Are Kata/Poomse Important? (This should get some comments lol)

Seems like every time I bring this up on a discussion board I get a flurry of responses...usually negative. Keep in mind that I don't consider myself an expert at kata, though I consider myself good at their performance, I also don't claim to know all the bunkai (application) of the kata I "know."

What forms are good for:

1. Preservation of classical or "traditional" technique.
   I once had a prospective student come into my school and ask whether we taught traditional martial arts. I smiled and said, "depends on who's tradition you're talking about!" Tradition is subjective, but the commonly accepted techniques in an art or style are contained in its kata or poomse (for you TKD wonks). At each level, what your style considers important is contained in the forms. If not, then they are probably just ways of marking progress and making sure you wait long enough between belts to show progress-in other words, meaningless.
   
2. An excellent workout.
   If performed properly, forms are a great workout! After I finish a form in thirty seconds and I am sweating, breathing hard, and my thighs are shaking, I know a good workout. I get sore muscles in almost every part of my body from kata because I fire off all my muscles as I complete each technique, then relax between. Most excellent!
   
3. Teaching concentration and memorization.
   To perform kata properly, you must focus on every technique, as well as the pattern, plus put the "intention" on every block, punch, kick, and strike. You also focus your vision as if you are actually in combat. Great for memorization. I love this aspect.
   
4. Demonstrates and preserves the beauty of the martial arts.
   I think there's nothing more awesome than a well-performed kata. At a tournament I saw on TV, there was a black belt competitor who looked about 50 years old, and was an Okinowan stylist, I think. He was so precise and focused with every technique, with every stance, that I was in awe of his basics. I enjoyed his performance much higher than the 2o-ish competitors that did backflips and cartwheels and multiple high-kicks. Just me, but I want "martial" in my martial arts.
   
5. Forms provide steady income for schools.
   Forms give martial arts schools a reason to give private lessons, extra classes, and the variety of belts (some schools/systems have as many as twelve belts before black). Forms give you a justification to have so many. Right or wrong, it's income.
   
6. Forms break up the monotony of training.
   In defense of the income point, not everyone is a good fighter right away. Forms keep your interest.

What they are not good for:

1. Kata techniques aren't used in self-defense.
   I have never seen anyone fight like they perform a kata. I don't think I ever will. Kata are an exaggeration of the technique which one might use in fighting, but, as you perform the way you train. Some who are excellent at forms may dispute this contention, but I challenge them to send me a tape showing the forms in action. Granted, a few techniques will be used (knifehands, reverse punches, etc.), but they are all modified for real-world practicality. A good fighter doesn't chamber the pulling hand on the hip, unless he wants to get tagged in the head.
   
2. Kata performance is not an efficient means of preparing for sparring, fighting, or self-defense.
   If it was, Lennox Lewis, Tyson, and all other fighters with millions on the line would be doing them, wouldn't they. Oh, they're boxers? How about martial artists? Did you see a Chuck Norris, Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis, Nasty Anderson, or Arlene Limas (dating myself, eh?) doing forms to prepare for competition? No, of course not. Enough said.
   

Kata aren't the most efficient way to prepare for unarmed combat, but are a great way to carry on the techniques of the past in your respective arts. I will continue to do them into the future because I love them, but I'll be training for battle in another way.

12 Step Self Defense Program

A while ago I was introduced to the "12 Step Self Defense Program" by a great martial artist named Hock Hocheim. I've since hijacked it and modified it to my needs as an instructor and tend to use it whenever I teach a seminar...be it a Womens Self-Defense class or a seminar designed to train nightclub doormen. Here it is and I hope you might like to comment and discuss. Please note that this is written as if it was a class outline and talks about what areas each step should open up for discussion.

Step 1: W.W.W.W.H.W?
Who? What? Where? When? How? and Why?
These are the classic cop questions when taking a crime report and investigating crimes. The questions must be used here in all the following 11 steps of the program. In Step 1 we explain it. Crime and combat is situational and that is why there are really very few universal answers for people to use when in jam. For a quick exercise, imagine a common mugging and answer the"W" questions. You will have dissected the victim, the location, and the criminal and how he attacks you.

