Like all sports, boxing uses specialized equipment to help training, improve safety and boost performance. The types of equipment most iconic to boxing are the pads: soft gear for striking that allows practice and competition without harm to the puncher or the partner getting punched.
Kinds of Boxing Pads
Boxing pads come in three basic varieties: safety equipment, bags and shields. Safety equipment pads the hands or body to allow contact fighting without serious injury. Bags are pads mounted to the wall, floor or ceiling that a boxer can punch without needing a partner. Shields are pads worn by a sparring partner for the boxer to punch at while in motion.
Materials
All three kinds of boxing pads follow the same basic construction. Padding, usually cotton batting or foam, is wrapped around a core. The outside surface of the padding is then covered with a durable surface such as leather or vinyl. In the case of leather, manufacturers take care to put the seams on areas that won't be involved in the actual punching. This helps prevent abrasion injuries during use.
Safety Pads
Safety pads for boxing include headgear, boxing gloves and groin protection. The construction of safety equipment uses the boxer himself as the core, covering the inside surface of the gear with the same material as the outside surface. According to Boxing Ontario, amateur boxing rules require headgear and gloves, while pro fights require only gloves. The large, padded groin guard is optional under both rule sets.
Bags
The punching bag is perhaps the most iconic image of boxing training. Boxers use heavy bags to practice punch technique and build strength from the resistance of the bag. Speed bags, those teardrop shaped bags that hang from a backboard, help work on timing, speed and rhythm. Fighters also use a variety of target bags to help work on their accuracy.
Shields
Focus mitts, or training mitts, are the most common kind of boxing shield. Worn like a baseball glove and with heavily padded palms, a training partner will wear them while sparring with a fighter. The partner presents the palms as targets at different positions, distances and angles. Many boxing programs develop combination patterns to practice using their training shields.
Distributors
According to boxing and martial arts coach Dave Coffman, the primary distributors of boxing pads are Everlast and Century. Other US distributors include Ringside, Macho and MTI Trading.
Posted in: Boxing Training