Best Basketball Gloves For Training and Shooting are designed to help improve your dribbling skills in a couple of different ways. First, they strengthen the intrinsic muscles located in the fingers, wrists, and forearms with the use of weights that have been strategically placed throughout the glove’s design.
Next, they take away the natural grip of the ball, forcing the player to use more strength, power, and proper hand and finger positioning in order to control the ball. These gloves are a big hit with many players, but finding the best basketball gloves on the market may take some research on your part, considering there are many knockoff products on the market these days.
I’ve created a buyer’s guide to help you learn more about the benefits of using these gloves during practice, how they can help, and what features to look for. I’ve also reviewed many of the top-selling pairs on the market, narrowing it down to six pairs of must-have gloves that players of all skill levels will appreciate.
Below, you’ll find a comparison chart that lists each of the pairs that made it onto my list, their best features, and how they rated.
Basketball Gloves Comparison Chart
| Product | Type | Sizes | Material | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
POWERHANDZ Basketball Gloves  Shop On Amazon! | Weighted | 6 | Sheepskin/Lycra | |
Ball Hog Ball Handling Gloves  Shop On Amazon! | Unweighted | 2 | Lycra | |
Ball Hog Gloves  Shop On Amazon! | Weighted | 5 | Lycra | |
Seibertron Anti Grip Gloves  Shop On Amazon! | Anti-Grip | 5 | Synthetic Leather | |
Elite Handlz Ball Gloves  Shop On Amazon! | Anti-Grip | 1 | Lycra |
Best Overall-POWERHANDZ Weighted Basketball Gloves
Our Rating:
These popular weighted gloves by Powerhandz are designed to maximize your training with the weighted design, combined with the anti-grip surface. These gloves have anti-friction material located on the palms that will make it more challenging and difficult to catch and pass a ball during practice. The goal of the gloves is to improve muscle strength and hand speed, resulting in an improved performance out on the court. Over time, the gloves will improve your agility, dexterity, speed, and endurance. The gloves are made out of smooth sheepskin leather for improved durability and a high-performance. The lycra gussets help to improve breathability, preventing your hands from sweating during a long intense practice. The four-way nylon stretch provides flexibility and durability during movement.
Pros
- Breathable material
- Improves speed, muscle strength, and dexterity
- Weights promote muscle growth
- Anti-friction material
Cons
- Gloves run a size small
Conclusion
These stretchy, comfortable weighted gloves will put your skills to the test and keep you challenged during practice. These are the gloves you need if you want to see some serious results with your how you handle the ball during dribbling drills, passing, and more. The weight is evenly distributed across the sides, in order to avoid placing too much stress on concentrated areas. These gloves are safe to use for players of all ages and skill levels and offer the type of results that all players are looking for.
Best for Dribbling-Ball Hog Ball Handling Gloves
Our Rating:
These gloves are not weighted. Instead, the focus is placed on the anti-grip design, which makes it more difficult for the player to handle, catch, and pass the ball. The thicker padding located on the palms of each of the gloves will place the ball solely on the fingertips, promoting proper shooting and dribbling technique. This causes the fingers to work much harder than usual when handling the ball. If you normally have trouble handling the ball on the court and you’re in need of a training device that can help you develop these skills, then these gloves by Ball Hog are a great buy.
Pros
- Thick padding on the balls
- Promotes proper dribbling and shooting techniques
- Low price
- Anti-grip surface
Cons
- Only two sizes available
Conclusion
These popular gloves by Ball Hog are a great buy for players of all skill levels and ages. The goal of the gloves is to improve the player’s ball-handling skills by making it harder for the player to control the ball. This is done by forcing the ball to remain on the fingertips, which is the proper way to dribble. These gloves can improve your dribbling, passing, catching, and how you handle the ball out on the court.
Top Choice for Training-Ball Hog Gloves Weighted Training Gloves
Our Rating:
These weighted gloves also come equipped with an anti-grip surface that’s designed to make controlling the ball more of a challenge. If you’re looking for a way to make your next practice more intense, these gloves may be the solution. These training gloves will improve how you perform your shooting drills, can improve both hand and finger strength by adding weight resistance. This can result in better hand speed, dexterity, and ball control. Wear these gloves during your next practice and you’ll be impressed by how much harder you have to work to pass the ball, shoot, dribble, and catch.
