Fairtex MMA/NHB Gloves
By: Hans Olesen
No matter what kind of sport you train, getting the right equipment is always a main priority. If you are to get the most out of your training, you need state of the art equipment, to optimize your training. If you run, it's the shoes. If you play tennis, it's the racket. If you play snooker, it's the cue. Normally, it's rather uncomplicated making equipment, which is designed for the exact purpose you need it for, as it only has a few purposes. For instance, boxing gloves are made to protect the hand and opponent, and still feel comfortable, when you punch with them.
The gloves, used for training, are some of the most important pieces of equipment, for practicioners of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). More than useful sparring gloves have, for a very long time, been more or less impossible to find, for this new sport. As you not only have to be able to punch standing up, but also wrestle, grapple one the ground and punch on the ground (GnP), the gloves available were, simply put, not good enough, as they had too many flaws. Gloves from other Martial Arts were not made for MMA and could only be used, rather restrictively. Some were fine for stand-up sparring, but were too clumsy or slippery for groundwork. Some were useful for the GnP and punches in clinch, but too thin for quality sparring standing up. The gloves used in most MMA events (usually 4 oz) are way too thin for full contact sparring, as the sparring partners would injure each other, by fracturing their own hands, the partner's facial bones or just cutting the partner.
Besides training the basic elements of MMA (Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling and BJJ, which is the most commonly used recipe) separately, it's still very important for the serious MMA fighter to spar under the rule set used in his/her upcoming fight, and not just in the individual elements. That's why functional sparring gloves for MMA have been a dire need for the competitors. For Muay Thai and Boxing, ordinary Boxing gloves were used, of course, and for Wrestling and BJJ none, but for well-rounded MMA sparring, there weren't any really good gloves out there, for a long time.
The criteria, for a good sparring glove for MMA training, are:
-Enough padding so you can punch normally, without having to hold back, too much, so you don't hurt your training partners or your own hands, when you punch them in the face.
-A design, which enable you to freely use you're your fingers to grip, pull, shove, hold or whatever is needed, when you grapple.
-A design, where the padding is placed the right places and not in lumps the wrong places, so the glove won't get caught when grappling.
-That the glove is made without sharp edges or seems, which can cause cuts or scratches.
-A glove which provides solid support for the wrist.
-A glove with room for bandages, tape, gaze or whatever you might use on your hands, for support and protection.
-That it's made out of quality materials, so it will be able to withstand all the hours and hours of beatings, you will deliver with it, and generally just be very durable, whether you use it for pads, bags or just sparring.
-That it will stay on the hand, no matter what you do during the sparring, and that you can't push the padding aside, so you can punch with the bare knuckles.
When you take these things into consideration, there is one model on the marked, which is clearly ahead of the others, when it comes to the evolution of a MMA sparring glove. It's Fairtex' MMA sparring gloves (Fairtex Sparring Gloves FGV 15). They simply fulfil the criteria, listed above, and that make them unique, at the moment. There are other gloves on the marked which look quite a lot like the FGV 15 model, but yours truly has not tested a pair, yet, which is on the same level of quality, as the Fairtex gloves. There are too many basic flaws on the other gloves, really. There are lumps and bumps the wrong places, they don't give enough support around the wrists, have sharp edges, haven't got room for bandages, are made out of materials which won't endure the endless hours of full contact training and so on. MMAReporter.dk has therefore taken a closer look at this glove from Fairtex:
Besides being one of the most popular Muay Thai brands, Fairtex has become very popular in MMA circles, due to the quality of their products. It often seems like their products are designed with more care and concern about safety, comfort and durability, than other brands. For instance, with their MMA gloves, which are the favourites of many of the biggest MMA stars (like the entire Team Miletich and Team Quest). As there was such a need for good sparring gloves for MMA, Fairtex made these gloves.
The Fairtex Sparring Gloves are handmade in Thailand and are made out of genuine top grain leather shell. They feature open palm design and double wrist wrap hook and loop closure for added wrist support and a secure fit. The knuckle area contains extra-thick pre-curved high impact foam for ultimate protection against training injuries. These are the facts about the FGV 15 model. Instead of writing why this model is yours truly's favourite, I asked some of the leading and most respected MMA profiles in Danish MMA, why they use these gloves, as they are the ones who work their butts off each and every day in the gym and really are depending on the gloves being a product of quality, through and through, which won't let them down.