Another big subject here. The WHO of who attacks you? Here I talk about the common and uncommon, organized or disorganized criminal. I highly reccomend reading Dr J. Reid Maloy's Violence Risk and Threat Assessment.

Step 2: The Recon
To prepare yourself, where do you travel? This works for the professional or the civilian. A "pro" like a soldier, guard, or cop has more travel plans to worry about than a civilian But, either a pro or a civilian, how can these routes and stops of your life be dangerous. List the high percentage problem events with the high percentage problem people. Educate yourself and prepare for them. (big glitch here is that many people -and martial instructors- THINK they know these answers).

Think like a criminal. How will criminals recon victims?



Step 3: The Stance
Communications experts say that some 90% of communication is non-verbal. This means your face, your clothes, your physical appearance., how you hold your hands and arms, etc. This covers three areas to me:

Area a) mental - what stance do you take in your mind about confrontations? Area b) physical - how will you actually "stand" when confronted;

* try to keep some distance

* keep the body slightly bladed
for quick, athletic response

* move about slowly and advantageously
(the very word "stance," hypnotizes you
into thinking you have to stand still.)


Area c) martial arts gobblygook review, advise and consent. Many martial arts systems obsess about stances, turning them into anal retentive, black and white still photographs of perfect group, statue form. This is best used for organized group training sessions, not fighting strategies. When actual fights are full-color, hi-def motion. The so-called fighting stance is really about balance and power in motion. There is no "football-scoring stance."


4) The Talk
Given the many "Ws" variety in Step 1 and many places of Step 2's "life recon", what in general are you prepared to say and to whom? What will say (scream, whisper, or yell to you) Collect verbal ideas from seminar participants here.


5) The Fear
Fear is a two-way street yours and his. And here I like to mention:



*Issues on mind set

* A quick, user-friendly, non-techno-jargon
speech on the bio-mechanics of fear

* preconceived notions and the common
misunderstandings and misuse of
adrenaline issues in fighting. Trainers
can often further scare the student
with negatives about adrenaline.
Many are still using a 1980s model
and subsequent scare tactic
marketing plans to lure students
into various training programs.

* repetition training issues

* crisis rehearsal issues

* fortune favors the prepared


Step 6: The Four Targets
For a long time now I have mentioned my "college" speech on this, "You graduate the college of self defense by majoring in eyes, throat, groin, top of the feet...with a minor in fingers."

Major: By eyes, I mean the shooter's triangle around the eyes.
Major: By throat I mean the entire circumference of the neck
Major: By groin...I mean his nuts
Major: By top of the feet I mean around there on the feet - the shoe laces - and the ankles

Minor: By fingers, I mean cranking and breaking those suckers.

These are great self defense, close-quarter targets.

Step 7: The Four Stops
When angry parties do charge you, it is not uncommon that they "stop" at four points upon each other.

Stopping Point 1) At the hands. Since many people push or reach up to grab you, their hands are up. Your hands are likely to be up to respond. This often leads to parties held at hands length, sometimes with their fingers entwined. Please remember that I am not talking about a UFC fight here, but the real world folks. Watch the TV news and you will eventually see the Taiwan parliament, or the West Palm Beach City Council, or any other people in a fight and see members caught at times, at finger length. I often teach finger locks and catches at this range not un similar to aiki-jutsu and aikido.

Stopping Point 2) At the forearms, basically limb grabs. People either crash at bang forearms or grab each other's forearms. I often teach grab releases and...the Block, Pass and in Drill (the great forearm-to-forearm drill - which can be as alive or as dead as you want to make it) for response options here.

Stopping Point 3) Shoulder stops and chokes. I show basic old-school self defense here. Many common fights and crimes with citizens, police, criminals and today's modern military start with the ubiquitous shove to the shoulders . I teach an entire, mixed weapon module called The Shove Module, here in this progression.

Stopping Point 4) Bear hugs and arm wraps. I show what some might call JuJitsu here...grappling. I show old-school, basic self defense here.



