| Maxim Claes

How to Wrap Hands for Boxing

Our hands are made up of 27 small bones which can easily be damaged when boxing. Hand wrapping provide support to your wrist, fingers, and knuckles by securing the loose joints and moveable bones when you fight, and ensuring that your hand doesn’t suffer the full impact of a punch.   

Every fighter has their own preferred way to wrap their hands, depending on the size of their wrist and hand, and the way they fight.

Common Hand Injuries for Boxers 

If you don’t wrap your hands correctly, you may suffer from some of these common hand injuries: 

  • Boxer’s Fracture: The break of the fourth or fifth metacarpal (located just below the knuckle). Usually occurs when you punch a hard object with a closed fist. 
  • Carpal Bossing: When a lump forms on the back of the hand between the long finger bones and the small wrist bones. Usually caused by a knock to the wrist. 
  • Boxer’s Knuckle: When you injure the first knuckle of your finger (metacarpophalangeal joint). It can also include damage to the skin, ligaments, bone and joint cartilage. Usually caused by repetitive punches over time. 

    • Step-By-Step Guide to Wrapping Your Hands 

    1. Unwrap your hand wrap and find the thumb loop. 
    2. Place the thumb loop around your thumb and pull the wrap across the back of your hand, so that it will be secure when you make a fist.
    3. Wrap around the palm of your hand three times and then cross over the back of your hand and wrap around your wrist three times. 
    4. Come back up across your palm and loop the wrap around your thumb. 
    5. Go back across your palm again and over the back of your hand, looping the wrap halfway around your thumb from the other direction (securing thumb from both directions). 
    6. Go back around your wrist and using your thumb as an anchor, wrap each finger, starting between your pinky and ring finger. (This helps maintain the natural distance between each knuckle). 
    7. Go over to the side and then down to the bottom of your hand. This should form an ‘X’ on the back of your hand. 
    8. Move the wrap back to the top of your thumb and then go between your middle and ring fingers, forming a second ‘X’. 
    9. Move the wrap back to your thumb and go between the index and middle finger. This makes the third ‘X’ which causes all your fingers to be separated. 
    10. Take the hand wrap back to your thumb and go around it and down the back of your hand. 
    11. Go behind your thumb and continue going down the palm. This           secures the thumb and locks the hand wrap into place. 
    12. Wrap around the knuckles. 
    13. If you have any extra wrap left, you can continue to do some more ‘Xs’ around the back of your hand.
    14. Finish at the wrist and make sure the hand wrap is secure, especially when you make a fist. 

     A visual example of how to wrap your hands: 


    Important Things to Remember When Wrapping Hands For Boxing

    • A hand wrap should allow your hand to be relaxed when open and tight when closed. 
    • If your hand hurts and your fingers start turning white, it means the hand wrap is too tight. 
    • Some boxers may want more flexibility when doing moves like hooks and uppercuts so they will want their hand wraps to be more loose. 
    • Allows a boxer to punch with full force and not be able to feel the impact, as the hand wrap holds the joints of your hand together and allows the pressure of the punch to be distributed across your entire hand. 
    • If your hands are loose when fighting, you will most likely cause damage to the bones in your hand over time. 
    • Make sure your wrapped hands can fit comfortably into your boxing gloves.

    To find out more about our collection of hand wraps, which is ideal for Mixed Martial Arts like Boxing & Muay Thai and give you extra wrist support, please click here. 

    Tags: boxing