Hand wraps are important to anyone participating in a martial art that involves striking. Hand wraps are most commonly found as a strip of cloth wrapped around the wrist and extending towards the palm and around the thumb. They are used to maintain correct form when striking and preventing misalignment of bones in the hand and wrist. By keeping the hand and wrists in the correct position, strikers can hit harder without fear of personal injury.
Step 1
Insert your thumb into the loop at the beginning of the hand wrap. Spread your fingers and start by placing the hand wrap over the back of your hand.
Step 2
Wrap the strip of cloth tightly over your wrist two to three times. In order to use all of the cloth and provide proper support wrap it around three times for smaller wrists and twice for larger wrists.
Step 3
Check now to see how tight the wrap is. It should be as tight as possible without cutting off circulation. If it is cutting off circulation or you feel it could be tighter, then now is a good time to restart. Once you have achieved a good level or tightness, try and maintain it through the rest of the process.
Step 4
Wrap the hand wrap around your thumb from the front of your hand to the back by putting it between the thumb and index finger once.
Step 5
Wrap the hand wrap around your wrist once again to lock in your thumb. Proceed to wrap it around your thumb two additional times for stability. Follow up once again by wrapping around the wrist two more times to lock these wraps in place.
Step 6
Wrap across your knuckles three times as a counter measure to knuckle bruising and dislocation. Wrap once around the wrist to lock these wraps in place.
Step 7
Take the wrap from the base of the thumb and bring it in between the index and middle finger.
Step 8
Take the wrap from the base of the thumb and bring it in between the middle and ring finger.
Step 9
Take the wrap from the base of the thumb and bring it in between the ring finger and pinky finger. The wraps between the fingers serve as additional security for the knuckles and help to keep them in place when striking.
Step 10
Add another two layers across the knuckles once again.
Step 11
Finish by wrapping around the wrist until you reach the Velcro end to secure the entire wrap.
Tips and Warnings
- Be consistent with how tightly you wrap. If the wrap is too tight you can cut off circulation and lose feeling in your hand but if it is too loose it will not serve its purpose. Start over if it does not feel right. It is better to take the time to wrap correctly than it is to sustain an injury.
Things You'll Need
- Hand wraps
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