Step 8: The Big Four Takedowns
In the opening of this century, several criminal justice departments of major USA colleges, along with the famous law enforcement street survival institute Calibre Press put together a list of "the 4 ways we hit the ground." How are we taken down. While I am sure the basic order of them might be debatable, I do think was can all agree that we are taken down by these four categories quite a bit:

1) Tripped down
2) Punched down (at times I use the words struck down, but the study said "punched.")
3) Pulled down
4) Tackled down


1) We trip. Probably the most common. In the real fight, many stumble over ourselves, furniture, curbs, etc. Here I introduce "grounds awareness" ideas, footwork and balance training.

2) We are punched down. The experts list this as second. Maybe? Maybe not? But the subsequent order of successful punches do make sense, as the majority of "street assault" attacks are perpetrated by untrained people do not know how to execute a sports jab or cross:

a) Sucker punches / strikes reviews
b) Roundhouse haymakers
c) jabs and crosses


And here we must do much work. Sucker strike recognition and responses, then the basic blocks and strikes of street strikes and punching. Issues of broken hands. Then, the "advanced" work of dealing with jab/cross/hook/uppercut/overhand sports striking and what they mean to survival. At times I use the words struck down, but the study said "punched"

3) We are "pulled down." That is to say we do a takedown and the guy hangs on to you with enough mojo to yank you down with him. He is on one knee or the ground and he pulls you down. (yes, they list this as third!) More balance, awareness and footwork.

4) We are tackled. Listed as last? I beg to differ. And they mean not sport tackles either. Crazy wild man leaps and so forth. Here I teach basic takedowns and basic countering

The order is not that important to me as the overall idea of the "big four takedowns." GREAT teaching concept. Perhaps we can use them as just a list of four things, but these are the four big ways the bad guys take us down.




Step 9: The Ground
If we are prone to hit the ground, whether on purpose or by accident, we had better learn to fight and survive there, and in a mixed weapon world. Here is where I teach the street survival material with a dash of very practical submission fighting for arrest, control, restrain and contain material.
This includes:


- Kneeling vs standing
- Kneeling vs kneeling
- Kneeling vs the downed
- Downed vs groups
- Top vs bottom
- Bottom vs top
- Side vs side
- Ground striking module
- Ground kicking module
- Ground maneuvering module
- Basic ground escapes
- Basic, practical submissions for capturing criminals and soldiers
- Fighting with uniform duty gear on
- Climate and terrain awareness




Step 10) The Weapon
Stats say that 40% of the people civilians and police police fight are armed with concealed or brandished firearms, impact and edged weapons. In the military, pretty much 100% of the people you fight have firearms. Observatinal skills (find the heat) and disarms/jamming tecniques are addressed here.

11) The Group
Stats say that 40% of the time civilians and police police fight two or more people. In the military, pretty much 100% you fight two or more people. Addressing defense againt mulitple opponents is addressed here.

12) The Aftermath
You have to be constantly asking yourself, what happens next? Okay, if I do this, what happens next? If I beat the overzealous, panhandler flat with my commando and World War II Combatives course? What happens to me next? The police arrest me? What?

The basic, final answer should be this: "I am home safe and the police will not arrest me."

This area is where I bring up legal issues, what and what not to say to responding police and how to do it. What actually happens in the criminal justice system? Given my training, education and experience I am qualified to expound on these subjects.

Also we cover some other after-the-immediate-fact things to do. Check yourself out for injuries. Proper authortiy notification, etc.

"My name is John, and I will never stop working on my 12 Step Program.
Thank you and good night"

Homosexuality in the Martial Arts

A few months ago I posted the following on my myspace blog in an attempt to generate a discourse and to see where some of my fellow martial artists stand on this issue:

"I overheard this in a conversation recently, a judo guy was saying how he was very uncomfortable with going to train at his college's judo club after an openly gay man joined. he said he was afarid the gay guy is in it for the wrong reason (the club is apparently 90% male).

As fellow martial artists, what are your thoughts on this? How would you feel if a fellow MA student or Instructor was revealed to be homosexual?"

