Hand Wraps

Hand wraps do two jobs. Most people only know about one of them.

The obvious job is support. Your hand contains twenty-seven small bones held together by tendons and ligaments, and in Muay Thai you punch, block and clinch with the same fist. Wraps bind that structure together, limit unwanted movement in the wrist and knuckles, and are the reason a hard punch does not become a broken hand.

The second job: they save your gloves

Wraps are a sweat barrier. They absorb the moisture that would otherwise soak straight into your glove lining — and moisture, not impact, is what destroys gloves. Sweat gets into the foam, the foam breaks down, and the lining starts to smell long before the leather looks worn.

A £5 pair of wraps meaningfully extends the life of a £115 pair of gloves. It is the best-value thing in this entire shop, and most people train without them.

Choosing wraps

• Traditional cotton — the standard. Around 4.5m long for an adult, which is enough to cover the wrist, knuckles and thumb properly. Cheap, breathable, and they wash.
• Semi-elastic — a little stretch, so they mould to the hand and stay put better. Most people end up here.
• Quick wraps — slip-on, with padding built in. Fast and convenient, and fine for bag work. They do not give you the same wrist support as a proper wrap, so they are not a substitute for sparring.
• Kids' wraps — shorter, usually 2.5m to 3m. An adult wrap on a child's hand is unusable.

Wrapping properly

A badly wrapped hand is worse than an unwrapped one — it gives you the confidence to hit hard without the structure to back it up.

Anchor at the thumb, cover the wrist first, then the knuckles, then back through the fingers. It should feel firm with your fist closed and not painful with your hand open. If your fingers go numb, start again.

Our guide to looking after your hands and wrists covers the method and the injuries it prevents.

Buy more than one pair

Wraps come out of your gloves soaked. If you train three times a week and own one pair, you are putting damp wraps back on a damp hand, and that is how gloves and hands both start to smell.

Two or three pairs in rotation, washed regularly, is the answer. They are cheap enough that there is no excuse.

Washing them

Cool wash, hang to dry. Fasten the velcro to itself before they go in, or they will knot around everything else in the machine and come out as one solid object.