It is no secret that a decent pair of boxing gloves can be quite pricey, especially if you seek high-quality material, stitching and design. As an essential piece of boxing equipment, and the starter piece of kit for many, what can women boxers do to lengthen the life of our beloved boxing gloves? Join us as we discuss the different ways you can care, maintain and improve the lifetime of your boxing gloves.
Take me to:
Breaking in your new women’s boxing gloves
We all love that moment we receive our new boxing gloves. Often by post, we take great pride ripping open the packaging to reveal a fresh pair of womens boxing gloves. You notice the wrinkle free leather stretched across the foam layers of padding, the familiar smell of new leather hits your nose and then you hear the Velcro being pulled apart as you prepare to try them on. Admittedly, things have been more interesting be in recent years now there are boxing gloves designed for women (and I don’t just mean in barbie pink!).
If you’ve just purchased any of Unorthodoxx women’s boxing gloves you’ll notice the slimmer wrist and extra finger room. Do you also imagine yourself training or sparring with the new women’s boxing gloves?
Before gloving up and punching the boxing bag, pads or partner, it is really important to give your boxing gloves a close-up inspection. Carefully check the lining for any loose or missing stitches as these may later result in your boxing gloves’ padding slipping out of place or holes appearing in the lining. Once you have assessed your women’s boxing gloves stitches you should also check the padding for any inconsistencies such as bumps or dents as these may indicate a manufacturing error. All Unorthodoxx gloves are put through a vigorous quality assurance process to ensure our products are fit for purpose. Finally, check the inside of the boxing glove to make sure the lining is consistent, and the material is comfortable. If you are purchasing your boxing gloves from a physical shop make sure the bag or box contains two gloves of equal weight, such as two 14 oz boxing gloves or two 10 oz boxing gloves, and one left-handed and one right-handed boxing glove.
Once you have carried out the above checks, and you are satisfied with the quality of the design, manufacturing and purchase of the boxing glove, you are ready to lace (or Velcro) up.
How to care for your boxing gloves (and hands) whilst training
Wrap your weapons (aka hands)
The following measures will benefit your hands and the durability of boxing gloves equally.
Unorthodoxx strongly recommends taking the time to wrap your hands using either boxing wraps or crepe bandages. Using boxing wraps provides extra protection to vulnerable or weak areas of your hands such as your knuckles, wrist, and thumb. We recommend using a 4.5 m (177.165 inches) or 4 m (157.48 cm) hand wraps – view our range of womens boxing hand wraps.
Although, we’ve had women tell us they used to only wear hand wraps to make the boxing gloves fit better, even if a glove is snug you should wrap your hands for maximum protection. Wrapping your hands also provides the glove with additional internal padding and support helping them to better absorb impact of your punches.
There are a variety of techniques that can be used to wrap your hands. You should ask your coach or fellow boxer to show you either before or after the session. If you're new to a boxing club this can be a nice ice breaker. You can use this time to ask any question you might have about the club's approach to boxing training, sparring or general fitness for example. But if you want to know one of the many ways check out the video below:
Only hit boxers and boxing equipment
During lockdown, it may be tempting to become inventive with your training methods and the surfaces you punch to train. We urge a sense of caution and encourage you only to use your women’s boxing gloves against appropriate surfaces such as PVC padding, leather padding or your boxing partner. Using your boxing gloves against other surfaces may result in your gloves becoming scratched, ripped or otherwise damaged.
Check the padding of your women’s boxing gloves
If at any point during training or sparring you feel the padding of your glove move significantly or feel a knuckle or any other part of your hand exposed please stop immediately to assess if the extent of the damage. You should always ensure the maximum safety to your hands and your partner; this means being responsible and discarding boxing gloves once they are unsafe to use.
You should confidently expect the average boxing glove to last between 6 to 12 months depending on training frequency and use before there are any issues with the padding. Someone such as Terri Harper, may have multiple pairs of boxing gloves, such as sparring boxing gloves, regular training and bag gloves. Whereas a novice boxer may find owning one of pair of boxing gloves sufficient go train once or a couple of times a week. The frequency of usage and the type of training can significantly impact the life cycle of a boxing glove.
Keep your women’s boxing gloves clean and fresh
We all remember the first time we borrowed a club pair of boxing gloves. That moment where you take your boxing gloves off before starting a warm down (or dreaded circuits) and you catch the vile vinegar-like smell on your hands. Only it isn’t vinegar. It’s the countless times the boxing gloves have been worn by people/you who have likely not washed their hands before putting the gloves on, then trained and sweated in the gloves, before finally leaving them to fester in a dark cupboard or bag. The result being a petri dish of bacteria that germinates from the moisture, hot and cool temperatures, and the lack of air ventilation inside the boxing glove.
What if we told you it didn’t have to be that way?
Extend the cleanliness of your women’s boxing gloves.
Reduce bad smells
Reduce the presence of bacteria
Just by following these four simple steps
1. Wash your hands before and after usage. It doesn’t matter if your fellow boxers think you are being ‘extra’. If 2020 taught us one thing it was the importance of washing your hands. Remember to use soap, warm water if possible and be sure to dry your hands properly after too.
2. Air your gloves! Recycle two 500ml plastic bottles by using safely cutting (please ask an adult) to create a hollow tube. These tubes can then inserted inside the boxing glove.
3. Wear and wash your hand wraps. Regularly washing and airing your boxing hand wraps ensures that you reduce the chances of harmful bacteria growing inside your boxing gloves. Now even easier with the Unorthodoxx hand wrap wash bag.
4. Clean your boxing gloves with an antibacterial spray. Using a disposable cloth or piece of blue roll or kitchen roll spray the outside and inside of your boxing gloves and wipe clean.
Summary
So there you have it! A complete guide to help you consider the most important steps to maintain and improve the cleanliness of your women’s boxing gloves. We hope you find these tips super helpful and we wish you all the best as we return back to our beloved boxing gyms.
Think we’ve missed something? Or have a tip that needs to be added? Let us know!
About Unorthodoxx womens boxing gloves and clothing
Unorthodoxx is the UK’s first Women’s Boxing brand that has been created purely for women and has exclusively designed women’s boxing gloves and women’s boxing clothing. Our products and equipment are designed to offer the ultimate fit, protection and durability for female boxers and combat sports fighters. From novice beginners to elite competition Unorthodoxx fight gear offers the best ladies’ boxing gloves, clothing and equipment.
If you would like to join us on our journey, engage with our growing community and be a part of the Unorthodoxx story follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Check out Unorthodoxx’s boxing gloves, clothes and equipment
# womensboxing # womenwhobox # womensboxinggloves # boxinggloves # womensboxingclothing # veganboxinggloves # FemaleFighter # SS20 # Unorthodoxx # BoxingCollection # BoxingGloves # BoxingGear # BoxingEquipment # WomensClothing # Female Boxing Gloves # WomensBoxing Headguards # LadiesBoxingGloves # GirlsBoxingGloves # boxingglovesfor # ladies # women # girls # ladies boxing gloves
Comments