Long term training can lead to long term consequences. I know, that isn’t usually what you want to hear from this blog, but after years of smashing the bags, boards, and other things, my knuckles have taken a real “impact” (see what I did there?). I broke down a while back an picked up some gel MMA gloves from Century martial arts because they were on clearance for a few dollars. I loved training with them, but after a few rounds on the bag, they were starting to show the signs of use. I kept them, and I still put them on for doing light bag work or fitness training, but I needed an upgrade. Fortunately, Elite Sports came to the rescue!
Elite sports sent me a pair of AWESOME MMA gloves to review along with one of their bjj uniforms (click here to read about it). To be honest I have never before owned a set of gloves that I liked better! As soon as I opened the package I was impressed by the super sharp detail on the design. There is something about wearing a sharp looking pair of gloves that makes you feel faster and more powerful. When I pulled the gloves out of their nifty storage bag, I could tell from the start that they were well constructed. The materials I am used to in the average “bag gloves” are pretty lightweight and soft. The gloves from Elite were made of heavy-duty material that looks as though it will stand the test of time.
When I first tried to put the gloves on, I thought I had gotten a size to small, but then I recognized a neat little feature that I didn’t expect (shown below). Instead of having a continuous wrist loop that you have to worm a sweaty hand through, Elite designed their glove with a small Velcro closure at the wrist that allows easy entry and then keeps the glove in place while you finish the wrist wrap.
Speaking of the wrist wrap, these puppies have some serious support. While many bag gloves and cheap mma gloves have a single wrap around the wrist, the elite gloves have a double wrap feature with two layers of Velcro to prevent slipping and twisting. When I have them on, I feel like I can really lay into the bag without worrying too much about my wrists.
The best part about these gloves is using them for what they were made for. SPARRING! The light weight and flexibility of these gloves makes you feel almost like you aren’t wearing anything until you need it to be there. They allow for full opening and closing of the hands so that you can grab and parry. Once your hand is closed, they offer plenty of padding over the knuckles to keep you safe from misplaced strikes or blocks.
If you are looking for a new set of gloves, I highly recommend that you try the MMA gloves from Elite sports. While you are at it, you can check out their line of fitness equipment at www.borntough.com
https://www.elitesports.com/collections/mma-grappling-gloves