Being one of the most well-known and active fighters in Denmark and Scandinavia, as well as a respected coach of pro and amateur fighters, Lars 'Bad Boy' Besand was naturally one I had to contact for his view on the FGV 15 gloves. Lars states: 'The Fairtex Sparring Gloves are the gloves which I, and the entire Skagen Fight Gym, use for MMA sparring! All in all, I think it's a pair of gloves which rather quickly adapts to the individual shape of each fighter's hands. It's light weight and simply amazing, if you want to use tape on your hands, while sparring. Actually, it seems like they have a bit more padding, than many other gloves, but only where it's useful, and that's around the knuckles. I recommend the Fairtex gloves to all my fighters. Pros and amateurs! These gloves are designed specifically for MMA and give better protection, than the other possibilities. But even more important, you can freely use your hands, to punch, wrestle and go for submissions. Two thumbs up, from Lars "Bad Boy."
Another of the Danish fighters, who use these gloves for MMA sparring, is the very exciting and undefeated amateur fighter, Thomas la Cour, of Combat Sports Academy Copenhagen. He has impressed greatly in all of his fights and he is currently residing in Portland, Oregon, as he seeking the best people around, to further evolve as a fighter. The FGV 15 model is one of Thomas' most important pieces of equipment. He explains: 'When I first laid eyes on the Fairtex gloves, I thought they looked a bit too bulky and clumsy, to grapple with, due to the hefty padding. But when I tried them on, I found that the padding is fitted perfectly'. I've never found the padding to bother me during sparring, and especially not, if you compare them to other gloves. Due to the extra padding, it's possible to train GnP with a far higher level of contact, than with other gloves, and still avoid injuries. These gloves also make it possible to spar standing, without the comfortable feeling of hiding behind a pair of 16 oz boxing gloves, and still without jeopardizing your training partners.
The fact that they are made with an open palm make them a lot more suited for grappling, than if they had the often seen closed palm design. They've also got a fantastic wrist wrap, made of hook and loop, which I've yet to experience come undone, during sparring. So, I have to conclude that the Fairtex gloves are the best option, if you're interested in training MMA with a realistic level of contact, and still avoid injuries to your sparring partners or your own hands. These are absolutely amazing gloves!
Peter 'Del Pede' Larsen is a big part of the team behind the X-Gym, and even though he isn't an active fighter, currently, he has a great knowledge of what kind of equipment the serious MMA fighter needs. 'Del Pede' comments: "Fairtex has made a fantastic MMA sparring glove, in the FGV 15 model, with about 10 oz of padding". I feel Fairtex design their gloves with more insight and knowledge, about what's needed. The padding is fitted better and in different layers. And it's also located in front of the gloves, not on the back of the hand, which also makes it easier to roll with, as the gloves don't get stuck under your partner's arms and neck. I prefer the Fairtex gloves over any of the alternatives. Gloves will always be a hinder when you grapple, but the question is how big a problem will it be? The Fairtex gloves' padding seem massive and the biggest problem with these gloves, is probably when you clinch. But generally, I haven't experienced any probems with them, as the padding is located where it is. We are a pretty large group of people (including Ultimate Combat World Champion, Kim Hovgaard) who use these gloves for our sparring sessions, and only one has ever complained about them. But he has suffered from problems with one of his hands, after it was broken in a fight.
All in all, we're all very pleased with these gloves.
So my advice to you who train MMA seriously and haven't got a pair of these gloves, is to invest in them. You won't regret it. Besides being the number one choice for sparring, it's also the best option out there for amateur events, compared to many of the bigger gloves some of the amateur events use. Simply put, it's a more safe glove, as it don't slide off, provides firm support of the wrists and has a lot of padding. Yours truly hopes that the promoters will start to use these gloves for these amateur events, instead of the cheaper, but clearly unsatisfactory gloves. They haven't become the fighters' favourites, without a reason. They only go for the best, as they depend on them. Therefore, the Fairtex Sparring Gloves became an instant success with the fighters.
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