I get a lot of emails and messages asking for advice and pointers on where to get various gear. It is certainly not a problem for me, since I enjoy corresponding and talking about all things Martial Art/combatives/fighting oriented with interested people all day long. However, I end up writing the same things over and over, so I thought a series of blog articles that cover some of my basic pieces of general gear advice was in order. The first one up for discussion is what boxing gloves do I recommend?
For a good starter glove for someone just getting into the need for working striking skills, go to
http://www.kofightgear.com/sparring_gloves.htm
These are really well made gloves that are properly designed and hold up well under moderate use. You absolutely cannot beat the pricing.
For more dedicated work, or for someone who is getting deeper into a boxing paradigm, I prefer Thai-style gloves. There are a couple of reasons for that. Number one, most of the padding is concentrated over the knuckles where it actually matters. Mexican and American gloves tend to have the padding distributed over the whole glove, including areas that never see impact. Which is kind of goofy, in my opinion, but that is how it is. In reality, lighter Thai gloves are equivalent to heavier American gloves, generally by about two ounces. So a 12 oz Thai glove generally has the same knuckle padding as a 14 oz American or Mexican glove.
The second reason I prefer Thai gloves is that they typically are more snug and have minimal padding around the base of the hand, which makes entangled clinch work slightly easier and more functional. You can do that kind of work with “puffier” gloves, but it is not as convenient nor do you get the feel of the techniques to the same level.
There are a number of Thai brands, the most prominent of which are Fairtex and Twins. I myself prefer Twins. Their gloves seem to mold to my hand just right. Other people feel the exact same way about Fairtex. Twins has a tendency to be slightly cheaper, but a bit harder to find. There are a number of places to get Thai gloves, including the big places like Ringside. I have had good luck here:
If you have more specific questions, feel free to hit me up.
Cecil,
Great blog article as always!
I like the Windy brand Thai style gloves a lot and they seem very affordable as well while being very reasonable on prices. I like their 16 oz. international attached thumb gloves, with quick velcro on and off, good well padded gloves and also comfortable and the leather is soft for no cuts. I can jab someone in the face full force and no broken nose, the 16 oz. gloves are almost like using 18 oz. so good for a heavy weight like me and I like the Thai style gloves better than the boxing gloves, great advice!
I am wondering if there is a local place here in Maricopa County that actually carries the gloves so that we can try them on and buy them locally vs. the internet (fit of the glove). I’m thinking maybe Randy over at Karate Mart?
Now a question from you since you trained with Salem Assli the Savateur and you are a Silver Glove in Savate Boxe Francaise under Salem.
Where do I buy Savate sparring shoes / fighting shoes from?
I want to start sparring with shoes and was wondering where to buy these from if you have any recommendations and why.
I know that Savate / Boxe Francaise does not get very much recognition here in the U.S.A. vs. Thai Boxing, however I really like this art a lot after having trained with you in the French Kickboxing.
Do the French like one type of boxing glove over another or does it not matter to them in their training.
Are there any Savate / Boxe Francaise schools here in Arizona.
The martial arts have come far in evolving and you are appreciated for knowledge and devotion in educating the public regarding authentic martial arts research & training.
When your really think about it, law enforcement, private security, military, private citizens, all wear shoes during daily life.
The only time we are really ever barefoot is inside our homes or on the beach, swimming, etc. Arts like Thai Boxing and Filipino low line kicking are very good for barefoot, however with shoes, Savate / Boxe Francaise enters the picture with these punishing shots to the vulnerable areas of the body.
Cecil why has Savate / Boxe Francaise not made a bigger impact here in the United States where Thai Boxing has done much better as far as developing as a sport?
Any random thoughts from you on this subject are always appreciated.
The pain from a liver, spleen, kidney, xyphoid process, groin, shin, thigh, bladder, knee shot in the martial arts of Savate & Boxe Francaise are brutal.
I think it is interesting how Dan Inosanto brought over Daniel Duby to the United States and Paul Vunak was able to train with him in one of the first Boxe Francaise / Savate schools in the United States. I think this set Vunak apart having some basic Boxe Francaise / Savate training under Daniel Duby that helped with his movement and structure and when integrated with Chai Sirisute’s Thai Boxing, Dan Inosanto’s Filipino low line kicking Pananjakman and Bruce Lee’s Jun Fan kickboxing and Jeet Kune Do kicking methods, it’s very difficult to beat this combination, the key though seems on how you blend the arts to get a new hybridized art without having a lot of clutter or baggage to carry on your shoulders and make it into it’s new and unique art form without losing anything good.
Boxe Francaise / Savate + Thai Boxing + Jun Fan / Jeet Kune Do + Filipino Pananjakman seems to be a good blend of elements for kicking. I think Paul Vunak was on to something good by being exposed to Daniel Duby, you were trained by Salem Assli, all of this great training I wish more people would know about this noble fighting art.
I also wonder about if there is any good Parisian Wrestling left and how their weapons is with fencing, la cane, anything good from these arts for street fighting?
What are the best regions of Europe that have the best Boxe Francaise / Savate? France of course, however how about Italy, Spain, or England?
Are there any good schools in the U.S. to train in BFS or who are the best instructors here in the Western hemisphere?
How do the Savate guys train with shoes on all of the time when they are whipping these perforating fouette kicks so powerfully to the vital organs, the pain seems very intense to the internal organs?
I noticed that I can put a Thai Boxing belly pad on someone and I can still send the energy of the fouette with my shoe on through the belly pad and still cause a lot of pain, the energy travels through the belly pad layer and still gets through with a good whipping fouette.
Last question on this martial art. When you have no shoes on and you are barefoot, how do you kick without breaking your toes and do maximum damage. Our friend Shahram Moosavi does a very good job with no shoes with the shuffle groin shot, the fouette etc. and I’ll ask him more about this, however was curious if the Savateurs are able to still kick well if they don’t have shoes on, how to they kick with their bare feet?
Sincerely,
-Rick
Sorry, was not suggesting to try to punch anyone full force in the face with the 16 oz. gloves, I have been lucky not to fracture anyone’s nose yet, so careful..
I wish I knew of some place in the U.S. that sold Savate gear. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any.
As for why Savate is not popular – it is too hard for most people. It requires you to use your hips in a completely different way than Muay Thai. And it also requires you to think about your approach to kicking. Muay Thai is not easier to do as far as exertion, but is simpler and more direct, and easier to grasp for a newcomer.