The soft, pillowy gloves used in boxing competition are an iconic symbol of the sport, but they're not the only kind of gloves used in boxing. Although some boxers use their sparring gloves while doing bag work, they also use a thinner, specialized glove for that purpose. The two kinds of gloves have similar functions, but they accomplish them differently due to the specialized nature of bag work vs. sparring.
Sparring Glove Structure
Sparring gloves resemble the classic "boxing glove" you probably think of when you read those words. They have an elongated wrist sleeve with thick padding on the knuckles. A typical sparring glove will weigh 20 or 22 ounces, with more padding than is worn in the ring. This maximizes the protection for both fighters during sparring drills.
Bag Glove Structure
Bag gloves look like leather or vinyl mittens. They are quilted, with about a 1/4-inch layer of padding over the knuckles. The wrist sleeve is of normal length, often short as compared to a winter or work glove. They are not padded for protection from impact, but designed to protect a fighter's knuckles from abrasions that come with bare-hand contact with the rough surface of a heavy bag.
Wrist Support
The long wrist sleeve of a boxing glove comes with laces or velcro to wrap it firmly in place. This provides a degree of support for the boxer's wrist to prevent turning or spraining a wrist when punching. Since bag work is supposed to condition the hands and wrists, heavy bag gloves have no such support. Though the support protects the wrists, it also allows them to work less hard -- which would reduce the conditioning from a heavy bag session.
Grip Bar
Most bag gloves have a thick bar of padding at the top of the palm, a handle for the fighter to grip while punching. This bar supports and protects the knuckles from impact injury during a heavy bag session. Sparring gloves do not have this grip bar.
Cost
Sparring gloves are larger and more complex, and require more material per unit, than bag gloves. For this reason, sparring gloves are markedly more expensive than bag gloves. Although prices will vary by region, you can typically expect to pay three or four times as much for sparring gloves as for bag gloves in a similar quality tier.
Common Sense Caution
You can use sparring gloves for bag work, but you should never use bag gloves for sparring. The thin padding layer and grip bar actually make punches you throw while wearing bag gloves more dangerous than a bare-knuckle punch.
References
- "MMA For Dummies"; Frank Shamrock; 2006
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