I was surprised, shocked...sometimes disappointed but very pleased with the repsonses (especially the number of them). A generalized answer I tended to recieve was "I would have a problem with it, especially when practicing (insert name of grappling art here)". To the rather juvenile "That would freak me out!." My response is...That's your problem not theirs. So you need to get over it. Automatically assuming that a gay person is there to pick up on a member of the same sex is the same as assuming men only go to schools that also train women so they might get to feel some boobie during sparring or randori. May happen from time to time but that tends to be exception rather than the norm.

Here are some quotes of reponses I have recieved. I have not edited them for content or grammer...or spelling. Quotes are in Italics and my less-than-humble-opinion is in red.

"Personally I'd rather train with an openly gay man than closet cases. (Don't worry I'm not naming any names) Well as long as he does not come to sparring class wearing a dress" Unless you have to wear one of those Hakima things.

"while i have not (to my knowledge) grappled with a gay man (Bet you have) i don't think it would be a problem for me. as long as he wants to train and does not have other motives what's the big deal? hell i grapple with girls and i am able to control mself perfectly fine, why would a gay guy be any different? also i am rather sure that as much as we would all like to belive otherwise most of us are not greek gods who inspire lust and prolly are in no way attractive to your average gay man." Speak for yourself...I'd be more offended if they didn't. I'm one sexy bitch.

This is one of my personal favorites. "I've heard this debate time and time again. My opinion has always been, "Grow up and get the fuck over it". Chances are more than pretty good that you have already trained with a gay person...and you ain't caught the gay yet. I've had gay students, assisstants and instructors. At no time was I afraid the scary gay person."

"Personally, I don't care if he's gay... as long as I don't SEE it
physically in class. If it makes any of the men uncomfortable, I
would make an effort to pair him with a female partner.
If he is "flaming" and that causes disruptions in the class, that's a
different story. I have to question what I would do.
As we all know.. there are many more gays and pedofiles out there
than we are aware of... most are careful to hide their desires..
THOSE are the ones I'm afraid of." This guy is just an idiot. Gay does not equal pedophile. I wonder why this guy is affraid of closeted gays but he refused to respond to my queries?

We don't have problems teaching gays (if we have one ) in our Karate & Aikido class, but for Judo and BJJ its off-limit for the 3rd sex. It's not that we discriminate them, (Actually thats exactly what you're doing) it's just that the game has too much body contact and students tends to isolate themselves with the 3rd sex and we don't want isolations in our class. So to avoid problems like these it's better that we set some few rules...not offense..." I'm waiting for a translation for that last part. And an answer to the question I replied with "So do you allow males and females to train together in your grappling classes?"

"I also know that when you
teach BBJ, and other close quater self defense systems, and a student
finds out another is gay, and it gets around, you start to loose
students. (Not necesarily) So, it goes back to the don't ask, don't tell.
Now for those who do not llike that I am sorry, but to me if a
teacher decideds not to teach gays, that is their choice." Just like it is my choice to avoid their school, not spend money with their sponsers etc.

Pretty broad responses. I actually had to deal with this issue when I owned a school. One of my studentswas openly gay (he did't flaunt it but he's somewhat effeminate...3 guesses why he wanted self dense training). Another of my students came to me insisting that I throw out student A, citing everything from student's safety to religion. Students A had never caused me any problems and was possibly one of the most promising students I had. Student B was being disruptive, rude and abrasive to everyone...including me. After several warnings and discussions with him... had no choice but to remove Student B from my school.

I realize my veiw may differ from others and on the whole I respect others views but I can never seem to get behind the persecution of a group of people based on something that really isn't anyones business.



(ducking and covering)

Handicap sparring: Striker vs Grappler

One training method in which I am a strong believer is handicap sparring, whereby you improve one area of your skill set by isolating it. In this case, striking versus grappling. The striker (with boxing gloves) is allowed to use any strike in his arsenal, and the grappler can use any takedown, submission, or choke he wants. Years ago I did a similar drill called "Snake vs. Crane" which may sound familiar to some of my USSD readers. Basically one person is on the ground in the ground defense position and the other is standing (with the kids we sometimes had the standing person stand on one leg).

