Wrist supports are the small purchase that prevents the injury that stops you training for six weeks. In striking sports the wrist is the weak link — it is a small joint asked to transmit the force of your entire bodyweight through a fist, and it folds long before anything else gives way.
These elasticated wraps use a broad hook-and-loop closure so you can set the tension precisely, and they compress and brace the joint without stopping you making a proper fist.
When to wear them
Any striking session where you are not already wearing full hand wraps — bag work, pad rounds, MMA glove training where a full wrap will not fit inside the glove.
They are also worth wearing preventatively if you have folded a wrist before. Once a wrist has been injured it stays vulnerable for a long time, and the second injury usually comes from a punch that lands slightly off-square — exactly what the support guards against.
How tight is right
Firm enough that the joint cannot fold sideways, loose enough that you can make a full fist and your fingers stay warm and normally coloured.
Put them on with your wrist in a neutral straight position, not bent. Wrapping a bent wrist locks in bad alignment and can make things worse. If your hand tingles or your fingertips change colour, take it off and redo it with less tension.
Not just for striking
The same support helps in weight training, particularly on pressing movements where the bar drives the wrist into extension — bench press, overhead press and front squats all load the wrist hard.
Wash them regularly by hand in cool water and air dry. Heat destroys the elastic, and a support that has lost its stretch is not supporting anything.
