Muay Thai or Boxing Gloves
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We don’t blame you if you think that Muay Thai Gloves and Boxing Gloves are one and the same.
In the eyes of the untrained, both gloves do look similar. Thus, it’s only natural to think that they have similar functions. However, while both are indeed gloves used for fighting and training, each glove could not be any more different from one another. Each is specifically built for its specific discipline and should not be confused for each other.
Just how different are Muay Thai gloves vs Boxing gloves?
Read on below to find out the difference between Muay Thai gloves vs Boxing gloves.
What Makes Muay Thai Gloves Different?
The main difference between Boxing gloves and Muay Thai gloves is where much of the padding is located.
In boxing, gloves have thicker padding on the knuckle area. This helps protect the boxer’s knuckles from the impact of having to constantly hit someone or something. However, in Muay Thai, you’re going to use more than just your fists to land hits. Because of this, the most padded area is not the knuckles, but rather, the back of the hand.
The main reason why the backhand part of Muay Thai gloves have thicker padding is that, in Muay Thai, fighters have to protect themselves from kicks, elbows, and more, which the added padding helps a lot with.
Muay Thai gloves are also generally more flexible. They allow you to grip and grab things better, even with gloves on. This is because clinch work and grappling are all part of Muay Thai.
Also, in Muay Thai, throwing quick rapid punches is not as easy because of the design of the gloves.
Lastly, Muay Thai gloves are actually quite affordable. At least, relative to boxing gloves.
For example, with top-quality boxing gloves, especially those made out of genuine leather, you’ll have to spend at least around $170 if not more. However, with Muay Thai gloves, you’ll only need to spend half of that. The best part is that the gloves are usually handmade in Thailand using genuine leather too, which guarantees that it’s well-constructed and of high quality.
Should You Use Muay Thai Gloves?
Ideally, the answer here should be yes.
After all, if you’re training in Muay Thai, you might as well use the right gloves. Not to mention, they’re more affordable anyway.
In reality, it doesn’t matter as much. At least, not if you’re just training casually. If you have no intention of fighting professional or even in amateur bouts, you won’t really have any issue using boxing gloves to train in Muay Thai. This is because, even if you spar and clinch, you most likely won’t be wearing gloves during such training sessions anyway.
Since you’ll mostly only be wearing gloves when training on your own, you’ll have no problem using boxing gloves.
On the other hand, if you compete or plan on competing, using competition-rated Muay Thai gloves is a must.
The best way to prepare for an actual fight is to simulate it as close as possible when training. This means that you should use the same gear you would use in fights during sparring sessions. However, make sure that you make it a habit to start wearing gloves during sparring and clinching sessions.
This way, you won’t find yourself shocked by how different it feels to wear gloves in an actual fight.
Conclusion
Muay Thai gloves and Boxing gloves are not one and the same. They are different.
At the same time, they can be interchangeable. Not everyone takes Muay Thai seriously, so it’s okay to use Boxing gloves to train in Muay Thai and vice versa. But, if possible, always try and use the appropriate gloves for its discipline.
This is also a way to show the sport and your sparring opponents proper respect.