Pros
- Anti-grip surface
- Strengthens both the hands and fingers
- Added weight resistance
- Low price
Cons
- Can cause excessive sweating
Conclusion
These gloves can improve your ball-handling skills by adding weight resistance and taking away the natural grip of the ball. The unique design will cause the player to focus on their hand speed and strength. If you want to get the most out of every practice and you want to see faster results, then these gloves may just be the perfect training tool.
For Small Hands-Seibertron Anti Grip Unweighted Basketball Gloves
Our Rating:
These gloves are a great choice for players with smaller hands or younger players. These are anti-grip gloves that will make you work harder to control the ball when you’re flying down the court, passing, or catching. They’re made out of a durable synthetic leather that’s designed to keep the hands cool, but excessive sweating seems to be unavoidable. The gloves themselves are very flexible and durable, however, the fact that they can cause your hands to sweat can have an impact on your comfort during practice.
Pros
- Durable
- Made out of synthetic leather
- Anti-grip surface
- Five size options available
Cons
- Causes the hands to sweat excessively
Conclusion
These gloves are perfect for players with smaller hands, or younger players. The synthetic leather, combined with the Lycra interior improves durability but contributes to the lack of breathability that causes the hands to sweat excessively. The gloves are designed to improve your dribbling, control, passing, and shooting skills, in a matter of weeks. These gloves are a great buy for the serious player who wants to get in shape in anticipation of the upcoming season.
Budget Buy-Elite Handlz Ball Handling Gloves Basketball Dribbling
Our Rating:
Elite Handlz ball handling gloves are made of lycra and neoprene, enhancing durability, flexibility, and breathability. They incorporate woven elastic bands to increase resistance, promoting strength building during practice. The gloves have anti-grip palms for improved ball handling, dexterity, and coordination. The neoprene piping effectively eliminates excess sweat from the brow, making it useful during intense court sessions. These gloves have a Velcro secure strap and are crafted from breathable lycra material to prevent sweating in your hands.
Pros
- Anti-grip palm
- Breathable
- Flexible
- Improves ball control
Cons
- Only one size available
Conclusion
If you’re on a tight budget and you’re looking for an affordable pair of training gloves, then you’ll appreciate this pair from Elite Handlz. These low-priced gloves offer the type of anti-grip surface that will make handling the ball more challenging, which can result in stronger hands, faster hand speed, and improved dexterity, with consistent use.
Basketball Gloves Buyer’s Guide
Basketball is a highly competitive sport, so it makes sense that you’ll want to buy whatever types of training accessories that have a reputation for improving a player’s shooting efficiency, skills, and speed. Gloves are the next big thing to hit the basketball industry. In fact, they’re so popular that many of the pros wear them regularly during practice. But are these gloves right for you? What type of benefits do they have to offer? Can they do more harm than good in the long run?
As previously stated, these gloves exert resistance on the muscles in the fingers, wrists, and forearms through the strategically positioned weight inserts integrated into their design. However, it is worth noting that not all training gloves incorporate weights. Although weighted gloves enjoy widespread popularity, there exist alternative options specifically crafted to serve purposes beyond the development of hand strength.
Types of Basketball Gloves
While weight basketball gloves seem to be all the rage, there are a few different styles of gloves to choose from.
Anti-Grip
Anti-grip gloves are designed with a surface that makes it difficult to control the ball. While this may sound counterproductive, the goal of the gloves is to cause the wearer to work harder to control the ball, making every practice more challenging and causing the wearer to focus on motor patterning and coordination.
