Read any MMA training forum, or visit any MMA chat room and you will see the question regarding using MMA gloves during heavy bag training constantly. There seems to be a lot of misconception regarding this subject. So let me give you the short answer first: Yes, you can use your MMA gloves while doing heavy bag training. You can also choose not to use any gloves at all, if you like. You can choose to train however you want, but just because you can do something doesn’t make it advisable.

If you are serious about your heavy bag training then you should purchase separate, heavy duty, gloves for your heavy bag training. These gloves should be between 10 ounces and 16 ounces, depending on your size. Many trainers say that you should use the heaviest glove possible that still allows you to use proper technique. There are several reasons why you want to use separate heavy bag gloves:

* Prevent Injuries: Your MMA are just too light. With an average weight of 4 ounces, and generally not weighing more than 8 ounces, MMA gloves allow you to throw your punches with greater speed and force, this constant pounding on your hands can produce injuries to the bones and joints in the hands and arms. Additionally, there is only 1 inch of padding in the MMA glove to soften the blow compared to 3 inches in the standard heavy bag glove. The fact that you’re MMA gloves are open fingered makes them less desirable for heavy bag training. Providing no protection to the fingers, many fighters have received multiple finger injuries.

* Wear and tear: Bag training is not just hard on your body; it is also tough on your equipment. While doing bag training you are throwing hard heavy punches at a very solid object. This constant pounding has a tendency to take a toll on your gloves. The padding in the gloves gets dispersed making them unsafe for actual tournaments. The outer shell can also start to tear, exposing the padding. If you don’t have a good pair of heavy duty gloves for your heavy bag training you can find yourself replacing gloves more often than you would like to.

* Training Aide: Have you ever watched a batter in the warm up circle? He takes practice swings with doughnuts on his bat. By practicing with the heavier weight the batter is capable of swinging faster, and getting his hands through the swing even when faced with a high velocity pitcher. The same thing rings true with you heavy duty boxing gloves. When throwing punching combinations with a heavier glove your muscles develop a strength and muscle memory. When you drop down the weight of the glove from the 16 ounces boxing glove to the 4 ounce MMA your hands feel light and free. Your punches will have more speed, power and snap. This slight difference will give slight edge deeper into a tournament.

Using your MMA gloves during heavy bag training is okay, but when you consider the safety, over all expense, and performance differences achieved by having a dedicated pair of heavy bags gloves why would you want to?

Author Bio: Troy Macraft is the President of The MMA Zone. If you enjoyed reading this article and would like to read more about Karate Gear and MMA Gear.

Category: Sports
Keywords: martial arts,mma,mixed martial arts,karate,judo,kung fu,gung fu,ufc,pride,training tactics