April 26, 2017 0:00
// Boxing and martial arts
Gloves are an integral part of the equipment of an athlete engaged in martial arts, such as hand–to-hand combat, karate, combat sambo and others. Their main purpose is to protect the fighter’s hands from bruises and fractures.
According to the type of use, gloves of the following types are distinguished:
- for competitions and professional fights,
- for amateur competitions and fights,
- for sparring and training,
- for working with shells (pears, paws).
Gloves for novice fighters are softer, have more weight and an increased amount of filler to soften the blow. The classification of training gloves is determined by the following principle: the greater their mass, the softer they are and, accordingly, more injury-safe. Professionals use tougher gloves in their fights, in accordance with the specified competition rules. When choosing, an important role is played by the skill level and weight of the athlete. Shell gloves are reinforced with a filler of a denser composition, because these gloves have to deal with sports equipment made of coarse matter, such as a trainer’s paw or a punching bag.
The weight of gloves is usually measured in ounces (oz). If the maximum weight of boxing gloves is limited to 22 ounces or 624 grams, then in martial arts the weight of shells ranges from 4 to 8 ounces: gloves weighing 4 oz (100 grams) are suitable for professional competitions, gloves weighing 6 oz (170 grams) can be used for training and amateur fights.
Materials and technologies
Basically, gloves for martial arts are made of leather or very high-quality leatherette. Cotton, elastane and other materials are used less often. The filler is polyurethane foam, gel or horsehair. All these materials soften the impact and have shock-absorbing properties to varying degrees. Horsehair gloves are environmentally friendly, but with a lower coefficient of protection. There are fillers made of cotton wool and foam rubber. These materials do not hold their shape well, have a low elastic limit and are impractical to use.
The gloves are secured with lacing or Velcro around the wrist. Lacing provides a tighter and more secure fit, but requires the help of another person. Velcro increases the stability of the wrist and is very easy to use. In some martial arts, gloves fit the hand with only elastic bands, which increases freedom of movement, reducing fixation.
Features of gloves for various types of martial arts
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