Muay Thai Resource

Whether you’re entering a gym for the first time, or your a seasoned fighter, correctly wrapping your hands for Muay Thai is crucial to your longevity in the sport and the health of your hands. As one of the most important weapons in your arsenal, wrapping your hands also benefits your power and performance. This blog post will highlight the benefits of wrapping your hands, how best to do it, and how to select the best Muay Thai hand wraps to meet your needs.

Muay Thai Hand Wraps 101

It’s important to understand why wrapping your hands for Muay Thai is so crucial. Whether you’re hitting a bag, pads or another person, the repeitive impact on the knuckles and wrists can take a toll. One misplaced punch can lead to severe hand or wrist strains, even fractures or breaks Hand wraps provide a the knuckles with bit more cushion, while stabilizing the hand and wrist to help prevent additional bending of the joints. This allows for more confident and comfortable training, without worrying about the possibility of injury.

Guide to Wrapping Hands for Muay Thai

1. Anchor at the Thumb: Start by tucking your thumb into the loop at the end of the hand wrap. Place the wrap across the back of your hand, slightly above the knuckles, and hold it in place with your thumb.
2. Supporting the Wrist: Wrap the hand wrap around your wrist 3-4 times, ensuring a snug fit without cutting off circulation. The wraps should be tight enough to provide support, but not so tight that they restrict blood flow or cause discomfort.
3. Cushioning the Knuckles: Extend the wrap diagonally across the back of your hand, covering the knuckles. Repeat this step a few times, ensuring the knuckles are adequately protected.
4. Secure The Thumb: Loop the wrap around the base of your thumb and across your palm. Again, ensure that it is tight enough to provide support, but shouldn’t affect circulation. Continue wrapping around the back of your hand and across the palm several times, creating a crisscross pattern for added support.
5. Reinforce the Wrist: Continue by wrapping the hand wrap around the wrist once again. This step provides extra stability to the wrist, while reducing the risk of sprains.
6. Secure Using the Velcro: Once you’ve wrapped the wrist a few times, finish by fastening the wrap around the wrist. Ensure the wrap is snug but not too tight, allowing for proper circulation. (This is CRUCIAL.)

Best Types of Hand Wraps for Muay Thai: Traditional vs. Quick Wraps

When shopping for new hand wraps, you’ve surely come across what essentially look like gloves. These are usually marketed using the term “quick wraps,” because instead of manually having to wrap your hands, they slip onto the hand (like a glove).

While some people (especially beginniners) like these for their simplicity, they do have a few drawbacks. Considering they slip on and off, it’s difficult to ensure the same amount of support provided to the hand as a whole. The same can be said for the wrist. While there is usually a hook and loop velcro closure around the wrist, you are unable to wrap it around the wrist for additional support. This leaves the padding to be focused around the knuckles. This can be beneficial, and is usually marketing as having a “shock absorbing” gel of some sort, but you can achieve a similar amount of padding with more advanced hand wrapping techniques.

It can be appealing to lean into the simplicity and ease of quick wraps, but if you’re serious about the sport, it would be more beneficial to get comfortable wrapping your hands in a more secure fashion.

Final Tips on Wrapping Your Hands for Muay Thai

• Keep your hand and fingers relaxed when wrapping your hands. That way, when you flex your hand when your wraps are on, they help fill out the wraps. If you are flexing your hand and spreading your fingers when putting on the wraps, they can end up being loose when you go to relax your hand.
• Ensure that you focus the majority of wraps around the wrist, thumb and knuckles. These areas are the most prone to injury when left unsupported.
• Wear wraps every day! Even if your hands and wrists feel fine after one workout, damage can accumulate over time, leading to joint issues down the road.
• Practice! That way, you will spend less time on them and feel less pressured to get them done in a hurry before starting class.

FAQs on Muay Thai Hand Wraps

What a the Best Length Hand Wraps for Muay Thai?

Typically, 180-inch hand wraps are the standard in Muay Thai. Individuals with smaller hand sizes may prefer shorter lengths, such as 120 or 150 inches. 200-inch hand wraps are also fairly common, especially in boxing. While the extra padding might sound tempting, it might be overkill for some athletes, and cause the notoriously small Muay Thai glove hand compartments to feel even smaller. Therefore, It’s generally recommended to go with 180-inch wraps.

How Can I Wash Muay Thai Hand Wraps?

Be sure to wash your muay thai hand wraps in cold water on a gentle cycle. For longevity, it’s best to air dry them, in order to maintain elasticity. Use a mesh laundry bag when putting them in the wash, to avoid them tangling, and maybe even damaging the washing machine.Every set of hand wraps should come with their own care instructions, so be sure to follow those.

Where Can I Buy Muay Thai Hand Wraps?

A wide selection of muay thai hand wraps can be found on Amazon. Otherwise, most muay thai brands carry them, such as Fairtex. As always, also check with your gym or local fight shop!