I strongly encourage Traditional stylists to begin inluding such sparring drills in there lessons.

Not sure who these two jokers are, but it's a good example of the idea of handicap sparring. Enjoy, discuss and comment.

It’s not what’s there, It’s what’s missing

Keep in mind that while I consider myself a scholar of the Martial Arts, I'm far from a historian.

My thought: different arts aren't really defined by what they include, but by "what they take away." To expound on this thought, what is fighting? Hochheim states it's everything from ICBMs, tactical/battlefield nukes, B-57s, gunships and artillery, machine guns, rifles, pistols, clubs, knives, then empty hand. Notice how much there is there? You can further take the subset of combat, empty hand, and include:

Strikes:
head butting
biting
shoulder thrusts
elbows
forearms
open-hand strikes
fists
hip checks
knees
all the various kicks

Grappling:
standing grappling
ground grappling
throws
traps
locks/breaks
takedowns, trips, sweeps, etc.

There's more, you're welcome to add to that list via comments, but the idea is the same. What differentiates styles is what they take away from that list.

Judo, for example, started out as what? Jujitsu. So did Aikido. What differentiates them from their ancestors? What they took away - much of the vicious striking and some of the grappling techniques were refined/modified.

The same is true of every other art, including karate (I always use lower-case to denote the generic Okinawan and Japanese striking arts and their derivatives, including TKD). What's taken away, in general, are many of the items on the lower list of grappling. Not all. Stylistically, some will include more or less than others on each list, but the formula is more or less correct.

Just a thought...

Nonsense and Punching

Ordinarily, I make it a point to politely ignore Black Belt Magazine columnist Jim Wagner, the self-proclaimed, young inventor of reality fighting in the late 1990s, oh, say 1997 (my God, where would we all be without him?). But, this last issue I read his remarks on "Closed Fist vs. Open Hand, and I simply could not bite my lip yet again.

Former Sky Marshal Wagner makes his main points:

- "Men tend to close their fist under pressure."

- "Advocates of the open hand techniques say that a person runs a higher risk of breaking his hand if he strikes an opponent with a closed fist. This is nonsense."

- "When I hit someone with my fist, the last thing I worry about is injury. I can get it fixed later at the hospital." (if its such nonsense, why even mention a trip to the hospital?)

To suggest that humans are genetically predisposed to fighting with balled-up fists is one thing, but to say that we therefore should be stuck fighting with fists is something else. Wouldn't this "punching gene" also mean we should also de-emphasize grabbing and grappling and have natural troubles striking with eye attacks, hammer fists, forearms and elbows? Somehow, with a little very training, people do these other things.

The open palm strike or palm heel strike was placed into military and police doctrines for a some good reason. Whenever the closed fist accidentally hits the ducking forehead/skull, there is an increased chance for injuries. Even some classical oriental systems prefer strikes with the so-called "knife" edge of the hand. Otherwise they spend decades "toughening" the fist to counter-attack the harsh reality of injuries.

Ducking skulls? The human head has a predisposition to duck down versus incoming attacks. The so-called slap or palm heel was emphasized to keep the soldiers from debilitating or incapacitating their hands in the middle of a fight for their life. One such modern, recognized source for the heel palm strike is the British military during World War II. The program called for restricting punches to the jaw-line and below to avoid striking the dense, ducking, bobbing and weaving bowling ball called the skull.

All this in an effort to avoid the several levels of hand injuries which may result:

- First: your hand could be injured and still function. This has happened to me, and many others I know.

- Second: your hand could be injured and somewhat incapacitated. This also has happened to me, and others I know. You can still use your hand somewhat but it becomes swollen and only partially dexterous. In the middle of a fight, I could not grab the suspect in any way. Nor cuff him. My hand became a dull, heavy slab. Plus, a second or third punch with this partially wounded fist might finish your hand.

- And lastly: you may suffer an injury with such electric pain that it shuts the fighter right down. This has not happened to me but has happened to co-workers right before my eyes, as well as numerous assault cases I have worked on.

