3. Why Wrap Your Hands?
Then handwrap’s purpose is to protect a boxer’s
most important weapon, his hands! The hands are
made up of many small joints and small bones that
could easily fracture from the impact of repeated
punches. Handwraps are there to hold your hand
together providing support for your wrists, fingers,
knuckles, and the entire hand itself.
Many people incorrectly think handwraps are for
extra cushion or protection for your knuckles.
4. The handwraps are there to secure all your
loose joints and moveable bones. The handwrap
fastens all your joints together so the shock is
better distributed across your entire hand. You
don’t want your joints to be moving freely and
independently when the hand strikes an object.
You can suffer a fracture if joints are moving in
their own direction.
5. If your hands are loose when you punch, it’s
very easy for small joints in your hand to
collapse over each other and break. Even if you
don’t break your hand, you don’t want to risk
hand injuries that prevent you from doing other
things in life like typing on a computer, holding a
pen, or carrying things. Save your hands for life
after boxing!
6. How to Wrap Your Hands:
You will need a pair of handwraps. A good
length is 180″, but small hands can do with just
120″. The semi-elastic, also known as “Mexican
wraps” are my favorite for their comfort and
performance. You should avoid any thick
inelastic handwraps or handwrap gloves, these
do not offer the same level of support. (The gel
handwraps do not tighten your fist when you
close your hands.)
7. 1. Loop the thumb and wrap BEHIND
the hand:
You go down the back of the hand so the
handwrap tightens when you make a fist.
8. 2. Three times around the wrist:
This provides support for the wrist. If you have
short handwraps or big hands, you can do just 2
times. Some fighters like having loose wrists (for
angled hooks and uppercuts).
9. 3. Three times around the hand:
You’re wrapping around the palm of your hand.
Don’t worry so much about covering the
knuckles.
11. 4. Three X’s through the fingers:
Now you begin to create X’s on the back of your
hand as the handwrap goes between your
fingers and crosses the back of your hand. This
part pulls your knuckles together for support but
keeps your knuckles separated so they don’t
collapse or break over each other.
12. • Wrap between your pinky and ring fingers.
• Now over to the side.
• Now down to the bottom of your hand. The
handwrap forms an “X” on the back of your
hand.
• Now back to the top of your thumb again.
• Now between the middle and ring fingers.
• The second “X” is formed.
13. • Back to the top of the thumb and now
between index and middle fingers.
• Now the third and final “X” is formed. All
fingers properly separated.
• Finish on top of the thumb.
14. 5. Around the thumb:
• Go once around the thumb.
• Now go down the back of the hand.
6. Lock the thumb:
• Go behind the thumb…pay attention carefully to the next
step.
• Go down the palm instead of wrapping all the way around
the thumb. This further secures the thumb and locks the
handwrap into place so it doesn’t get loose while you fight.
(Notice how the handwrap changes directions.)
