How to Apply Boxing Wraps

Опубликовал Admin

19-10-2016, 05:15

8 721

Boxers apply boxing wraps to protect their hands from injury while lending additional support to the wrist and thumbs. Boxing without your hands properly wrapped can result in breaks to the movable bones and joints, even if you're making a good fist and striking properly. You can uncomplicate the process and learn to wrap your wrists for training and competition by following a few basic steps. See Step 1 for more information.

Applying Training Wraps

Choose a variety of wrap. The two basic varieties of wraps are available in junior (120") and adult sizes (180") to accommodate the size of your hands. Wraps are used to keep your fist tight and secure your movable knuckle-joints while you box. They're not used for cushioning the impact of blows, which is the purpose of the glove.
- Traditional cotton wraps feature velcro to secure the wrap to your wrist and a thumb hole to keep the wrap tight as you fight. They're long-lasting, durable, and easy to secure.
- The Mexican wrap is similar in design, but features elastic to help grip the hand more easily. These tend to get worn out over time, but offer the benefit of contouring to the shape of your hand.
- Consider the quick-wrap alternative. Also called "quick wraps" or "gel wraps" or "glove wraps," these easy-on alternatives are basically just fingerless gloves with some padding that some boxers will use in place of wraps. They're easy to take on and off, though might be more difficult and less customizable to fit your particular hand. The safest method of wrapping is using a more traditional wrap and learning to do it yourself.
Place your wrap right side up on a table to get proper alignment with your wrist. One end of the wrap has a thumb hole. Put your thumb through the thumb hole, keeping your fingers spread so you don't wrap them too tightly.
- It's important to secure the thumb hole on your thumb in the correct orientation. You want to wrap toward the back of your hand, to keep the thumb secure in the hole, not toward the palm of your hand. When you wrap toward your palm and make a fist, the loop will slip off.
Bring the wrap around behind your wrist three times. The wrap should rest on the inside of your wrist after you've completed three circles with the wrap. Loop the wrap up across the back of your hand at an angle and bring it back toward the floor.
Bring the wrap down across your palm and wrap it 3 times around your palm. Remember to keep your fingers spread slightly apart and don't worry so much about getting it on your knuckles. Wrap it comfortably around the palm of your hand.
- It's important to keep your wrist straight as you're wrapping. Keeping it flexed is dangerous and will keep you from being able to make a straight strike when you're boxing.
Turn your hand over and loop the wrap diagonally across your palm toward the floor. Stop with your hand pointing up and your palm still facing away from you, as if you were telling traffic to stop.
Start wrapping between your fingers. Loop the wrap diagonally across the back of your hand and run it between your pinkie finger and ring finger, then bring the wrap diagonally across your palm toward you, and wrap it around your wrist and bring it back under your thumb to complete the next pass.
- Continue this pattern between your ring and middle finger, between your middle and index finger, and then once around your thumb, always wrapping back around your wrist once between knuckle passes.
Turn your palm toward you. Now that you've wrapped around your thumb once, flip your hand back over so your palm is facing you. Go behind the thumb and across your palm with the wrap. This is an important step to secure your thumb without choking it and keep the wrap secure on your hand while you box.
Go around your knuckles three more times. At this point, you may be almost out of wrap if you've got very big hands, or you may have a lot left you need to run out. If you need to run out the rest of the wrap, point your palm away from you and do X's around your palm and wrist.
Secure the velcro onto your wrist. If you've wrapped properly, your last pass should end with the velcro around your wrist to keep it snugly in place.
Use the proper pressure when wrapping your hands. Boxing wrap pressure is important. If you apply boxing wraps too tightly, you may lose circulation in your hands. You want to secure your knuckles so you can throw solid punches, but you also want to feel comfortable.
- A properly applied wrap should feel comfortable when your fingers and relaxed and feel snug when you make a fist. Check your wraps after thirty minutes of working out. If your fingers are turning white or you feel that the wrap is uncomfortable, loosen it and wrap again to get them feeling more comfortable.

Applying Competition Wraps

Learn the competition guidelines from the athletic commission in your state. To keep the playing ground level, most states regulate the amount of wrapping boxers are allowed to use for a fight. Generally, the rule is one roll of gauze of a particular length for the fighter.
- According to the Association of Boxing Commissions, "Hand wraps shall be restricted to no more than twenty (20) yards of soft gauze, not more than two (2) inches wide. The gauze shall be held in place by no more than eight (8) feet of adhesive tape, no more than one and one-half (1 ½) inches wide. The adhesive tape shall not cover any part of the knuckles when the hand is clenched to make a fist. The use of water, or any other liquid or material, on the tape is strictly prohibited. Hand wraps shall be applied in the dressing room in the presence of a Commission representative and, if requested, one representative of the other boxer."
Get your trainer to help you. Generally, competition wraps are done by the trainer, because its very difficult to wrap your own wrists and place the knuckle-guard patch on your hand without the thumb-strap on traditional training wraps. Before a fight, have your corner man wrap your hands under the supervision of a representative of the boxing commission in your state.
- Most trainers have particular methods and ways they like to wrap wrists for a fight, but the general principles are basically the same--keep the fist tight and secure, offering some protection for the loose knuckle joints.
Wrap the wrist. Using the roll, start wrapping around your straight wrist joint. Bring the gauze around the wrist several times (10-20) and focus on securing the wrist as securely as possible. Most trainers won't use tape as this stage, but will use the wrap to keep itself secure around the wrist.
Start wrapping the palm. Most competition wraps won't go between the individual fingers, so the wrapping process itself is much less complicated and variable. Continue creating X patterns around the thumb and palm to secure the knuckles and around the wrist. After you've gone several times around the knuckles, you're ready to add a pad for extra security.
Secure a gauze pad on the top of your knuckles. Many trainers will use an extra thick pad of gauze placed on top of the knuckles and wrapped in place using the wrap. This offers extra protection and some padding for the knuckles themselves.
- Flex your hand frequently and make a fist during the job to make sure the wrapping is comfortable and not too tight. Often, the wrap will become tight on the outside edge of the hand as a result of bringing it around so many times. Be aware of this and let the trainer know if the wrap is uncomfortable.
Finish the job with tape. Rules vary from place to place, so be sure you're in accordance with the local boxing commission when you tape the wrap on. Use athletic tape around the wrist to secure the end of the wrap and finish the job.
- Some trainers like to make sure the wrap doesn't slip back off the knuckles when the boxer puts the tight gloves on, and will use little strips of tape between each of the knuckles to keep it tight to the back of the hand. Strictly speaking, this isn't allowed in some places, however.

Tips

Proper pressure is important when you apply boxing wraps. Wraps need to be tight enough to provide support but not so tight that they interrupt your circulation. If they are too loose, they may shift and leave you open to injury.
If you have small hands you may want to consider buying wraps sized for teens or cutting the wraps shorter and applying a new piece of hook and loop tape instead of over-wrapping with longer wraps.
Boxing wraps have a top and bottom. If they are not labeled, you want to start with the hook and loop tape facing upward.