Focus mitts, also known as punch mitts, are something used by fight coaches and fighters all over the world to improve their striking skills. This is one of the best ways to improve your fighting reflexes through fighting strategy, defense technique and punching technique. Hitting the focus mitts can be mentally stimulating as well as being a great workout for you. Next to sparring, hitting the mitts is about as realistic as it gets.
Focus mitts are a great training tool for anyone that utilizes striking in their sport. This includes Boxing, MMA and Muay Thai to name a few. Training with focus pads isn’t just about speed and power, but also about style, strategy, timing, accuracy and rhythm. There are a plethora of way to improve using focus mitts and to only use them for power is selling yourself short.
What focus mitts should you be buying? This is a question that many will ask and the answer is different for everyone. It depends on what your goals, how often they’ll be used and how much money you are willing to spend on the product. That being said, we want to try to help you find the best focus mitts for you. We are doing this by creating this list of some of the best focus mitts of the year. Every pair of focus mitts you see listed below are highly rated and high quality. This list will talk about why we like them and the features offered.
Check out our list of the best focus mitts of the year. We hope it makes your choice a little easier.
- 1. Cheerwing New Target MMA Boxing Mitt Focus
- 2. Xnature Essential Curved Boxing MMA Punching Mitts
- 3. Sanabul Essential Curved Boxing MMA Punching Mitts
- 4. Elite Sports Boxing Punch Focus Mitts
- 5. RDX Boxing Pads
- 6. Meister Cowhide Leather Curved Focus Mitts w/ Wrist Support
- 7. Pro Impact Curved Focus Mitts
- 8. Ringside Panther Focus Mitts
- 9. Fairtex Contoured Focus Pads
- 10. Cleto Reyes Pantera Focus Mitts
Cheerwing New Target MMA Boxing Mitt Focus
The Cheerwing New Target MMA Focus Mitts are great entry level focus mitts for training fighters. This mitt is specifically designed for striking training and might include Muay Thai, Karate, MMA or kickboxing. These mitts are made of durable and rugged PU leather material with an ergonomic design and high potency foam. When used correctly, these mitts will help a fighter improve in many areas of the fight game.
Some have complained of a strong chemical odor when you first get these. Others have complained there not being enough padding, but for the price these mitts are great for what they are supposed to do.
Features
– Foam padding is high potency with inner palm ball to protect the palm and reduce wrist shock
– Made of high quality PU leather and cool logo
– Comfortable to hold with ergonomic design
– Weight: 200 grams
– Compact, portable and durable
Xnature Essential Curved Boxing MMA Punching Mitts
You can pick up the Xnature Essential Curved Focus Mitts for an affordable price of under $20. These focus mitts use Eva-Lution Foam and Supremo-Shock Foam to help with shock absorption on these great little mitts. They have a secure closure and use EZ-Grip Technology to make these mitts fit comfortably for most sizes of hands. They are constructed with durable Maya Hide which increases the durability of these pads. In addition to being durable, these mitts have strategically placed perforations to provide air ventilation and breathability for the trainer’s hands. With all the comfort and security of these focus pads, training will never be cut short.
Features
– Curved pads designed with the hand of the trainer in mind
– Adjustable wrist strap and mesh backing to keep hands cool
– Made of durable Maya hid to increase the durability of these gloves
– EZ-Grip Technology and lightweight foam for comfort
– Supremo-Shock and EVA-LUTION Foam for ultimate shock absorption
Sanabul Essential Curved Boxing MMA Punching Mitts
The Sanabul Essential Curved Boxing MMA Punching Mitts mix quality and affordability into one great package. If you want something that fits your hand perfectly, it needs to be hand made and that is what you are getting with the Sanabul Essential Curved Boxing MMA Punching Mitts. According to Sanabul, these mitts have just the right amount of curve to make your hands feel great when you use them. It doesn’t matter how big your hands are because of the half ball palm grip and hook and loop strap.
Don’t let the cost of these focus mitts fool you. These mitts features many things that more expensive brands have as well.
Features
– Constructed to fit the natural curve of your hand with hand-shaped mold
– Features Santec Ultra-Light Foam for great shock absorbency
– Adjustable wrist strap and mesh backing for additional comfort and longer training
– Half ball palm grip allows those with hands of all sizes to use these mitts
– Leather construction is performance engineered
Elite Sports Boxing Punch Focus Mitts
For just over $20, you can get your hands on the Elite Sports Boxing Punch Focus Mitts. These mitts are built with rugged and extremely lightweight PU leather and easy to clean, take on and off and maintain. The adjustable hook and loop Velcro straps allow you to put them on and take them off easier as well as giving you an ideal fit. This is important so you can keep training and not have to take breaks from uncomfortable mitts. These mitts also offer great striking surface on every strike with the pre-curved concave technology.
