How are Boxing Gloves and Kickboxing Gloves Different?

If you are a beginner in the sensational world of boxing, finding the right pair of boxing gloves might seem an intimidating task. You do not want to make any mistakes, and certainly, you don’t want to compromise your safety. There are hundreds of types, styles, and brands, and don’t even get us started on the sizing matters.

That is where experts at Infinitude Fight come to your rescue.

Boxing Gloves

We understand that picking out the right pair of boxing gloves from the many options available in the USA is one of the most crucial decisions you will make. Not only will choosing the wrong ones to hinder your training, but they can also increase the chance of you getting an injury, overtime.

Buy Boxing Gloves

Boxing gloves at Infinitude Fight are not only made from quality materials but are made to match your size perfectly. Our Custom Boxing Gloves are made exclusively for your unique needs, practical or aesthetic.

You can choose the padding weight according to your weight class, type of gloves, colors, custom design elements: you can have any picture, slogan, logo, etc., printed on your custom boxing gloves. Just follow the easy steps of our B.Y.O.D. (Build Your Own Design) customizer, and voila!

Why is choosing the right boxing gloves necessary?

Boxing gloves are the most important part of training; keeping at least two quality pairs of the right ones is the first step of getting started. However, when you begin sorting through boxing gloves options, you begin to realize that there are far more options available than what you might have thought initially.

All of these choices make it a lot difficult to pick and choose a pair that suits you. That especially rings true if you don’t know about the significant differences between gloves, especially the kickboxing and boxing variants.

So, how are kickboxing and boxing gloves different? Let’s discuss:

Kickboxing Gloves Vs. Boxing Gloves

In addition to boxing, there are various types of mixed martial arts/combat sports. Counting from Jujitsu to Krav Maga, Kung Fu, and Karate, mixed martial arts come in various forms – one of them, which has become amazingly popular in recent years, is kickboxing.

The main difference between Kickboxing and Boxing – kickboxers utilize their feet as powerful weapons to get the upper hand on their opponent; however, they are also allowed to throw powerful punches with their fists. So kickboxing is double the challenge.

Both boxing and kickboxing use gloves for protection, but how exactly are these different from each other and vice versa? – The main difference comes from the glove’s proposed use!

When it comes to boxing, it requires heavy power punches for more extended periods, and the main point of contact for these punches are the knuckles of your hands, making it extremely important to protect them.

On the other hand, kickboxing as a martial art needs protective gear suitable for catching, striking, clinching, and blocking kicks.

Key Difference between Boxing Gloves and Kickboxing Gloves:

Shapes and Styles:

Boxing Gloves – Shapes and Styles

The primary weapon for a boxer is their fist. A well-clenched fist lands a powerful punch – this is the reason why almost all boxing gloves are round-shaped at the fingers, enabling a boxer to make a natural fist.

Additionally, protecting the wrist of the boxer is also extremely important; due to this fact, boxing gloves tend to have a slightly larger cuff area that is attached with Velcro or lace. The purpose is to make the gloves a natural extension of the forearms.

You are likely to see many differences in the shape of boxing gloves from different brands. For instance, some have a more rounded shape while other options are on the flatter side.

Moreover, some boxing gloves are more angular in the fists area and get thinner on the wrists. The prime goal for all brands is to provide a perfect position for tightly clenched fists.

The weight and padding distribution of the boxing gloves is built for swift combos of various power hits that differentiate them from the kickboxing gloves.

Kickboxing Gloves – Shapes and Styles

The kickboxing gloves resemble the shape of boxing gloves, but there are some differences. To start, the kickboxing gloves have more of a square shape and are less rounded than the boxing gloves.

Additionally, kickboxing gloves are not aerodynamic compared to other types of gloves as they are difficult to make combos with. As the prime function of the kickboxing gloves is different from that of boxing gloves, most models are slightly open at the palm and have a smaller cuff for increased flexibility.

Also, the kickboxing gloves usually do not have a palm mesh area for circulation like most boxing gloves, which is one of the many distinct features of kickboxing gloves.

Padding:

Boxing Gloves – Padding

Boxers mostly use their fists to land one power punch after another non-stop to take down their opponent. As discussed before, punching puts an immense amount of pressure on the knuckles; thus, boxing gloves are designed with lots of added protective padding in the knuckles area.

Mostly, boxing gloves do not have much padding in and around the palms and wrists areas. However, you might find a bit of extra padding on lace-up gloves, making up for the lack of natural support that is substituted by a strong Velcro strap in Velcro gloves.

Kickboxing Gloves – Padding

As opposed to the boxing gloves, the padding in the kickboxing gloves is more equally spread out. The padding in the thumb and knuckle is not as dominant in kickboxing gloves as with the regular boxing gloves available in the USA; however, the padding on the backside of the hand is much denser. That is done as the kickboxing fighters need better and extended protection from the strong kicks used to defeat their opponents.

