A hand wrap or wrist wrap is a strip of cloth used by

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

s (and participants in other

combat sports A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent (''knocko ...

) to protect the

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...

and

wrist In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as (1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; "The wrist contains eight bones, roughly aligned in two rows, known as the carpal ...

against injuries induced by

punching Punching is a forming process that uses a punch press to force a tool, called a '' punch'', through the workpiece to create a hole via shearing. Punching is applicable to a wide variety of materials that come in sheet form, including sheet me ...

. It is wrapped securely around the

, the palm, and the base of the

thumb The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...

, where it serves to both maintain the alignment of the joints, and to compress and lend strength to the soft tissues of the hand during the impact of a punch.

Benefits

A hand wrap protects against several common types of boxing injuries. It typically supports the wrist joint, keeping the joint aligned when the impact of a punch is absorbed by the wrong part of the hand. It also secures the base of the thumb to the hand, thereby reducing the chance of a

sprain A sprain is a soft tissue injury of the ligaments within a joint, often caused by a sudden movement abruptly forcing the joint to exceed its functional range of motion. Ligaments are tough, inelastic fibers made of collagen that connect two or ...

fracture Fracture is the appearance of a crack or complete separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress (mechanics), stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacemen ...

that can result from the thumb striking an opponent's elbow. Most importantly, it significantly strengthens the

metacarpus In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus, also known as the "palm bones", are the appendicular skeleton, appendicular bones that form the intermediate part of the hand between the phalanges (fingers) and the carpal bones (wrist, wris ...

, reducing the likelihood of a fracture of one of the metacarpal bones. Such a fracture is often called the ''

boxer's fracture A boxer's fracture is the break of the fifth metacarpal bone of the hand near the knuckle. Occasionally, it is used to refer to fractures of the fourth metacarpal as well. Symptoms include pain and a depressed knuckle. Classically, it occurs a ...

''—which is usually a fracture in the neck of the fourth or fifth metacarpal—because of its frequency among fighters. Hand and wrist wraps are used to compress (and keep compressed when hitting) the bones and tissues in the hand. Such compression allows boxers to hit with greater force than if they did not use them. Boxers claim they feel less

pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...

when hitting so their opponent may feel more pain.

Wrapping method

Each sportsperson,

cornerman In combat sports, a cornerman, or second, is a coach or trainer assisting a fighter during a bout. The cornerman is forbidden to instruct and must remain outside the combat area during the round. In the break, they are permitted to enter the r ...

, or

cutman A cutman is a person responsible for preventing and treating physical damage to a fighter during the breaks between rounds of a Contact sport#Full-contact, full contact match such as a boxing, kickboxing or a mixed martial arts bout. Cutmen typic ...

has a preferred wrapping method based on the situation and experience. Variations can produce more wrist support, thumb and pinky support, padding for the knuckles, or less fabric within the fist. A single wrap between fingers over the finger web helps stabilize the wrap and keep it from falling apart within a looser-fitting glove. Competition rules may restrict the type and amount of material used, giving each fighter a limited amount of

gauze Gauze is a thin, translucent Textile, fabric with a wikt:loose, loose open Weaving, weave. In technical terms, "gauze" is a weave structure in which the weft yarns are arranged in pairs and are crossed before and after each Warp (weaving), w ...

and tape which may be divided and rolled in various ways for a particular fighter or match.

Material

Training wraps are usually reusable cloth and may be secured with a small tie tab or with

velcro Velcro IP Holdings LLC, trading as Velcro Companies and commonly referred to as Velcro (pronounced ), is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of ho ...

. Conventional hand wraps are non-elastic. Mexican-style hand wraps are slightly elasticized and are popular with many boxers. The length of wraps will vary depending on rules, personal preference, hand size and the type of glove to be worn, with shorter wraps common for fingerless "grappling gloves" used in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

. A new alternative to hand wraps are foam or gel-lined fingerless gloves worn inside any boxing glove; these can be used to reduce and prevent harm to the hands and head for bag work, sparring, or competition depending on the rules of the governing organization. However, the durability of this version is sacrificed for efficiency.

References

{{Martial arts Boxing Martial arts equipment Protective gear Handwear