Review: Decathlon Outshock Kickboxing / Muay Thai Gloves-Are They Worth It for Beginners?

Looking for beginner-friendly gloves for Muay Thai or kickboxing? In this Decathlon Outshock Muay Thai gloves review, the author breaks down how these gloves perform under regular training—based on 7 months of real-world use in boxing training.

Verdict:

Decathlon Outshock Kickboxing / Muay Thai Gloves is a well-constructed hybrid glove, ideal for beginners--early intermediate Muay Thai or kickboxing training—especially suited for light-intermediate bag work and light partner drills. Even boxing training can be used.

While it may not be built for prolonged, intense bag beat downs, it holds up very well with twice-a-week sessions. I personally have been using the 10oz size and found it a great fit for my current routine. Also, great for beginners who plan to do clinch work (Muay Thai).

What We Like

✅ Well designed curve (knuckles protection) for short fingers

✅ Easy dry after a sweaty palm outbreak

✅ Well ventilated

✅ Lightweight

✅ Inner cuff is made of synthetic leather to prevent sweat from absorbing into the foam

❌ What We Don’t Like

⚠ The wrist cuff alignment isn't too great for small-sized palms for clinching movements

⚠ Nothing major comes to mind. It serves its purpose really well within its intended use.

Some feedback point to the lack of wrist support and label these as "bad boxing gloves." However, it's important to remember that these are Muay Thai gloves, not traditional boxing gloves. With that in mind, MT gloves have more flexibility to allow for clinching, which naturally means less rigid wrist support.

For Boxing or Muay Thai training?

In most boxing classes, coaches usually aren’t too strict about glove type—as long as you're wearing decent gloves that protect both you and your training partner. For beginners and early intermediates in Muay Thai or boxing, this glove is totally fine to use, especially if you haven’t developed full striking power yet.

That said, once your strength and skill improve—typically within a year—it’s a good idea to upgrade to a more specialized glove. If you’re focusing more on boxing and plan to fight eventually, a glove specifically designed for boxing will give you better performance and support as your power increases.

How Comfortable Does It Get?

• Breathability: A+ on ventilation. The mesh panels keep your hands cool and dry during intense rounds. No heat buildup.

  
  

• Mobility: For small palms, I did notice my wrist sits slightly above the cuff line, making wrist mobility a bit restricted. But when the fit lines up just right, the glove performs well—very nimble and responsive. The cuff is thoughtfully designed to support a natural grabbing motion, which helps with clinch work and transitions.

Is the Protection Good Enough?

• Knuckles: Yes, but only for beginners and early intermediate trainees. The glove features single layer foam, great for reducing impact low to mid powerful strikes when hitting the bags. The padding is evenly distributed, an absorb shock and disperses force effectively, which is a Muay Thai glove hallmark.

  

  Image source: Decathlon Malaysia

  
  

• Wrist: The cuff doesn’t fully support the wrist for smaller hands, since the wrist sits higher than the cuff line. I'm using 10oz yet it's still too "large". Small palms problem. Why not 8oz? Lesser protection in terms of size coverage. So, I strongly recommend wrapping your hands well for added support. With proper hand wraps, you’ll get decent wrist alignment and stability.

Due to smaller palm, the wrist is sitting above the cuff line (10oz glove)

Versatility

Can it be used for different types of training? (pad work, bag work, sparring)

Yes—this glove is quite versatile. It works well for pad work, heavy bag training, and light partner drills. For sparring, though, we recommend going for the 16oz version to give your partner better protection and reduce the risk of injury.

Durability

Though marketed for “low-intensity training,” I’ve pushed these gloves a bit harder for boxing training—training 3 times per week over 7 months—and they’ve held up surprisingly well. After a while, I did notice the gloves break in. The inner soft foam starting to compress, especially as my punching power increased. Eventually, I could feel my knuckles making contact with the bag through the padding—kind of a milestone moment for me. The condition is still pristine, nonetheless.

Also, If you are heavy users (4- times per week), the outer synthetic glove's skin start to signs of wear and tear within 7-8 months of training. You may need to consider a new pair.

Ease of Cleaning & Maintenance

Does it retain odors after multiple uses?

Compared to full leather or synthetic leather gloves, these perform better when it comes to staying fresh. Thanks to the mesh ventilation panels, the gloves dry out faster after training and don’t trap odors as easily. This makes post-training cleanup quicker and helps them stay usable longer without smelling funky.

Who Should Get Decathlon Outshock Muay Thai Gloves?

• If you’re a light casual to moderate striker (boxing & muay thai) looking for:

  • Cushy impact absorption when working the bag

  • A glove that fits small palms comfortably (for boxing yes, but for muay thai requires more attention to the wrist line)

  • Something breathable (hello sweaty palms!)

  • Light partner drills or sparring with friends

    
    

• Perfect for beginners to intermediate practitioners who train 1–2 times a week.

Overall

Are they the highest-end gloves on the entry level market? No. But for the price point (RM89) of entry level, they offer excellent value, they’re really good.  Way better than Everlast entry level "boxing" gloves (RM100 above). At least it lasted close to 7 months under heavy usage before I started feeling signs of weary (sign of improvement of power and strength).

Overall, there’s nothing significantly negative to highlight—as long as you use them within their intended purpose, they perform very well.

Visit Decathlon Malaysia for more information and to purchase on Kickboxing/Muay Thai Gloves -Blue