Handwraps

If you box on a heavy bag, you've just got to wrap your hands. Done properly, wrapping braces the bones, tendons, ligaments, etc. against movement, and cushions against crushing. Since there's nothing natural about hitting something repeatedly, on a regular basis, it just makes sense to protect your precious hands by wrapping them before slipping on gloves. There are several handwrapping techniques, and the most basic are quite easy. Boxinggyms.com provides terrific, highly visual and completely free instructions.

There are two main types of wraps - standard 100% cotton, and Mexican-style, which has a little spandex. Wraps are cheap, around $5.00, and come in different colors. They stay on with a velcro tab. I find if you close that tab below the glove, it saves the wrap from rubbing from the glove edge, which can make it come undone.

Wrapping your hands gives you a few moments to tune in ritually to prepare for your work out. Proof that you have to focus on it each time surfaced for me this past week, when I apparently did something a little off, because after working on the bag, I ended up with bruised knuckles, for the first time ever. Hence I was moved to write this post.