So, I wanted to chat a bit about my time getting used to those 4 ounce gloves. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight, let me tell you.
When I first started messing around with striking, like years ago, everyone just shoves those big, pillowy 16 oz gloves on you. You know the ones. Feels like you’ve got loaves of bread strapped to your hands. They’re okay, I guess, for just banging on a heavy bag without thinking too much. Protects the knuckles, sure.
Trying Something New
But then I saw some folks doing more MMA-style training, and they had these tiny little things on. Looked nuts. My coach suggested I try 4 oz gloves for certain drills. Said it would help my speed, make me feel the hits better. I was like, ‘Feel the hits? You mean feel my knuckles break?’ Sounded like a bad idea, honestly.
Anyway, I decided to give it a shot. Got myself a pair. Putting them on the first time felt ridiculous. Felt naked, almost. Like, where’s the actual glove?
Getting Used to It
First time hitting the heavy bag with them… yeah. You feel everything. Every little off-angle hit, every time you didn’t quite turn your fist over. My knuckles were screaming after that first session. It wasn’t fun.
Here’s what I had to do:
- Wrap my hands way more carefully. No skipping steps.
- Seriously dial back the power. Couldn’t just blast away like with the big gloves.
- Focus hard on technique. Like, really focus. Turning punches over, keeping the wrist straight.
It was frustrating for a while. Felt like I was starting over. You can’t just block shots with your gloves the same way either, ’cause there’s barely anything there. Made me work on head movement and footwork a lot more, which I guess was a good thing in the long run.
The Payoff
It took maybe a few weeks, hitting pads, doing light drills (definitely not hard sparring, that’s just dumb with these), before something clicked. I was working on the speed bag one afternoon, and my hands just felt… faster. Lighter. More connected to what I was doing.
When hitting the focus mitts, I could really feel the sweet spot. Knew instantly if the technique was right or wrong. That lack of padding gives you instant feedback. If you hit wrong, it sucks. If you hit right, it feels clean. It forces you to be honest about your form.
How I Use Them Now
So, do I use them all the time? Nah. They have their place. For heavy sparring? Forget it. Asking for broken hands and hurt training partners. But for pad work, technical drills, working the double-end bag, or even sometimes just shadow boxing to get the feel? Yeah, they’re great for that.
They’re not for beginners, I really don’t think so. And they won’t magically make you better. But going through the process of learning how to use them, how to adjust, it definitely forced me to clean up my technique. Took some time and sore knuckles, but yeah, I get why people use ’em now. Just gotta be smart about it.
