Handwraps - how to put them on
It is important to equip handwraps to prevent damage to ones hands when practicing high-impact forms of martial arts, be it on the heavy bags, pads, hard-sparring and competition. They serve as a layer of protection for the many small bones and joints that exist in the hands and wrist area. Handwraps ensure that all the joints and bones are cohesive, and wrapped and functioning as a single unit. Wrapping your hands properly assist in preventing common injuries which include broken or fractured hands, wrists or knuckles. It is worth noting that it is still possible to get a serious injury to the hands and wrist even with wraps, therefore it is in some ways even more important to strike with good form, and progressively increase your striking power over a period of time (know thyself). It is also sometimes important to train without handwraps to condition the hands, knuckles and wrist in raw fashion to emulate real battle. an important note is that Karate practitioners do not wear handwraps in their practice (interesting point - "Karate" is translated to 'Open-Hand').
How to put them on:
VIDEO — The following video illustrates how to tie your handwraps.
*Note - there are different methods of putting on handwraps - each of which have their own pros/cons, or strengths and disadvantages. The method illustrated here puts a strong focus on the ‘wrist-first’ approach (other approaches focus more on a ‘knuckle-first’ approach). Approaches typically depend on existing (pre)dispositions and potentially the length of wraps as well.BASIC STEPS — the basic steps to equip your handwraps using the ‘wrist-first’ approach is as follows:
(Preface: keep fingers spread wide throughout wrapping process to allow for buffer space, preventing ‘overtightness’ of wraps as wraps that are too tight will cause more damage than good)Step 1: Thumb in Hook
Step 2: Wrap around Wrist [3 times]
Step 3: Wrap around Knuckles [3 times]
Step 4: Wrap around Thumb [once], + Wrap around Wrist [once]
Step 5: Bring up inbetween Fingers (starting with pinky/ring fingers), across the Hand, Anchor under Thumb [for each finger]
Step 6: Finalize by wrapping remainder at knuckles and wrist (based on how much wrapping is available)
Additional Insights and Background Points on Handwraps:
Handwraps assist the practitioner in training and competing in a safer manner - to extend the lifespan of their training and competition by assisting in preventing injuries in high-contact punches against pads, bags, or ‘hard’ parts of the human body (eg. the skull, elbow, ribcage, etc. — all of which are very ‘hard’!).
Handwraps are primarily used in Boxing and Muay Thai, and less used Traditional Karate where there is a huge focus on form/technique, and conditioning of punches and hands respectively (Tzuki in Japanese). The idea is, if the form and technique is correct, and the hands/wrists/knuckles and conditioned appropriately, executing punches against hard surfaces should not injure the person throwing the punches. A great example of this is Michael Jai White who is foundationally a Karate-Ka — he has never worn hand wraps in his training (even on the heavy bag), and in many instance, has seldom worn gloves. It is important not to forget or neglect the importance of learning and practicing proper punching form and to condition the hand/wrist without the use of hand wraps. Without such practice and training, one can easily break their hands in actual combat (it happens often with professional boxers and kickboxers who end up in altercations in the streets).
There is a type of Speed that can be attained when practicing with handwraps that allows the practitioner to be faster and more fluid by relaxing the hands/arms/shooulders and keeping the hands ‘open/loose’ until the last second upon which impact is made, at which point the hand is squeezed into a tight fist. Handwraps provide the protection and support protection needed to get the repetitions in to enable the confidence and timing to achieve this technique with high speed and power. This methodology is a generally recommended approach and is considered an acceptable and suggested practice in most martial arts (to keep the fist loose, and tighten/squeeze at the impact point). Without the use of handwraps, it is possible to injure ones hands through a simple mistiming of the squeeze of the punch.
Handwraps for Children/Kids? Handwraps will likely not provide any functional value for children as they do not punch with a high degree of force. Handwraps worn by them would be more of a psychology factor, to boost them and get them in the zone. Kind of like putting on a cape on - they would end up feeling like Superman! Or in this case a mental positionment to feel and look like a fighter or ninja of sorts.
While it is recommended for practitioners to wear handwraps during high impact training (eg. against bags, pads, competition, etc.), it is worth noting that Martial Arts is NOT purely about hitting things with high impact. There are other elements of Martial Arts that are separate from high-impact strikes (that are in some ways considered more important). These very important elements of Martial Arts include Stances, Footwork, air-striking (including techniques in ‘shadowboxing’, both choreographed and improvised), Distancing, Timing, very light sparring and related drills with another practitioner, feints and techniques. In other words, Martial Arts are not always about hitting things hard, and the overuse of handwraps has become very prominent in many modern styles of Martial Arts. Martial Arts has been around and practiced for a very long time, and the training methods are cyclical and change often like fashion. In our current times, they may be overutilized in absence of other more important features and elements of the martial arts. Just a friendly reminder :)
The Cost of Handwraps can be between $15 to $20. Do you need Handwraps and cant order them online or pick them up from a store? :Let Coach know! They will cost $15 per pair
Hope this was a useful post for those that read this far.
Regards,
Coach Azeus
