MMA gloves - what you need to look out for

MMA gloves

MMA is one of the fastest growing combat sports in the world. In the USA, MMA or UFC has even beaten American football and baseball in terms of popularity. This martial art is also becoming increasingly popular in Germany. More and more competitions and tournaments are being organised in Shooto and other categories and associations. Here is the first difference:

• Freefight gloves for Shooto are different from other gloves.

But are normal MMA gloves generally suitable for sparring or are there better alternatives?

Sparring vs. competition

Sparring gloves are normally used for sparring. So how do MMA gloves differ from these models? The sparring gloves have oversized protectors. This means that the area on the fists is simply better padded and larger. The palms are usually open. Incidentally, this is exactly the type of glove used in Shooto:

• open palms
• thick foam padding (to better absorb shocks and minimise the risk of injury)

Especially in the amateur sector, it is important to make the fight as safe as possible. They are fighters and athletes, nobody should want to seriously injure their opponent on purpose.
In competition, however, a different type of MMA glove is used. The Free Fight gloves are not as thickly padded as the gloves for sparring, but the palms must also be open. Otherwise, there are hardly any differences that could play a decisive role.

What do you need to look out for when buying?

The gloves should have very good seams. Especially in martial arts such as MMA or Shooto, it is important to have good quality equipment. Conversely, however, this does not necessarily mean that the cost of MMA gloves will increase dramatically. There are enough models in the mid-price segment that are just as high quality and are very suitable for beginners who are not yet sure whether they really want to practise this martial art.
Of course, if you are an advanced fighter or even a beginner who has decided to become a fighter, you need to make sure your MMA gloves are of good quality.
This is important:

• You must be able to fight comfortably with the gloves
• The gloves must fit you very well
• Good quality also means a long service life and possibly fewer injuries