on theglove note, dont bother if you want to have nasty looking cut up knuckles. i didnt use gloves for about a year cause i didnt own any. early one my knuckles were always disgusting looking, and would bleed when i hit the bag. i got hand wraps and everyday i wonder why i never got them before. they give jsut a bit of wrist support, and keep your knuckels from getting scraped, but u still take the brunt of the force, helping to condition your knuckles
For punching, I just punch non stop for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeat 8 times. It is the most murderous thing you will ever do. For kicking, I do the same as above but kicking with alternate legs. Do a search if you want some more info, there are heaps of threads about both Tabata interval training.
I find gloves dont work well for me, they're just to unnatural feeling, so I go with the wrap option.
Yeh Wraps are good. They also stop your hands getting skinned by the bag, without the bulky feel of gloves.
then again, having a nice set of heavy gloves is great too. it makes you get used to having to move faster to hit hard, then when you take them off, theres less wieght so you move even faster and hit WAY harder than before
Gloves, Wraps and Bags Weather or not you use gloves really depends on two criteria. Personal preference and how you train. If you are going to work on a heavy bag like a boxer, then without gloves you will damage your hands and wrists over time. This applies to kicks too. But as many people on this thread have indicated you can mitigate this by building up slowly and conditioning your body. This takes time. Personally I like to beat the hell out of a heavy bag, working in three minute rounds boxing style. Hence I wear gloves and wraps. Bag gloves are designed to be light with minimal padding, their main function being to protect the knuckles and hands form abrasions, cuts etc resulting from hitting the bags surface. Don’t use Boxing gloves on a bag as the bag itself should provide much of the shock absorption. Boxing gloves are designed to protect the person you are hitting when sparring. Using Boxing Gloves on a bag just breaks down the padding and makes them useless more quickly and thus you have wasted your money, as Boxing gloves are far more expensive than basic bag gloves. If you plan to hit heavy and if that is how you train then you should always use wrist wraps. They protect and support your wrist against long term damage from repetitive impact. You may not notice anything in the short term if you don’t use them but over time the impact on your wrist can cause or speed up instances of arthritis, repetitive strain injury or other injuries. In my case an ugly Ganglion which appeared on my wrist for a few years, harmless but ugly. If you get to the gym too late and cant be bothered wrapping your wrists you should look at buying an Inner Glove which you can slip on very quickly. Not as much support as wraps but far better than nothing. Get someone to show you how to put on wraps properly. As other contributors to this thread have noted, wrist wraps can also be used on a bag to provide some level of protection to the surface of the skin. The purpose of a bag, apart form providing a target, is to absorb the shock of the impact thus giving a realistic "feel" to your punch. The shock absorbing properties also decrease the likelihood of injuries to your joints as you impact the bag repeatedly over time. A bag's shock absorbing properties are dependent on how it is filled and with what it is filled. The most common "standard" filling used by most decent bags in Boxing gyms is rags. To achieve different properties some people may mix the basic rag filling with a little sand or sawdust. The outer skin of a bag will either be leather, nylon or PU. Leather obviously lasts longer (and looks good) but costs more then Nylon or PU bags. For most home users leather is unnecessary as the bag wont get the severe punishment that one in a gym would. However people do still but leather bags for home use as they look and "feel" better then synthetic materials. As for what bag to go for and weather or not to use gloves, well at the end of the day that is up to you. All I would say is there is a lot of rubbish on the market. As with any sports equipment you get what you pay for. Boxing and Martial arts equipment is designed to protect you and your sparring partner. If you buy cheap rubbish you may well end up injured and it wont last very long so you will have wasted your money. There is plenty of cheap stuff about and also expensive "fashion" stuff, stay clear. Stick to established and respected brands of Thai and Western Boxing equipment. I say these because they regularly take severe punishment and have to stand the test of time. Its your body you are protecting and your money you are investing. Remember you get what you pay for in the end. If you wish I can out line some of the brands I have come across and what my experience of them is.
Boxing Equipment Brands The information below on equipment is from personal experience and talking to others who fight, spar and also from instructors and gym owners/operators. The main Thai brands are Windy, Twins and Fairtex. There are also Thaismai and Sandee and a few others. All are good quality as they are used in professional Gyms in Thailand. Windy is the oldest Thai Boxing Equipment manufacturer, a family business producing kit for over 60 yrs and used throughout Thailand in most of the professional camps. Very good quality, lasts for ages. Twins is one of Thailand’s major exporters and one of the most popular brands in Thailand. Similar quality to Windy but they have better marketing. It has also made some inroads into Western Boxing. Fairtex is a relatively new Thai brand but use modern quality assured production methods and superior raw materials to produce very high quality kit. They are the official equipment suppliers of K1. Title are a very old British Boxing equipment manufacturer, making kit since 1949. Used extensively in Western boxing gyms in the UK. Like Fairtex they use modern quality assured production methods and superior raw materials to produce very high quality kit. Top Ten are one of only two equipment manufacturers in the world who have been licensed by AIBA the International Amateur Boxing Association to produce equipment for sanctioned amateur boxing bouts. Top Ten have been used in many Olympic games. The other western boxing brands that you might come across are what I would refer to as “fashion” brands geared towards the home fitness market and boxercise type classes; Everlast, Lonsdale and Gold’s Gym. Everlast is a USA company with a very good reputation however Everlast in the UK is produced under licence and differs from the quality of its American parent. Whilst Everlast in the USA is one of the best brands of kit money can buy and is used extensively by professionals and gyms, its UK counterpart is geared up mainly for the home fitness market. Lonsdale is more of a fashion brand now, no real pedigree in boxing equipment any more, just fat people wearing hooded tops and punching each other when they have drunk too much on a Friday night. Gold’s Gym is a weight lifting company that sells a boxing kit range, again only really suitable for home fitness use. If I were you I would stick to the tried and tested brands such as Windy, Twins, Fairtex, Title and Top Ten. Its your body you are protecting and you money you are investing. Remember you get what you pay for in the end.
^^^^^^^^^ What he said! Fightshop.Com thankd for two excellent and inforative posts, loads of really useful information - thanks again.
