Why Hand Wraps Are Non-Negotiable
Your hand contains 27 small bones. When you throw a punch at a heavy bag or someone's head, those bones absorb serious force.
Hand wraps compress everything together so your bones act as a single unit rather than individual pieces that can shift and fracture on impact. They also stabilize your wrist, preventing it from bending at bad angles.
No gym will let you touch a bag without them. For good reason.
What You Need
Use 180-inch semi-elastic cotton hand wraps. "Mexican-style" wraps have a slight stretch that helps them conform to your hand shape.
Avoid the short 108-inch wraps â they do not provide enough material to cover both the knuckles and wrist properly.
Your wraps should have a thumb loop at one end and a velcro closure at the other.
The Standard Wrapping Method
There are dozens of wrapping styles. This is the most widely used method, and it balances knuckle protection with wrist support.
Start by looping the thumb loop over your thumb, wrapping across the back of your hand.
Wrap around the wrist three times â firm, but not so tight that your hand goes numb.
Come up across the back of the hand to the knuckles.
Wrap across the knuckles three times, covering all four knuckle heads.
Go between each finger (pinky to ring, ring to middle, middle to index), returning to the wrist between each pass.
Cover the knuckles one more time, then use the remaining material across the back of the hand.
Finish around the wrist and secure with the velcro closure.
How Tight Should They Be?
Make a fist after wrapping. The wraps should feel snug and secure â your hand should feel like one solid unit.
Now open your hand. You should still be able to spread your fingers without the wraps cutting off circulation.
If your fingers tingle or turn white, rewrap looser. If the wraps shift around when you punch, rewrap tighter. You will find the sweet spot after a few tries.
Follow @CoachJoshOfficial for visual breakdowns of these techniques.
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