Just like any form of physical activity, contact sports offer plenty of benefits. Martial Arts Townsville says that for one, martial arts and boxing can be a good form of cardio while teaching you some basic self-defence moves. Still, since it should be understood as a sport, safety should always be a priority, which is why boxers and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) athletes would wear hand wraps.
What Are Hand Wraps?
Both boxing and MMA use their hands either through striking or blocking. Both techniques may result in damage.
Striking is where the hand, through a variety of jabs and straights, is used to inflict damage to the opponent. However, without proper technique and training, striking may also cause damage to yourself. Blocking, on the other hand, also invites self-inflicted pain since you’ll be using your hands or your forearm to ‘block’ knees, elbows, punches, and even kicks, all of which can be extremely powerful.
This is where hand wraps come in. Hand wraps are protective equipment that safeguards all of your hand’s and wrists’ tiny bones. The best MMA & boxing hand wraps can also protect your knuckles while you’re punching, which prevents your wrists from experiencing sprain or, worse, fractures.
Guide To Using Hand Wraps
That being said, hand wraps are indeed important protective and safety equipment in both boxing and MMA. However, hand wraps would only serve their true purpose if you’re able to use them properly.
So, before finding Australia boxing & MMA hand wraps, take a look at this beginner’s guide on using such equipment in the first place.
-
How To Put Them On
As mentioned, hand wraps would only be effective if you put them on properly. And, there’s a proper method to do it. To wit, here’s how to properly put on your hand wraps:
- Unroll the wrap so you’ll be able to see the thumb loop
- Once the loop is exposed, slide your thumb in, then wrap the material at your knuckles around three times.
- Slide the material down to wrap your wrists three times.
- After wrapping your wrists, slide the material between your forefinger and thumb
- Loop around your thumb but in the opposite direction
- Wrap the material around your wrist once then wrap each finger starting from your pinky
- After wrapping your fingers, wrap the knuckles and wrists three more times
- Using a closure, secure the wrap to your wrist
- Do the exact method on your other hand.
-
Types of Hand Wraps
Hand wraps can either be categorized as professional or training. The ones you usually see in boxing matches or in the octagon are professional hand wraps. Also, professional hand wraps have layers of tape and thin gauze, which is often applied by the athlete’s trainer.
On the other hand, training hand wraps are commonly wrapped by yourself. Also, training hand wraps can either have a stretch to them or not. For the former, this means that the hand wrap can fit the hand a lot tighter so it can conform to the shape of your hand. Meanwhile, non-stretchable ones are slightly thicker than its counterpart. Still, both types of training hand wraps are still suitable to protect your hands and wrists when striking or blocking.
-
Factors To Look For
Due to the variety of hand wraps available in the market, both online or in physical stores, it may be difficult for a beginner like you to choose the one that fits perfectly in your hands, allowing you to enjoy boxing and/or MMA while keeping your hands and wrists safe.
To help you out, here are some factors to consider when choosing hand wraps:
- Comfortability: Just because of its importance, it doesn’t mean that your hands should feel uncomfortable wearing them. Hence, choose hand wraps that suit your hand–the hand wraps shouldn’t be too tight nor too loose.
- Durability: Even if you’re constantly training or getting your dose of cardio, a good hand wrap should be durable enough to last a few years. Do note that the hand wraps’ quality may quickly wear down if you directly use them on the bag compared if you’re wearing gloves.
- Cost: Depending on the material, hand wraps usually cost from USD$30 to a hundred dollars. As a tip, check for reviews regarding the material and its durability to get your money’s worth.
Takeaway:
With this beginner’s guide, you now have the necessary knowledge to shop around for some hand wraps. In addition to eating the recommended foods to lose body fat, you can now safely engage in either boxing or MMA as a form of exercise, too.
Check out f95zone, the best gaming site where you can play online games.
Never consider hand wraps as an added expense. Instead, it should be seen as a worthy investment, especially since its role is to protect your hands and wrists from minor to severe injuries, allowing you to continue enjoying boxing or MMA for a long time.
