65.