Weighted
Weighted gloves are designed with small weight inserts that are placed all over the gloves. This added weight will also cause the wearer to work harder to control the ball, improving hand, finger, and wrist muscle strength over time. The big drawback here is the fact that incorrect use, or even just accidentally moving the hands and fingers the wrong way, can lead to a serious injury. This is because the added weight can cause muscle fatigue and strain. Move the wrong way, scramble to regain control of the ball and you can end up with a muscle injury that can leave you benched for a few games. However, many pro players swear by them. The weights come in the form of pouches of iron sand that’s placed around the flex points in the hands. The weight resistance in the gloves will promote muscle growth while improving strength in the hands and fingers. The weighted design will make catching the ball, passing, and dribbling more difficult during practice.
Shooting Gloves
Shooting gloves are designed to help the wearer improve their ball-handling skills. The goal of this design is to improve shooting skills by promoting the use of the correct shooting form. If you’re having issues with your shot accuracy, poor form can be to blame. The gloves can help to improve muscle memory, so wearing them consistently at every practice can essentially help you use the proper shooting form and technique, automatically, over time. The gloves will have padding located in the palm area that’s designed to allow you to easily palm the ball, while also forcing the ball into the proper position, directly on the fingertips. This will force the player to develop the proper follow-through over time. The fingers will retain the total range of motion, so they’re free for shooting.
Fasteners
Most gloves will fasten with the help of tough Velcro, others may come with snaps, and very rarely, you’ll find gloves with a small buckle system. Velcro is more commonly used since it allows the player to easily put the glove on and fasten it using one hand. If the Velcro gets dirty, or fuzz and lint are allowed to accumulate, then this can have an impact on its sticking power. However, this material is considered the best choice since it helps to keep the weight of the gloves down and results in a sleeker, lightweight design.
Material
The type of material the gloves are made out of will be dependent on the style. The weighted gloves are typically made out of genuine cowhide anti-friction leather, for increased durability. While cowhide is very durable, it can also promote sweating, which can make using the gloves for a long period of time uncomfortable.
Shooting gloves are usually made out of a combination of nylon for durability, and lycra, for improved flex.
Like shooting gloves, most types of anti-friction gloves are made out of synthetic materials that are designed to keep the hands dry, promote air circulation, and a comfortable fit, while offering the type of flexibility you need when you’re shooting. The anti-friction gloves will have material on the fingertips and palms that are designed to make the surface of the basketball difficult to grasp. Many models will feature a combination of materials including spandex, lycra, and nylon.
Price
The price of the gloves will vary and will often depend on the type, style, and brand. As an example, weighted gloves tend to be the most expensive, while shooting and anti-friction gloves are more reasonably priced. You can expect to pay anywhere from ten dollars up to fifty or sixty dollars per pair, depending on the type of gloves and the size. Adult-sized gloves will be pricier compared to gloves designed for youths.
Safety and Restrictions
As I mentioned earlier, these gloves are not for everyone. Wearing weighted and anti-friction gloves can lead to injury, if used incorrectly or if worn excessively. Injuries in basketball are common, especially when it comes to the hands. When you’re dribbling, accidentally making a wrong move can lead to a mild or serious hand injury. This is especially true with weighted gloves, which place a lot of stress on the muscles in the hands and fingers. Anti-friction gloves can also cause issues, since you’re placing so much stress on the muscles in your fingers and hands, in an attempt to grab, catch, and pass the ball. Overuse injuries can happen. Because of this, I recommend speaking with your coach prior to wearing these gloves when you practice.
These gloves are not court legal during a competitive game. This means you will only be able to wear these gloves during practice. A ref will not even allow you on the court if you’re wearing shooting or training gloves. In some cases, gloves may be allowed, but these gloves are usually medically necessary devices, such as braces used for sprains. Additionally, players should not use these gloves if they have a history of hand, wrist, or finger injuries, including past surgeries, sprains, or breaks.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for an edge over the competition, then training with these gloves may just be the solution you’ve been looking for. The best basketball gloves are designed to improve how you handle the ball, your shooting form, how well and fast you dribble, shoot, and pass the ball, and can basically take your basketball playing skills to the next level. With the right pair of gloves, you can expect to see a change in your performance in just a matter of weeks, with consistent use. The gloves included in my top six list are designed to improve your performance on the court, the way you handle the ball and can give you the type of confidence, shooting efficiency, and strength you need to crush your opponents.
