Wow, I really like the Hayabusa MMA gloves. They have many features that are important to MMA fighters. Although I have never actually seen them used in competition, they are great training gloves.
The extra long wrist support is one of the things I like best about these gloves. I'm not talking about the wrap, but the length of the wrist support itself. If you compare to normal gloves, you'll notice they are about a good inch longer in overall length. When you combine the longer wrist and the overlapping wrist wrap, they make for a great wrist support.
Something different is the double overlapping velcro strap. I have not seen this before and Hayabusa may have a patent pending on this design. The straps allow you to make two tightening adjustments, one that goes under and another that goes around the top, making for a very snug wrist. This is a great feature if you like to fine tune your wrist adjustments.
You also need to take a close look at the padding too. Many gloves are just one huge pad. There is no curve in the padding for the curve of the hand. When you hear the term "Hand Fatique" this is what they are talking about. Constantly flexing to keep your fist closed, your hand is always working. This constant hand contraction wears out a person's hand muscles. When shopping for gloves- hold them sideways and see that there is a curve to the pad.
The padding itself is impotant too. Gloves are often amde for a specific type of training, like heavy bag training. Gloves that are made for bag work are more concerned with protecting the skin of the hand. Bag gloves were built with the knowledge that they would be hitting padding. Sparring gloves, one's that actually hit another person should have extra padding, like boxing gloves. When it comes to competition gloves, the main design consideration is protecting your hands from getting busted up while busting someones face.
Leather of vinyl...A lot of people complain about vinyl gloves. They don't last; they're cheap looking; they irritate the skin around fingers; the list goes on. If you go for the cheaper priced gear- you get what you pay for. Leather gloves and vinyl are usually priced about $10 apart- spend the extra $10, you will get a better pair of gloves.. Hayabusa MMA is about the best.
Hayabusa MMA