Gear Review: RINGSIDE Gel Micro Punch Mitts

 One thing that I’m always looking for in my Martial Arts development with the Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Study Group is quality training equipment. Now a particular piece of equipment that I believe is vital to training is the focus mitts. Since their creation the boxing world has developed and refined the use of the focus mitts with great success, and this practice naturally transferred over to the sport of Kickboxing. Specifically in the practice of Bruce’s fighting method, the best instructors have always had a solid regime on the mitts from my observation. They are key in developing timing and accuracy among other things in striking, and Bruce was a big advocate on accuracy in striking as he wrote about it in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

 Looking for a pair of focus mitts, I sought out “RINGSIDE”, a boxing equipment company that I’ve had good results from in the past. I had bought some gloves from them long time ago and five years later they were still punching strong. Their equipment is top-grade, and lasts the test of time. So I went onto the Ringside.Com and decided to order a pair. They were delivered within 7 days locally in the U.S., which is decent on the turn-around time.

Specs:

– 8 inches long
– Genuine Leather
– Suede interior for hand comfort
– Concave striking surface

The Gel Micro Punch Mitts themselves are about 8 inches long (about 200mil for my metric folk), and are made of a genuine leather. The interior of the pad is made of a nice suede, and is a comfortable fit for anyone doing the pad holding.On top of that, the surface of the pad has a nice slight concave to it which not only aids in going easier on the pad holder’s shoulder, but also lets the striker know if they are hitting the target accurately. Ringside was also keen in putting their logo design right in the center of the mitt as a target reference, nice move.

Suede Interior for Comfort

Ringside Logo in Center

Punchng:
At the time of this writing, I’ve had these mitts for over a year and have been using them quite regularly. When they first arrived, they were a bit tight to the fit, but after about 2 weeks of use the leather began to form fit to my hand via a type of “memory fit” technology. So if you run a school or gym, these could be used as community use mitts, but I would also save a pair for yourself.

Fits to Contours of the Hand

Slight concave  for strikes

One characteristic that I love about these mitts is the size of them. They are sturdy enough to be able to take blows from a heavyweight, yet small and versatile enough to deal with the speed of a lightweight. Now I’m not sure if everyone knows, but focus mitts aren’t meant for slugging (that’s what the heavy bag is for!). They are a tool to help develop snap and power while delivering quick hands in punching. With the size of these mitts, you can create some really tight holes that you might not be able to pull off with the standard sized mitt. Not only that, but these things are GREAT for travel! They will fit into just about any bag and are nice to have on-the-go. I personally don’t see a need for a bigger mitt, and will be advocating this size as a standard to all my friends and colleagues.

Next to my hand to compare size

Elbows are also good with these mitts, and training them on the the gel micro punch mitts will ensure development of an elbow with a nice snap. Ever since working out on mitts with concave, that’s been my standard. Especially when working elbows, the gel micro will let you know when you haven’t hit it with a good shot as accuracy plays an important part in landing the blow effectively.

Kicking:
I enjoy kicking with these mitts, because again we are dealing with a good level of accuracy. And being that these aren’t meant for “all-out” slugging, use of kicks with a good amount of snapping or whipping power is good. Occasionally when you partner slightly misses you may feel a little discomfort in your wrist, but this is bound to be the case with any focus mitt (including mitts that have a wrist wrap, as those type of straps seem to be meant more for the mitt not slipping off). When working with kicks, i tend to place one hand over the other, and have found this method to work well with these mitts.
The Gel Micro focus mitts also work well against knees. I’m not gonna lie, i was a little skeptical working the knees with these mitts. With the small size, I was worried disaster was bound to ensue. But after several sessions, I couldn’t find anything bad about them. The good thing about these is you can really focus on striking with the correct part of your weapon thus correcting your technique.

Trapping:
For those of us who use trapping, these mitts are again really great.  They’re small and versatile enough to really be able to work follow-ups and angles that you can’t do with the standard sized mitt. As we know, accuracy is extremely important when one moves to trapping, and the gel micro focus mitts don’t miss a beat. Also due to the size and sturdiness of the mitts, if you’re the type that loves to work pads bare knuckle when you trap then you will love these mitts.

OVERALL RATING:   9.5 / 10

For the size and versatility of the Gel Micro Focus Mitt,  I highly recommend these to any practitioner who makes use of accurate striking in their training. They are a great travel companion and also built tough with quality materials to last.The design of the mitt is great with a concave surface and a natural hand position, making sure the holder doesn’t get sore shoulders from bad contact. These are my #1 mitts of choice at the moment! Check them out at Ringside.com.

Video courtesy of Ringside.com