In boxing there are mainly two type of boxing gloves you can wear. They are either laced boxing gloves (sometimes referred to as lace up boxing gloves) or hook and loop boxing gloves (also known as velcro boxing gloves).

You might be asking ‘should I get lace up gloves or hook and loop boxing gloves’. It’s a good thing you found this post.

We are going to go through what the benefits are of wearing the different types of gloves are and what the drawbacks are of wearing each type.

First let’s take a look at hook and loop boxing gloves.

Hook and Loop Boxing Gloves

Hook and Loop Gloves or also known as velcro boxing gloves are gloves which you can put on easier and quicker. All you have to do is loop the strap around your gloves and fasten the straps. All in all it takes a few seconds to put both gloves on and tighten them.

Hook & Loop gloves have gotten immensely popular over the years and this is mainly because of the ease of use and how quick they are to take off compared to lace up gloves. 

Beginners love to use hook and loop gloves for the ease and quickness of them.

The straps can add a good level of protection to your wrists and can prevent any injuries as gloves do have single straps or double straps for added protection.

More brands are making hook & loop gloves because there is starting to be more of a demand for them. They are more versatile as they can be used for a variety of things including boxing fitness, MMA training, kickboxing training and much more. 

Pro boxers do not use hook & loop gloves more as you’ll probably find they were more lace up gloves but that’s not to say they weren’t wear them at all. They will training with both but probably end up using lace ups more.

Pros

• Easy and quick to put on. Can be done in a few seconds
• Can put on the gloves on your own
• Straps can add fantastic amount of protection
• Great for beginners

Cons

• Tend to have less wrist protection than laced gloves
• When the strap is left bare it may scratch your opponent
• Cannot tighten as much as laced gloves

Lace Up Boxing Gloves

These gloves are secured and tightened using a single piece of lace which goes through both sides of the glove. 

Lace up boxing gloves are the classic gloves you see all professional boxers with. Most pro boxers wear laced gloves to train because of the fit and protection they offer. Whilst they are sparring it is rare they were anything other than laced gloves.

Many boxers prefer to use laced gloves when sparring as they fit better and they can tighten them to their own preference.

They can take longer to wear and you may need help putting them on by a friend or sparring partner. You can use Lace & Loop strap which helps you put on laced gloves much quicker.

Pros

• They give a close and secure fit
• They are more longer which makes them feel better when punching
• You can tighten them however much you want.
• Laced gloves tend to be well padded on the wrist area
• Gloves of choice for pro boxers

Cons

• They are difficult to put on your own. You will probably need the assistance of another person
• They can take longer and put on and take off then hook and loop gloves 
• The ends of laces can end up scratching or hurting your opponents eye.

Hybrid Gloves

Hybrid boxing gloves are a mix between hook & loop gloves and laced gloves. They provide the best of both worlds. Hybrid gloves are still relatively new and not really common. Many brands including ourselves do not make hybrid gloves.

With these kind of gloves you still need someone else to help you with tightening the laces up however you can just use the strap to tighten them up. 

You do get the best of both worlds with these however this won’t make them as tight or fit as good as laced gloves.  

They can be used for sparring, pad or bag work but most people still prefer to use either hook & loop or lace up boxing gloves.

Pros

• Offer the best of both worlds

Cons

• Not as good or tight fit as lace up gloves
• Not as easy and quick to take off as hook & loop gloves

Which should you use?

The choice is all yours. But it depends on what you are comfortable with and what you want to use them for. 

Lace Up gloves are tend to have better wrist protection and fit better as you are able to tighten them to how you want. They do tend to offer better padding as well but they can be heavier because of the extra padding. 

As the laces need to be tightened you will need another person to help you with them or you can use Lace N Loop – which are essentially glove converters.

Besides that you’ll probably see many pro boxers use lace up gloves more simply because they are only allowed in professional matches. More people prefer to use lace up gloves over hook & loop gloves in sparring.

Hook & Loop gloves on the other hand are quicker to put on but they tend to have less wrist protection than there counterpart. You can use these gloves in sparring but more people tend to use lace up gloves for sparring.

A good thing about these though is you do not need another person to help you put these on so if you are training on your own or doing bag work then these are for you. 

Hook & Loop gloves are great for beginners or even those looking to do boxing for fitness.

Conclusion 

At the end of the day it all comes down to personal preference. Hook and Loop boxing gloves aren’t necessarily just for beginners and more advanced boxers do use them. If you feel more comfortable wearing hook and loop gloves then use them and vice versa.

Or better yet get a pair of both lace up gloves and hook and loop gloves. That way you’re ready for any occasion!