Different Padding Types in Women's Boxing Gloves

What women’s boxing gloves should I get? Leather or synthetic gloves? These are some of the common questions boxers ask. But, we’re rarely curious about what’s underneath the leather or synthetic material. The padding!

Padding—it’s like that reliable friend who never steals the spotlight but always has your back. The padding inside your women’s boxing gloves affects your comfort, safety, and overall performance. Whether you’re hitting the heavy bag, sparring, or competing the right padding makes a difference.

In this blog post, we’ll cover common padding materials used in boxing gloves and which padding you should opt for.

HorseHair Padding

Horsehair padding—the stuff of legends. This padding has been around for centuries. Although it has declined in popularity, it's still used in some traditional boxing gloves.

Horsehair padding is known for its breathability and being the ‘puncher glove’. Horsehair is also lightweight promoting agility and speed.

Despite these advantages of using horsehair in boxing gloves, horsehair-padded gloves:

• Are less durable as they absorb sweat and moisture quickly hence wearing the padding
• Provide limited shock absorption. While this is good for your opponent’s face, your hands won’t appreciate it.
• Have high maintenance needs

Gel Padding

Gel padding is a relatively new and less common padding material in boxing gloves.

Although it’s less common, some companies use it in their boxing gloves.

But why is gel being impressed?

Gel padding disperses impact force more evenly across the glove, offering better protection for your knuckles and wrists. Gel also conforms better to the shape of your hand, leading to a more natural and comfortable fit.

The downside? Gel-padded boxing gloves are pricier than their foam-padded counterparts. Gloves padded with gel are also slightly heavier.

Foam Padding

Synthetic foam padding is a widely used material in women's boxing gloves today. Form padding is available in various densities that provide different degrees of protection.

Foam-padded gloves are hailed for their:

• Impact Absorption: Foam padding absorbs and distributes shock well, protecting both the boxer’s hands and their opponent. 
• Comfort: They offer excellent comfort during training sessions and fights.
• Variety: Different densities of foam allow customization based on the fighter’s preferences.
• Affordability: Foam-padded gloves are generally more affordable than other types.

With the above advantages, foam offers a good balance between affordability, protection, and weight.

And where can you ‘buy’ this balance? At Tussle.

Tussle is the only woman-owned and operated company in the USA specializing in women’s fighting gear and apparel. At Tussle, we develop and sell unique form-padded women's boxing gloves and headgear.

Our boxing gloves are manufactured with the unique structure of the woman’s hands and needs in mind to give you the most needed protection, comfort, and performance in your training. So grab a pair of your women’s boxing gloves from Tussle and experience greatness.