Flexibility:

Boxing Gloves – Flexibility

Boxing gloves are expected to be much harder than kickboxing gloves, and as mentioned earlier, they play a part as the natural extension of the hands. They are built in a way to stop the flexing of the wrist when throwing a punch. That is why the cuff in a boxing glove is bigger. Moreover, the gloves cuff area is also much tighter compared to the other glove types.

Kickboxing Gloves – Flexibility

If you want to easily differentiate between the kickboxing gloves and a pair of boxing gloves, try testing their flexibility. The easy test: simply try and open your hand in the glove. If it is too rigid, then probably it is a pair of boxing gloves.

Kickboxing gloves are slightly more flexible when you clench the fist and less rigid than regular boxing gloves. The simple logic behind this design is that kickboxing gloves involve kicks and clinches. Getting and keeping hold of your opponent is an integral part of this kind of combat. Thus, the flexible design of the kickboxing gloves allows a fighter to clinch and even catch their opponents’ kicks. That is why kickboxing gloves do not have a grip bar, ensuring maximum flexibility.

Easy closing and opening of the hands is an important feature distinguishing kickboxing gloves from boxing gloves.

Thumb Area:

Boxing Gloves – Thumb Area

As far as boxing gloves are concerned, the thumb part in them is placed firmly, closer to the first part, in a way to get it secured behind the knuckle padding. The thumb part is generally attached with a piece of the leather strip at the glove for keeping it in place or wholly attached with leather from the thumb and the hand. For boxing, you do want to keep your thumb out of the way of impact as much as possible to prevent it from getting the brunt of the impact and getting injured.

Kickboxing Gloves – Thumb Area

Kickboxing gloves are quite different in their thumb area requirements; when you buy boxing gloves, especially the kickboxing gloves – always consider your intended use.

Having the thumb tucked less into the hand for a kickboxing glove can help you with the grip while clinching and catching. The kickboxing gloves usually come with a straight thumb, which is molded straight into the actual frame of the gloves.

What kind of gloves should you choose?

We hope you have understood the major differences between the two glove types and how boxing and kickboxing gloves differ from each other; however, you might wonder – if all of this matters at all – and which one should you choose?

Can you use boxing gloves for kickboxing? Can you use kickboxing gloves for regular boxing? Or should you stick to ones that are dedicated to a particular martial art? The short answer will be – it all depends and is subjective.

Even though kickboxing and boxing might seem a lot similar – in reality, they both are very different kinds of martial arts. The major difference between the two is that both feet and hands can be utilized in kickboxing while you could only use your hands in boxing.

In addition to this, kickboxing involves kicks and punches, when boxing involves blocks and punches. Keeping this in mind, the kickboxing gloves are structured to provide the fighter with added flexibility in their hands to grab/catch kicks – even when in close quarters.

However, boxing gloves, on the other hand, are designed to offer added cushioning and support to knuckles as fighters throw one power punch after another onto their opponents.

If you aim to train only, either boxing gloves or kickboxing gloves will do the trick; however, when you are shooting for the stars in the ring, please consider buying boxing gloves appropriate for the specific sport.

Picking the right size – how to do it?

Getting the best boxing or kickboxing gloves for your ultimate boxing journey, you have to determine the correct size for all your needs.

When it comes to boxing gloves price and sizing – they are mostly displayed in ounces. The most common sizes are 8oz, 10oz, 12oz, 14oz, 16oz, and 20oz boxing gloves.

Out of all these sizes, the 10oz ones are mostly used for pad and bag workouts, while the 14oz and up to 20oz variants are normally used for sparring.

Boxing gloves or kickboxing gloves’ size is determined by the amount of padding inside, a heavier and weighted one will give you more protection. However, it will likewise slow down your punching speed.

Pro-Tip: Consider opting for a bigger glove size if you are a beginner; this is to be on the safer side and then gradually work your way down towards the competition glove variants as your skills and techniques improve.

To Sum Up:

Whether you are an amateur or a pro boxer, boxing gloves are essential as they offer optimum protection to your fists, knuckles, and hands – preventing any injury from taking place.

We learned how boxing and kickboxing gloves are different. Even when kickboxing and other types might seem similar, all have various distinct features – including style, shape, size, or padding.

Suppose you are thinking of getting into the magical world of boxing. In that case, Infinitude Fight suggests buying quality gear that not only protects you from injuries but also keeps your hygiene game on the top and guarantees you the best lifespan. If you have any questions about our customized boxing gloves or any other questions about all things related to boxing, please reach out to us at our customer support or our Instagram.

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