Why Hand Wraps Are Important in Boxing

When it comes to boxing, having a quality boxing glove and hand wraps are vital to ensure your performance remains top-notch. While proper form and training are essential to improve your boxing skills, having all the necessary protection equipped, even during exercise, is equally as important. 

The reason for this is that as your skills in the art of boxing improve, your fists start developing faster, more accurate, and more powerful strikes. Of course, this is the goal when training as a boxer. But keep in mind that our hands are taking the brunt of the punishment. 

No matter how strong we think our body is, there is always a limit or a breaking point. In boxer’s cases, repeated unprotected impact endured by the fist can and will lead to injuries sooner rather than later. This is why it is smart to invest in a quality boxing glove and hand wrap. Hand wraps are at the core of protecting one’s hands and is a vital part of every boxer’s gear. Let us learn more about this essential yet straightforward boxing equipment down below. 

Protection of a Boxer’s Most Important Tool in their Craft

The boxer’s fist is the primary tool during boxing competitions. The hands will be the central factor when it comes to offense and defense. As such, a boxer’s hands will go through an almost constant barrage of physical impact. A fighter with an injured hand akin to a bird with an injured wing. This is why proper, sturdy, and comfortable hand wraps are crucial. Hand wraps, along with the boxing gloves, can effectively and significantly reduce the risk of injuries such as boxer’s fracture. Thus, keeping the boxer’s performance at peak levels.

The Benefits of Using Hand Wraps in Boxing

As we have pointed out earlier, a boxer’s hands will be receiving much of the physical strain during training and a boxing match. The fist will be the primary contact point during such competitions and will generally be receiving most of the shocks and impacts. With that in mind, it is only logical to apply proper protection for the hands. As confident as you are bout the toughness of your fist, at the end of the day it is still made from flesh and bones, both of which are susceptible to physical injuries. 

Hand wraps are designed not just to be wrapped around your hand, though. There is a specific technique on how to wear this accessory. Once correctly wrapped around your hands, it will then be able to provide optimum protection and support to your knuckles as well as your fingers and wrist. 

Speaking of proper wrapping technique, having a quality hand wrap won’t be enough. It is just as important to know how to wear the hand wraps properly. Knowing how to use a boxing hand wrap properly can even be more important than the quality of the hand wrap itself. 

If you are not sure how to properly go about using a hand wrap, don’t fret! We will be giving you some pointers on how to do so later on in this article. For now, let us first continue learning about the benefits of using boxing hand wraps 

Protection for Your Hands

This is the primary reason why you should always be wearing hand wraps when participating in a boxing competition, sparring, or even training. That extra layer of protection between your knuckles and the surface of whatever you are hitting is invaluable. 

Even hitting the heavy bag with your bare knuckles can lead to injuries that, depending on the severity, can leave you out of commission in boxing for weeks. To avoid such injuries from happening, we highly recommend you wear hand wraps as well as suitable quality gloves with adequate padding. With these two on hand, you have pretty much reduced the risk of hand injuries significantly. 

Wrist Support and Stabilization

Hand wraps are not just designed for adding an extra layer of protection; it is also used to help provide optimum support for the wrist. Making sure that your wrist is secured and stable will decrease the risk of hyperextending them during training or a competitive match.  

Throwing uppercuts and hooks leave your wrist susceptible to injury due to the punch’s angles. This can also prevent beginners from injuring their wrist when throwing wild or awkward angular punches. Simply put, hand wraps can help prevent overextending or twisting your wrist whenever you throw a punch. This keeps your punches precise and your wrist steady. 

To summarize, here are the benefits of having a good boxing hand wrap as well as wearing it properly:

An additional layer of padding between your knuckles and the (usually) hard surface where it connects during a punch. 

Extra protection on the backhand, which is crucial when it comes to blocking incoming strikes from your opponent. 

Keeps your fingers and knuckles secure when striking. 

Dampens the shock that your fists will absorb when punching and connecting. 

Keeps your thumb secure and prevent it from moving. 

Reduces the friction your hand will generate when wearing gloves. 

Offers significant levels of stability and keep your wrists straight, which prevents hyperextension. 

As you can see, hand wraps are indispensable when it comes to the combat sports of boxing as it can offer several significant benefits in both protection and performance. 

How to Properly Wear Boxing Hand Wraps

Specific details when it comes to wrapping boxing hand wraps is subjective for each individual. However, all must follow the basics of hand wrapping: between the fingers, thumbs, knuckles, and wrists. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to properly wrap around boxing hand wraps. 

It might seem complicated at first but trust me when I say that after a dozen or so more times, you can complete this within a minute with just your muscle memory. 

Start with your thumb and hook the loop over it from your palm. Pull the hand wraps and start wrapping your wrist. Make sure that the hand wrap is taut; there shouldn’t be any wrinkles visible as you loop it around your wrist a couple of times. 

Move the hand wrap upwards and start working on your knuckle. Once satisfied with the amount of padding you have created, you can move on to the fingers. 

From the bottom, hook and loop the hand wraps upwards. Take the wraps and go in between your little and ring finger. Loop the hand wraps around again a couple of times. Now, loop in between the space of your ring and middle finger. 

Continue your way towards the index fingers.

Secure the hand wraps over to your wrist using the Velcro. There you have it, your hands are now well-protected from impacts and are sufficiently stabilized when throwing a punch.