i started out with the traditional thai "bag glove" (about 4-6oz?) and am currently training with a 10oz glove for pads and bag, which is what size i would fight with. i was wondering if anyone had reasons why one size would be more beneficial than the other or if its purely personal preference.
thanks
There are differing opinions on this. The heavier the glove, the more padding, and this is where opinions diverge.
Some feel that the less padding the better, because they feel that conditioning your hands to withstand hard impact is more beneficial.
Some feel the that more padding the better, because they feel that protecting your hands, which are your lifeblood, is more beneficial.
You might also want to look beyond Boxing & MuayThai to decide on your answer. What are your goals as not only a fighter, but a martial artist in general? Are you wishing to fight for a living, or is this just another milestone in your martial arts lifestyle?
If you are interested in pursuing a professional fighting career, then you want to go with heavier gloves to protect your assets!
If you are more interested in a martial arts lifestyle, you probably want to go with lighter gloves for the body conditioning.
There is also the STYLE of training to consider. In the MuayThai world, there are still many gyms that remain true to their bareknuckle roots, and therefore many of the drills still emphasize minimal padding to condition the body for hard impact.
I could go on & on. Just make sure to closely examine your own lifestyle and your goals to decide which direction you want to go with this.
Thanks KK, anyone else have opinions?
I think that pretty much sums it up. the only things he didn't mention was the issue of weight (heavier training gloves) to protect your sparring partner and to train your hands to move faster when you're actually fighting with the lighter gloves.