In three decades of police work, I can hardly think of a time, I didn't have a friend or complainant with a hand cast from punching someone.

In terms of sport fighting, it is not uncommon for NHB, UFC rage-cagers, even when wearing some thin gloves and wraps, to damage their hands on the ocular cavity, forehead and skull of an opponent. Mounted ground-pounders sometimes break their hands punching heads pinned on the ground. Least we forget that Mike Tyson punched a mugger one night and broke his hand. Sadly some of the biggest names in modern martial arts have broken their hands doing their vertical fist battle punches and closed fist strikes in real encounters, against the cursed ducking skull.

The U.S. Department of Justice advises us that we (citizens and police) are attacked by two or more people, some 40% of all encounters. In dissecting this information, the stat holds up better versus the police, but could be even worse for citizens. Incapacitating your hand on the skull of one opponent could leave you in serious danger when in the midst of finishing off one person, and then fighting the others. Plus and even worse, some 40% of the time, the opponent is armed with an edged weapon or firearms. Common sense strategy calls for fully functional hands for as long as possible, to deal with these and other problems, such as disarming, grappling, handcuffing, operating your weapons, telephones and radio equipment. It is under these real-world problems that the palm-heel strikes were introduced.

I want to make two last notes; you can develop a wicked, wicked palm heel strike and/or slap with little work. Plus/secondly, keep in mind there are Neanderthal fighters out there with thick fists the size and density of sledgehammers. Instructors refusing to recognize the frailties of the hand, often use these cavemen as anecdotal examples to maintain the their status quo;

"Billy hits people in the skull!"

Well…Billy ain't you. Nor is he most of the student population. These monster hands can punch titanium and laugh out loud. Don't let them teach you their way of fighting and punching. If they can do it, doesn't mean you can do it. However, should you, as a professional instructor get such a caveman in your class? Maximize his uniqueness and let him punch away as his personal, primary tool. It is hard to imagine that Hulk Hogan would break his hand punching anywhere on Pee-Wee Herman. But this is an extreme example.

just today I met a black belt who threw a hook punch at a guy's head in a fight. The guy reflexively ducked his head sideways. The punch glanced off the skull, separating the black belt's pinky knuckle from the hand, split to the wrist. His hand was ruined for the rest of the fight. He said it was crippling pain and to this day he cannot put his fingers together.

Nothing is perfect, and nothing is imperfect. Everything is situational and positional. The smarter systems have embraced this reality advice "hit something hard with something soft. Hit something soft with something hard." I don't think anyone suggests that fighters should give up punching completely. I also don't think reality fighting systems should suggest you should punch anywhere, all the time as if you were a gloved boxer, and then report to the hospital later. You might not make it to the hospital. Strategic survival fighting also means surviving the fight, with as many body parts intact as possible, to keep on fighting.

Courtesy of www.hockscqc.com

You’re about to learn more about boxing gloves than you really need to know.

Boxing gloves protect you and your opponent. The earliest form of boxing glove originated in Greece and was called a Cestus and consisted of something meant to inflict pain and suffering rather than reduce it. It was basically leather straps that may or may not have things such as studs embedded in them. In short, they made boxing fights good and bloody.

Lucky for those of us practicing boxing today, boxing decided to become more civilized. Boxing gloves, while they haven't changed a whole lot, have benefitted from better materials and an understanding of science in the boxing glove development process.

Two Types of Boxing Gloves

1. Bag Gloves (Training Gloves)

Bag Gloves Protect you, Not your opponent

Sometimes people talking about boxing gloves are really referring to bag gloves or training gloves. The difference is that bag gloves are for hitting heavy bags and not people. Bag gloves are designed to protect you and not what you are hitting. Bag gloves can be used over wrapped hands or unwrapped hands and are designed to offer some padding and protection against scrapes and contusions while conditioning your hands for progressively heavier impacts. Bag gloves, like boxing gloves, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most boxers tend to use a heavier bag glove as a conditioning tool to increase stamina and endurance (especially in the shoulder region).

