How to Wear Hand Wraps

Starting with Your Wrist and Hand

Hook your thumb through the loop. First, hold your hand up in an open position, palm-down. Keep your hand straight with your forearm, with your fingers straight and slightly spread out. Spread your fingers and thumb apart. Then slip the wrap’s looped end over your thumb so that the wrap itself falls across the back of your hand. Be sure to begin wrapping your hand across the back of your hand rather than your palm. Beginning with the back of your hand will prevent the wrap from loosening later on.

Wrap your wrist. Let the wrap fall from the outside (pinky-end) of your hand. Pull the loose end under your wrist, below the ball of your thumb. Then wind it over the top of your wrist, drawing it tight enough to provide support for your wrist, but not so tight that it cuts off circulation. Repeat so that you complete a total of two to three passes under and over your wrists. For extra support, wrap your wrist three times. However, if your wrap is too short, or if you prefer keeping your wrists a little loose for specific punching styles (like uppercuts and angled hooks), only wrap it twice.

Encase your hand. Once you have finished your wrist, let the loose end hang once again from the outside of your wrist. Pull the loose end under your palm to the area between your thumb and index finger. Draw it over the top of your hand, again making sure that you pull it tight enough for support, but not tight enough to restrict blood-flow. Repeat for a total of three passes under and over your hand. At this point, focus more on wrapping your hand securely rather than your knuckles. Joe Frazier Joe Frazier, Former World Heavyweight Champion Wrapping your hands properly before gloving up is as vital as any punch you'll throw. Take care to provide support at the wrist while allowing flexibility of the fingers. Wrap snugly but not so tight as to cut circulation. The wrap protects skin and bone, secures unstable joints, and absorbs sweat so your gloves stay drier. With practice, hand wrapping becomes second nature — treat it as an essential ritual that readies the warrior for battle.

Moving on to Your Fingers

Start between your pinky and ring fingers. The loose end of your wrap should again be hanging from the outside of your hand. Draw it under your palm to where your wrist meets the ball of your thumb. From there, pull it over the top of your hand and down in between your pinky and ring fingers. Then draw the wrap to the inside of your hand. Pull it up and over your index knuckle and then across the back of your hand to where it meets your wrist. Looking at the top of your hand, you will now see that you have formed an X, with the loose end once again hanging off the outside of your hand.

Make a second X. Draw the loose end under your hand so that it comes up below your thumb, as before. Now pull it over the top of your hand and down in between your ring and middle fingers. Draw the wrap to the inside of your hand. Pull it around your index knuckle and then cross the back of your hand again, finishing as before with the loose end hanging from the outside of your hand, at its bottom.

Make one last X. Repeat the same process. Only this time, pull the wrap down in between your middle and index fingers. This way, each knuckle will be supported and safely separated from each other, reducing the risk of injury. Finish as before by drawing the wrap from the inside of your hand, across the back, and down around the bottom, where it meets your wrist.

Finishing Up

Wrap or strap your thumb. After you finish the last X along the back of your hand, pull the loose end under the bottom of your hand, below your thumb. Now wrap it over and under your thumb, covering the joint in the middle of your thumb. Only do so once. After that, flip your hand so that the palm faces up.

Secure your thumb. Once you have flipped your hand over, draw the wrap along the back of your hand to where it meets your wrist on the pinky-side. Now pull it up and over the bottom of your palm to the base of your thumb. With your thumb spread wide, pull the wrap behind your thumb and then straight across your palm to its pinky-side.

Cover your knuckles. Pull the wrap around the backs of your knuckles. Then draw it over the base of your fingers along your palm. Repeat this twice, for a total of three wraps around your knuckles.

Velcro to finish. Once you have wrapped your knuckles, draw what is left of your wrap down to your wrist. If you have excess material left, either wrap it around your knuckles as before, create more X’s across the back of your hand, or both. Once done, use the velcro to secure your wrap along your wrist. Clench your hand into a fist to make sure the wrap tightens when you do so. Be sure that any excess wrapping along your knuckles doesn’t prevent your glove from fitting. If your glove doesn’t fit with all that extra padding, use a shorter wrap.