I've recently had to take a quick break due to small hand injury on the heavy bag. I was wondering what kind of wraps you guys use. Would it be too expensive to go with gauze/tape and replace every day of training as most professional boxers do? I've been told several times that the most fragile or injury prone bones are the ones running down from the knuckles to the wrists, but in my experience (or possibly just my style), I've been hurting more on the actual wrists themselves. Suggestions?
Gaueze is a pain in the ass. Get a long handwrap and put a big piece of sponge on it for extra padding. If you're hurting your wrists make sure to put lots of wrap around them, and you can also just put some tape on it too either directly on the skin, or on top of your wrap. You may want to look at your punching technique too, to make sure you're not bending your wrist too much when you make contact and putting lots of pressure on it.
kink your wrists in slightly so the bones in the back of your hand (metacarpals) that you're talking about, are in line with the bones of your forearm. that will brace the impact. if your knuckles curve upward then you're creating a break in the line of support from your knuckles to your elbow. don't hit so hard. it may take a while to develop strength in your wrists. focus on your form and listen to your body. it will tell you how you can push it. when wrapping your hand, get the thumb and wrap both directions, to the knuckles, crossing over the back of the hand, and to the wrist, crossing on the back of the hand. the criss-cross/figure 8 pattern will give you better wrist support. do pushups on your knuckles. gauze won't help. with a pro wrap, the support is in the tape, not necessarily the gauze.
You might even try hitting the bag (not super hard, and on a soft bag) without gloves or wraps. I do this after a gym session while we're all bullshitting around, or sometimes I'll go out in my garage and do a mini-round. I feel like it helps me punch with better technique. Gotta land on the knuckles and not the fingers, can't throw slaps, etc. Might help strengthen your wrists. Also, sledgehammer training, but only after your injury heals up. That stuff will strengthen your wrists and forearms like crazy.