2. Boxing Gloves

Boxing Gloves will protect you and your opponent

Boxing gloves are used to protect not only you, but your opponent. Most common sizes of boxing glove are sixteen, twelve, ten, and eight ounce sizes (16oz, 12oz, 10oz, 8oz) and can come in a variety of styles. Some boxing gloves are pre-moulded meaning that they are already formed in a fist shape. You slide your fingers into the gloves and they naturally have to curl. Some are not moulded and you have to form the hitting surface. Some boxing gloves are fastened with string, others with velcro.

How do Boxing Gloves Work?

Boxing gloves are made with one thing in mind - force of impact. Force and the reduction of it on impact is what boxing gloves are designed for. A bigger, heavier boxing glove will decelerate and accelerate at a slower rate. This deceleration will reduce the forces involved at impact both on you and your opponent. They will cause less acceleration of the brain inside the skull cavity resulting in less damage. If you know anything about kinetic energy, a bigger boxing glove will transfer less kinetic energy on impact. As well, the increased size of the boxing glove will dissipate the force of impact over a larger area. In short, a bigger boxing glove will cause less damage to you and your opponent.

How are Boxing Gloves Made?

Boxing gloves are designed based on achieving a certain amount of compression. When the boxing glove strikes the target, the force is reduced or absorbed as the glove compresses. If the material used loses its ability to compress then the boxing gloves ability to reduce forces is dramatically decreased. The material that is supposed to compress becomes nothing more than a dense layer of padding that will protect the wearer of the boxing glove but will do little to reduce forces on impact. High density polyurethane, cotton, and horsehair are some types of padding materials often used.

Much like the space age memory foam mattresses a lot of people sleep on, padding also exhibits memory characteristics. The best padding will lose it's memory very quickly otherwise an initial blow will compress the material and subsequent blows will not benefit from the padding.

Boxing gloves must also be highly durable and resistant to tears, scrapes, and thousands of high speed impacts. For that reason, top grain leather is used - especially cowhide and goatskin due to their highly durable nature. The stitching has to be top notch to ensure the padding stays where it is supposed to and is usually a nylon based thread.

What Size of Boxing Gloves Should You Buy?

The answer to that question depends on what you are using them for. In general, How to Box recommends you use the following sizes of boxing gloves depending on your boxing activity:

a. Sparring: 16oz gloves

b. Training: Bag gloves - 12oz for beginners, increase weight to increase intensity and endurance

c. Amateur Fights: depends on the rules of the fight - generally 10oz glove is used and will be either red or blue with a white target area to help the judges score.

d. Professional Fights: will be decided in the rules of the professional affiliation the fight is sanctioned by. I believe 8oz gloves are the norm.

Boxing Gloves that Fit You

After deciding what size of boxing glove you want, the best way to buy boxing gloves is to wrap your hands and then try them on. If you are shopping without your hand wraps, you can put something about the size of a roll of quarters in your palm and then slip on the boxing glove. It should be tight, but not to the point where your hands are going to be deprived of blood. Your fingertips should fit firmly against the top of the glove and it should lace up or velcro tight around your wrist. The last thing you want is a glove flying off when you punch. I've never seen it happen, but a loose boxing glove could potentially cause all sorts of grief.

You will also want to consider where you will be using the boxing gloves. If you are training by yourself, then opt for a velcro fastener. It really sucks trying to get your gloves on and lace them up by yourself. Velcro will make it slightly easier.

Does Boxing Glove Brand Matter

To some people it does and to some people it doesn't. The top boxing manufacturers, Everlast, Title, Ringside, Rival all make excellent boxing gloves. There are a lot of other manufacturers that also make good boxing gloves. In short, you sometimes end up paying for a brand name, and you may or may not want to do that.

Boxing gloves you should avoid are the cheaper vinyl gloves. While the price is right, the quality isn't. The material will wear out very quickly and you'll end up buying another pair in the near future. Spend the money now for a quality pair of boxing gloves for your purpose and you shouldn't have to invest in another pair anytime soon.