Hand wraps
You are about to use an important, tactile part of your body to hit an inanimate object.
Your hand and wrist contains:
27 bones
27 joints
34 muscles
over100 ligaments and tendons
This collection of bone and tissue is vulnerable when you strike anything with force.
Hand wraps offer protection by holding everything together in one compact unit. They reduce the risk of broken bones or ruptured ligaments.
There are two kinds of wraps.
Pull-on wraps
Many people go for pull-on wraps. These resemble a glove and have a gel padding around the knuckle. I can see the attraction if you are in a boxing fitness class.
Wraps can be cumbersome if you are knocking out push-ups and squat thrusts, but we are in the business of boxing. I don’t recall Tyson Fury pulling on a pair of gel gloves before making his ring walk at the MGM Grand. So if it’s not good enough for Tyson, it’s not good enough for us!
Bandage wraps
These are lengths of material with a thumb loop at one end and a Velcro fastener at the other. In the past, these wraps were cotton and sometimes chafed the skin, especially when damp.
Nowadays, elasticated “Mexican“ wraps are more popular. They have more give and don't slide around under the glove.
Once you get the hang of wrapping your hands it becomes second nature — a ritual. I always enjoy wrapping my hands before training. It gives me a few moments to get in the right frame of mind and recite my own silent meditation.
Boxers have their preferences. For example, many wrap between their fingers — which I always found uncomfortable. Take the time to experiment and find a wrap that feels right for you.
Meanwhile, here's a boilerplate method that will get you started:
Place the loop around your thumb, with the seam side down.
Wrap around your wrist two or three times.
Wrap up and across over the back of your hand toward the knuckle line.
Wrap a couple of times around your knuckles. Make sure your fingers are spread. You don’t want to cut of blood circulation to your fingers.
Wrap across and down back to your wrist.
Wrap around your thumb then back across the face of your hand.
Now return to your wrist for a couple of loops.
Use up the wrap by retracing the path over your knuckles, down over your hand and around the wrist.
Make sure the wrap finishes at the wrist, fastening the Velcro in place.
