In order to protect your wrists, knuckles and top of your hands while boxing, you must wrap your hands properly. A proper hand wrap will ward off injuries that commonly occur when striking a punching bag, punch mitts or sparring partner. You will put on boxing hand wraps before putting on your boxing gloves and it is also wise to wrap your hands before hitting the speed bag to protect the skin on your knuckles.
Boxing Hand Wraps
Step 1
Making sure you have the proper boxing hand wraps before you wrap your hands is important. If you have very small hands, you can use hand wraps that are 120 inches long. If you have medium to large hands, you will use hand wraps that are 180 inches long. Make sure there is a loop at one end of the wrap and a Velcro closure at the other end. Many years ago, canvas hand wraps were all that you could find, but now you can purchase cotton hand wraps with a blend of spandex, says Angelo Nunez, co-creator of the Boxing 101 DVD series and Olympic-certified boxing coach. This new blend gives the hand wraps more elasticity so they can conform to your hand when you make a fist. The 180 inch hand wraps are called Pro Mexican style and the 120 inch hand wraps are called Youth Mexican style.
Step 2
To wrap your hands, keep hands palm down, fingers spread apart and start with placing the loop around the thumb. Your hand wraps should already be rolled up so keep it rolled as you wrap. Pulling hand wraps back over the hand, you will start with wrapping the wrist four times around. Coming up between the thumb and the pointer finder, you will wrap around your knuckles three times. Come back behind the thumb joint near the wrist and bring the hand wrap down between your pointer finger and ring finger. Bring the wrap back behind the thumb joint and around the wrist. You will continue to wrap between each finger alternating with one wrap around the wrist. Come up between the thump and pointer finger and wrap your knuckles several times again. On the last wrap around the knuckles bring the hand wrap between the thumb and pointer finger pulling it back over the top of the hand and start to wrap your wrist once again. With the remainder of the hand wrap going past the wrist about 1 to 2 inches and then back to the wrist joint to secure the Velcro closure.
Step 3
You will need to prepare your hand wraps every time you wear them. Wash them at least every other time you wear them, depending on how much you sweat during your workout. You can wash them in the washing machine and dry them in the dryer. Be sure to place them in a mesh bag before washing so they do not get wrapped up in other clothing or the center of the washing machine. In between washes, make sure to hang up your hand wraps to air dry. Once they are dry, roll them up. To roll them, start by placing the Velcro around the pointer finger with Velcro side down. You will end up with the loop at the end of the roll, which makes it easier to wrap your hands.
Posted in: Boxing