Features
– Adjustable hook and loop straps that allow you to have a perfect fit and easy on and off
– Made of high density shock absorption foam that will give both coach and fighter excellent protection for hands
– Mesh panel allows for breathability and ventilation so your hands stay comfortable inside
– These mitts come with anti-fungal and antimicrobial treatment
RDX Boxing Pads
RDX is consistently putting out great fighting products and they didn’t stop with the RDX Boxing Pads. You can’t go without these focus mitts because they are perfect for your striking based sports like MMA, boxing and Muay Thai. You can increase your endurance and punching skills without having to take a beating from a sparring partner. The RDX pads are curved and made of a great mixture of inside and outside Maya hide in addition to being perforated to make for a breathable focus mitt. The foam on the inside delivers a lightweight product and impact absorption that is second to none.
Features
– Hook and loop wrist strap for a snug fit and easy on and off
– The inside and outside of pad is made with Maya Hide
– Foam is shock absorbent with layers of palm padding
– Perforations are strategically placed on the upper layer to keep the trainer’s hands cool
– Pre-curved pads to form to your hand
Meister Cowhide Leather Curved Focus Mitts w/ Wrist Support
Meister’s cowhide premium leather focus mitts are quality and efficiency wrapped up in one package. For around $40 you can pick up these contoured striking pads with extra thick padding for longer training sessions. These mitts will keep coaches’ hands in better condition for longer so they can keep working with you. These gloves are lightweight enough to keep your arms fresh and no matter the size of your hands, you can use these mitts because of the comfortable balloon grip. They have a second hand hold on the back if you are looking to get in some single mitt work. These mitts offer great value and quality all in one.
Features
– Padding is 2 inches thick for max shock absorption
– Made of 100% premium cowhide leather for supreme durability and ruggedness
– Joint and hand protection with large wrist padding
– Pre-curved mitts to fit the contour of your hand and keep strikes centered
Pro Impact Curved Focus Mitts
The Pro Impact Curved Focus Mitts provide great equipment and customer service for world-class focus mitts. These mitts are great for all sorts of physical activity and striking sports and you will be able to tell the difference between the Pro Impact Curved Focus Mitts and all the others. For around $55, you can get your hands on these great focus mitts. They are made of scratch resistant, durable leather and will provide long term use for your vigorous workouts. The genuine leather combined with the curved design offers a comfortable experience for the person punching these mitts as well as the one who is holding them.
Features
– Genuine leather crafted focus mitts for durability
– Ball in the middle of pad to make gripping easier
– Hook and loop closure makes for a secure fit
– Shock absorbing padding for comfort for coach and fighter
– Bullseye target in the center of glove to provide accuracy and precision striking
– Lining is resistant to sweat to keep material dry and odor free
Ringside Panther Focus Mitts
The Ringside Panther Punch Pads are fantastic pads used by many professionals in the fight game. Ringside is at the top of the list in terms of companies that make punch mitts. This is the company that created the cobra style panther punch mitt as well and those are some fantastic focus mitts as well. When you consider the quality you are getting for the price, that makes buying these focus pads a no brainer for anyone looking to improve.
These mitts are great because you get food feedback from the strikes because the surface of these is hard. The ball grip on the inside of the glove make them easy to hold and you don’t have to worry about these gloves flying off your hands.
Features
– Unique contoured shape that allows for the trainer to have better leverage and more control
– Contoured fit allows for the perfect alignment for shoulders, arms and wrist
– Made of quality leather
– Size: 10 x 7.5 x 3 inches
Fairtex Contoured Focus Pads
The Fairtex Contoured Focus Pads have a great natural shape that fits most hands for a better grip to receive the strikes. These mitts are made of high quality leather and the design is world class. You get what you pay for and while these run just north of $100, you are getting some striking pads that will last you for years.
Features
– Shock absorbing and extremely lightweight layered foam surface for striking
– Built with high quality leather
– Protective finger hood and soft hand compartment
– Made in Thailand by hand
Cleto Reyes Pantera Focus Mitts
The Cleto Reyes Pantera Focus Mitts are quality at its finest. These mitts run around $130 and you will feel the difference when you use them. These mitts have a curved shape that fits the natural curve of your hand. This curve allows coaches to prevent injuries to your forearm and wrist. It also allows the coach to train for much longer because these are comfortable and the shock absorbency of these mitts is great. There is also a hood built into these mitts that go over the fingers for additional protection. The build is all leather and extremely durable making these mitts great for a long period of time.
Features
– All leather construction means these mitts will last you years
– Built in curve to hold the coach’s forearm and wrist in a safer position
– Hood over fingers for protection
– Target on pad for more precision striking
Below are some of the most commonly asked questions about focus mitts.
How do you use focus mitts?
Focus mitts are used to help train strikers. The trainer will hold the pads out in front of him and away from their face to avoid being hit in the face or getting a shoulder injury. While training with the fighter, coaches will flash the pads to get the fighter to react as opposed to being a walking punching bag. Through this training, almost all aspects of fighting can be improved upon.
How do you hold focus mitts?
Being mindful of your face, hold the focus pads at about half of the distance you can reach. This means you shouldn’t hold them too far forward or too far back to avoid injury. You will also keep the pads a little less than shoulder width to imitate the head of an opponent.
How do you train with focus mitts?
You train with the focus mitts by creating patterns and defenses for your fighter. You don’t sit there and hold the pads out for them to hit. Coaches will flash the pads to get their fighter to react and become more accurate.