[SideofKO]

Handwrapping Part 1:

To begin, you should know that most states have certain laws (some more stringent than others) regarding the maximum amount of length of gauze and tape you can use on a fighters hand as well as where on the hand the tape can go.

For most states, 15 yards of 2" gauze and 3' of athletic tape. The tape has to be applied one inch behind the knuckles and cannot be bricked up on the knuckles.

In addition, there are many ways to wrap hands and little subtle nuances that you will undoubtedly learn with regard to wrapping hands. This is just a basic framework so that you can expand your knowledge around this base.

With that said we can begin.

Preparation:

Make sure you have lots of gauze and tape with you. You can never have enough. At least twp rolls of gauze per person and a roll of tape per person.

Gauze pads:

Gauze pads should be made before hand just to save time. I like to make them the night before and tuck them away into my bag so that I don't have to worry about them. It's kind of hard to explain in writing exactly how to make these which is why I wanted to make a video but I'll attempt to here.

Essentially a gauze pad is gauze that is folded over itself to make a pad. In boxing the pad is huge, and you will use most if not the whole roll of gauze, in MMA the gloves are smaller, so you have to shorten it quite a bit. The way I like to make them is to open my fingers ridiculously wide and start to roll the gauze over them so that you can control how wide the pad is and also if you do it this way, it won't mess up or come unraveled in your bag.

You might want to experiment with your fighter beforehand to determine the thickness. Depending on a.) the size of the gloves and/or b.) the size of your fighters hands you might need a smaller pad to fit.

I generally roll the gauze over my fingers about 10 to fifteen times. You'll want to have two per person.

Warming Up:

Warming up? How do you warm up hands? Well, seeing as how your fighter will have a mound of gauze and tape on his hands you want them as loose and warm as possible.

I like to begin by warming up my hands Miyagi style and then pulling gently on the fingers and rubbing on the top of the hand to massage the ligaments. I ask the fighter to spread his fingers a few times and to make a fist as well as roll his wrist. I may also massage the forearms right above the wrist if there is a great deal of tension.

After the hand is good and limber you can move on to actually wrapping the hand.