Muay Thai has a variety of offensive and defensive moves, making it one of the richest combat sports out there. The majority of the damage and a good chunk of the blocking in Muay Thai is done with the legs. At the same time, your arms play a secondary but highly invaluable role in a fight. With that in mind, you need to know how to wrap hands for Muay Thai.
Even when we talk about training, from shadowboxing and bag practice to clinching exercises, you’ll have plenty of reasons to appreciate the wrapping. You can expect a lot of cuts and bruises, not to mention sweat leaking into your gloves. That’s why an extra layer on top of your hands is one of the best investments you can make.
Read on to find out how to wrap hands for Muay Thai!
Why We Use Hand Wraps For Muay Thai
To reduce damage to the hands
Muay Thai gear is similar to many other combat sports, although the gloves have some unique features. If you’re familiar with boxing gloves, for example, you know they provide ample padding and snug wrist support. On the other hand, Muay Thai gloves are more padded in the back to let you block kicks efficiently. The overall shape is more squarish, and the palm and wrist areas are more exposed to facilitate clinching.
In other words, while they do provide protection for when you throw punches, the padding isn’t as concentrated around the knuckles. This is good news for your defence, but it’s a little rougher on you when you throw punches. Whether you’re in the ring or doing pag practice, you’ll be glad to have the extra piece of fabric there.
For a more technical explanation, a lot of the bones in your hand are relatively tiny. As such, a thin protective coat makes a huge difference in keeping them safe. At the end of the day, jabs are generally a great way to open your combos in Muay Thai. As such, your hands will be put to the test on a daily basis during training. Even if their role is more tactical than outright destructive, it’s in your best interest to keep your hands safe!
To protect the gloves from leakage
A lot has been said about the risks involved with Muay Thai, and they certainly do exist. Injuries of all kinds can happen, especially when you go pro. However, one of the seemingly minor inconveniences people disregard is what happens to your gloves if they get too sweaty or bloody.
This can affect the integrity of the gloves in a lot of ways. First and foremost, excess moisture can produce unpleasant smells, and if you don’t act on it quickly, the smell won’t be going away. Then there’s the damage to the inner lining itself, which might lead to you having to buy new gloves. Finally, making a mistake while cleaning your gloves can result in serious water damage, so might as well prevent it from getting to that point.
All in all, learning how to wrap hands for Muay Thai can save you a lot of headaches down the line!
To provide added wrist support
The ergonomic design of Muay Thai gloves makes clinching and backhand blocks that much easier. At the same time, beginners with poor form might have a hard time maintaining proper form in their wrists.
An overlooked benefit of bandaging is that it helps lock your wrist in the proper position. You’d be surprised how much a bit of wrapping can help you reduce janky hand motions and clumsy grapples!
This may not seem like a big deal at first, especially if you come from a sport like boxing. Still, it’s important to remember how relevant clinches are to the pace of a Muay Thai match. Besides the usual rest-and-defence function, clinches allow you to get aggressive with knee attacks or even segue into elbow strikes. If you’ve ever tried to execute something like this with boxing gloves, you’ll know what a huge difference form makes!
Types of Hand Wraps in Muay Thai
There are three primary types of hand wraps used across martial arts: tape and gauze, cloth, and elastic bandages. There are a few key differences between them, and what you use should depend on your level of experience and whether you’re training or competing.
- Tape and gauze: Despite weighing next to nothing, this is the most protective type of wrapping for martial arts on average. The athletic tape makes it extremely reliable, and you don’t have to worry about anything moving out of place. The downside is, that it’s a one-time-use product, and beginners might need a helping hand getting it on.
- Cloth: They might not have the sticking factor of tape and gauze, but cloth wraps are reusable, absorbent, and they feel good on your wrists and knuckles. Generally, you can hand-wash them and get a lot of mileage out of a single strip.
- Elastic bandages: This is a more premium kind of wrapping, and it moulds wonderfully to different fist shapes and sizes. This is the least likely wrapping to come undone, although not everyone likes how it feels on the skin. If you’re interested in trying it out, we recommend Twins hand wraps to get you started.
How To Wrap Hands For Muay Thai: Step by Step
Place the loop of the bandage around your thumb, then aim for about half a dozen wraps around your wrist. From there, toss the bandage over your thumb and wrap it once, then proceed to wrap it another five or six times around your palm and backhand.
From there, you can work your way upwards and do the same with your knuckles. After a few wraps, tuck the bandage between two of your fingers (ideally the ring and pinky fingers). Then, go downward and around your wrist again. Repeat the process with the other two-finger gaps before wrapping what’s left around your wrist.
Keep in mind that the wrapping should fit a certain way. Do it too tight, and you won’t be able to clinch as effectively. Conversely, if it’s too loose, you probably won’t get the protection you’re after.
FAQs on How to Wrap Hands For Muay Thai
Do you need hand wraps for competitive Muay Thai?
Yes, you need to wear bandaging when competing in a Muay Thai tournament. Similar to how there are different kinds of gloves for different weight divisions, there are strict guidelines when it comes to wrapping.
The specific bandages will generally be provided by the hosting organization. Your comfort and snugness of fit are guaranteed regardless of your hand shape. After wrapping, each fighter’s bandaging is thoroughly inspected to ensure a fair match.
How much do Muay Thai hand wraps cost?
This largely depends on the quality of the wrapping, as well as what occasion it’s suited for. By and large, a good-quality elastic wrap will cost you around £20 on average. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, you can find many options well under £10 to dip your toes.
How long should Muay Thai wraps be?
By and large, there are two unofficial “sizes” for Muay Thai wraps. The short ones come in at around 3 meters (or 10 feet). Then there are the longer ones, which are 4.5 to 5 meters (14.5 to 16 feet) in length.
By and large, the longer wraps are usually inherently better since they offer extra protection. At the same time, some fighters may prefer the feeling of having less wrapping around their hands. What’s more, gloves with more padding may make it harder to slot a longer strip of wrapping.
If you’re just getting started, you might as well get one of each and see what works best for you. It’s not much of an investment, but it might just make all the difference for you as a beginner.
Conclusion
And that concludes our guide on how to wrap hands for Muay Thai. In short, wrapping comes in many forms, namely tape and gauze, cloth, or elastic. They all offer an important set of benefits, namely protecting your smaller hand bones, wicking away moisture, and assisting with your form.
The worst thing you can do when practising martial arts is penny-pinching. There’s a lot more to it than just Muay Thai shorts and rash guards, and the little things make a huge difference. A few wise investments can make or break your experience, so try to make the right decisions early on!
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