frizzydizzy

I was practicing hammer strikes on a bag/block that my partner was holding up for me. That's all I did that day and walked away w/ my pinky side knuckles bruised and the sides of my hands are pretty tender too. The block was padded. Would I benefit at all from grappling gloves? Or no, because they don't really offer any padding for hammer strikes? I never practiced w/ gloves on before, as I just started out.

Also, what mouthguard should I get? I hear shock doctor, but after reading the reviews, I see people bust their lip on them (w/ the 3D) or it doesn't stay in place. I then see the Brain-Pad listed on most MMA sites, but it looks bulky. What do you guys use (that's not custom)?

So, what *finger-tipless* gloves should I get that would help protect me when I practice hammer strikes? And what's a good mouth guard?

FCSCanuck

http://www.combatsports.com/csi/glov...g-glove-3.html

these are specifically designed for hammerfist training and perform really well.

Voiceless

Shock Doctor had good mouthguards, but they changed the fitting material which is too soft now so the mouthguard doesn't stick tight anymore to the teeth and can easily fall out. I have no idea why they have done that.

If you are willing to spend the money ($200-300) I recommend 3 layer custom made mouthguards. It's really a huge difference to those cheap boil&bite mouthguards. My custom made mouthguard is sticks so tight to my teeth that I can't get it out without using my hands.