TL;DR: Hand wraps are essential to safeguard your hands when wearing boxing gloves and to keep them from moving too freely.
The hand wraps that you use with boxing gloves are not just for decoration. In this article, we will discuss the necessity of hand wraps and why they are important to your boxing glove usage.
Why Do I Need Hand Wraps?
In order to protect your hands from injury, hand wraps should always be used when wearing boxing gloves. A lot of people think hand wraps can be pushed down so far as to cover their hands up completely and still provide coverage, but this is false. Hand wraps need to stay tight on the hand in order not to slip or slide around during training sessions. They also do a better job at protecting your knuckles by absorbing some of the impacts during sparring sessions than bare fists would.
Of course, one hand wrap is not enough to protect your hands properly, so you should use two hand wraps for each hand.
If hand wrap is not fitted properly, it can cause blisters to appear which in turn will only make your hands more painful during training sessions or when fighting with Thai boxing gloves.
Thai fighters often wear hand wrap under their boxing gloves during competition or just training in the gym. They say hand wraps are so important that without them, they wouldn’t be able to protect their hands and fight properly.
How to use Hand Wraps?
If you don’t know how to put on hand wraps, you came to the right place.
The hand wraps will go from the wrist all the way down past the knuckles and then extend about a half-inch (one centimeter) beyond that on either side of your hand. After this has been done once, tighten it at least three times. Then, do one final tightening with the hand wrap going in a downward motion all-around your hand so that you can keep it from moving as much during training sessions or sparring matches.
You can also watch this great YouTube guide on hand wrapping:
Is there any specific brand I should use?
There is no special recommendation when it comes to hand warps brands.
However, we’ve gathered a few excellent hand wraps for you that are obtainable on Amazon.
What Size Hand Wraps For Boxing?
If hand wraps are too tight, they can be uncomfortable and if they’re too loose, then you won’t feel the support that is needed during boxing training.
For this reason, it’s very important to measure your hand size before purchasing hand wraps online since sizes vary greatly. That being said, here are a few recommendations of hand wrap brands that are often used by boxing trainers and fighters.
-Competition hand wraps: 12 yards (11 meters)
-Training and Sparring hand wraps: 18 inches (45 centimeters), 180-inch length (4.5 meters).
If you don’t know which size to choose, maybe the best hand wraps for boxing would be a pair of hand wraps that can adapt to different situations.
Hand Wraps And Boxing Gloves Aren’t The Same Things
Boxing gloves were not made for hand wraps; hand wraps were meant to go with boxing gloves. Hand wrap should always cover up your wrist area, but your hand wraps should not be so long that they are hanging over the edge of the boxing glove. If you’re using hand wraps, then it’s best to use hand wraps specifically designed for boxing gloves in order to protect yourself when wearing them.
This is why hand wrap should always be used in conjunction with boxing gloves and you should use hand wraps specifically designed for boxing gloves if you’re going to wear hand wrappings.
MMA Gloves DO NOT need hand wraps!
Hand wraps are usually meant to use with sparring gloves or heavy bags gloves. People who do Muay Thai, classic boxing, and other forms of martial arts but MMA, usually use hand wraps for added protection when using sparring or heavy bag boxing gloves which is why hand wrap is something that you should never pass up on if you want to protect your hand.
When Do I use Hand Warps?
You should use hand wraps when you are boxing with gloves. Hand wraps will give your hand better support and protection from injury while you work out or practice Muay Thai for example. There is no need to wear hand wraps when training without gloves though.
What Are the Different Kinds of Hand Wraps? What Should I Look For in Hand Wraps?
Hand wraps are used for hand protection when boxing. It helps with hand support, adds padding to avoid hand pain and injury while training or competing in the ring. There are different kinds of hand wraps that come in different styles but most have similar features though it varies depending on brands too. When buying hand wraps, there are a few things you need to look for.
– Hand wraps should be able to provide adequate support.
– Hand wraps are made of cotton, have no exposed seams, and has a velcro strap at the wrist.
– Hand wraps can come in different colors but black is preferred as it’s a neutral color that would match with any boxing gloves brand or color.
– Hand wraps are best to have a thumb loop that will keep the handwrap in place. Having an extra wrap provides additional support and security though it is not necessary for beginners. For Muay Thai’s, they typically wear double handwraps which can provide maximum protection during sparring sessions with other experienced Muay Thai practitioners.
How to wash boxing hand wraps?
Hand wraps can be hand washed with mild detergent and cold water. Hand wraps should not be bleached as they will weaken the cotton fabric of hand wraps. It is best to let hand warps dry on their own away from direct sunlight or heat.