SpeedBag 101 : Gloves or Not ??

We are often asked whether gloves should be used when SpeedBagging… The answer though is not straightforward….

For standard boxing, gloves and wraps are important.. They are necessary to protect from injury. Wraps provide structural support to the hands and wrists and heavily padded boxing gloves protect delicate bones in the hand… and also protect your opponent.

For SpeedBagging though, because the speed bag is relatively small and light, the massive forces which occur when hitting a heavy bag… or an opponent…. just don’t exist. The Speedbag is not intended for Power punches… and to be honest… if you are hitting the speedbag with enough force to do yourself injury… you are probably doing it wrong.

Saying that.. there are some reasons why you may choose to wear some hand protection :

• If you are a beginner, basic wraps are probably a good idea – mostly to protect your hands from abrasion – until they get used to it… Despite speedbags usually being pretty smooth, they can still cause abrasions on soft/delicate hands.
  
• If you are doing a LOT of speedbagging, the constant and regular pounding can cause some damage… so wraps, or a simple padded glove (without seams around the knuckles) are probably a good idea…

Personally, if I am speedbagging at home, I will typically go bare handed … unless I am doing a lot… When I am in the gym, doing a boxing training session, I will usually do some speedbagging (without gloves) as a part of my warmup, but will then usually use MMA Grappling/fight gloves (without wraps) for most of the workout (heavy bags, weights, cardio… the lot)…. That’s probably mainly because I can’t be bothered taking full boxing gloves on/off during the workout though.

So… the question of whether or not to use gloves or wraps for Speed bagging… is really up to our own personal choice… whatever feels most comfortable (and doesn’t interfere with your technique) is the bets option for you.