Hand wraps are very important to keeping your hands’ parts together therefore supporting the hand bones and joints. You should never skip the step of wrapping your hands with the boxing band before putting on boxing gloves. This is the most crucial thing you have to do if you want to keep your hand tendons and muscles away from injuries. Not to mention that you need good support for your wrists while throwing punches at your opponent.
In this article, you can find a step by step tutorial on how to wrap your hands correctly for boxing gloves.
How to Choose Your Wraps
You’re probably thinking ‘It’s only a wrap, It doesn’t matter which one I buy!’, and you cannot be more wrong. It matters the most! Have in mind that it is the wrap you choose that will be mainly there to protect your hands. When you think like that, you’ll probably want something that will do the job. Right?
There are many types of hand wraps on the market, and, depending on your preferences, you can choose from:
- COTTON WRAPS: Made from high-quality cotton, this material is great and is suited for frequent usage. Also, look for the right length of the wraps. They are made with different sizes and it’s important that you pick ones that are suited for your hands. If you don’t know the size of your hand, ask someone in the store to help you out.
- GEL WRAPS: These wraps are easy to put on and take off since they look like fingerless gloves. Even though they are convenient and don’t take too much time to put on, they don’t offer as much protection as traditional wrapping. You can use them if you are a casual fighter or if you mainly train with a punching bag.
- “MEXICAN” WRAPS: Very much alike the cotton wraps, these wraps provide you with exceptional protection, but in addition, they are woven with elastic fibers which allow them to go around your hand more easily. But, the set back is that they aren’t as durable as the cotton ones. Even though, they are a great choice for training.
Step by Step Guide to Wrap Your Hands for Boxing Gloves
If you just started boxing and you don’t have experience handling and putting boxing wraps, follow these simple steps and you’ll have your hands ready in few minutes. And remember, practice makes perfect.
1- First, stretch your hand as much as possible, and then put your thumb into the hole which is placed at the end side of the wrap. You can easily find it opposed from the Velcro and it is usually made from a stretchy material so you can easily pull out. Be sure that your hand is against the underside of the wrap, otherwise, it will be difficult for you to fasten it when finished. The wraps usually have a tag in order to help you know which side should be faced down.
2- Wrap your wrist 3-4 times. The number of times you wrap it is determined on the size of your wrist and how much stability you want to have. Keep in mind that you don’t want to make it to tight and stop your circulation. When you are done wrapping your wrist, make sure that the wrap is on the inside of your wrist.
3- Wrap your hand around the area on top of your thumb, from both sides. Do it 3 times until the wrap is placed on the inner part of your hand around the thumb.
4- Start wrapping your thumb. This is important because it will provide your thumb with additional protection since this finger is separated from the others in the glove. Finish wrapping your thumb with another circle around your wrist.
5- When wrapping fingers you want to start with the space between small and ring finger. You start from the wrist and stretch it between the small finger and the ring finger, and then you cross the area above your thumb and again finish on your wrist. Then repeat the same movement, but this time go between the ring finger and the middle finger and in the end, stretch the wrap right in the middle of the middle finger and the index finger. The finish point should be located on wrist’s inside part.
6- In the end, cover everything by wrapping your entire hand starting from the wrist, across the area where the small finger is, over your palm and then start covering the hand above the thumb. Repeat that movement several times, until you have used up the majority of the wrap. The last wrapping goes around your wrist where it ends with the Velcro.
Repeat everything with the other hand and you’re ready to go.
A Few More Tips & Tricks
While wrapping, don’t twist or bend your wrist. Keep the wrap flat, without the wrinkles and avoid folding it because it can loosen up under the glove and can damage your hands in the process.
