Anybody here have bad or fragile hands?

[evalistinho]

just wondering if anybody has had many hand injuries and what specifically do you do or use to take care of them in training.

[natep]

my knuckles have been hurting for the past two months. i took a month off to try and let it heal and although it did heal a bit, it didn't take the pain completely away. i don't know if this is the answer you're looking for, but i just bought a pair of winning gloves and a knuckle guard. hopefully this will solve my problem.

[evalistinho]

my knuckles have been hurting for the past two months. i took a month off to try and let it heal and although it did heal a bit, it didn't take the pain completely away. i don't know if this is the answer you're looking for, but i just bought a pair of winning gloves and a knuckle guard. hopefully this will solve my problem.

I broke my left hand and needed surgery to fix it and now i have plates and screw in my hand. it doesnt hurt when i hit the bag but after a while my hand was getting sore. but it gets sore with bag work. during sparring i dont feel a thing and i have thrown some hard punches to test it out. I heard about the winning gloves and my cousin got them for me for my birthday(thoughtful gift i owe him for christmas) anyway the gloves have worked wonders for me as i dont feel anything at all when i work the bag.

[MagnificentMatt]

My wrists seem to hurt almost every week, I just be careful and make sure I wrap them nice and secure.

[evalistinho]

My wrists seem to hurt almost every week, I just be careful and make sure I wrap them nice and secure.

Do you use the mexican style handwraps since they are longer? i bought once those everlast ones but they were too short. barely coverd a finger.

[Storamin]

everlast also makes the mexican style (180)

personally i prefer the smaller, 108s?, i dont even really bother with my thumb. never had any problems with pain in my hands/wrist.

[OuterDrake]

i got chaffed knuckles from punching walls.

[jimmie]

I always had fucked up hands when I boxed because of alot of heavy bag work. Now im in MMA most of my boxing is done on the pads now of course you can hurt your hands alittle on a pad when the guys catching alittle harder then he should but ive fine so far. As far as wraps im ok with the smaller ones as long as I can wrap the hand near my knuckes to keep them tiny bones together and get the wrist real secure.

[Kolya]

I do. I'm just careful with how I wrap my hands and how hard I punch the bag and am going to get knuckle guards to wear under my wraps.

[TommyV]

i got chaffed knuckles from punching walls.

Clever.

[MagnificentMatt]

Clever.

Hes a badass, most likely lacks the discipline to box.

[RDJ]

When I just started boxing I had quite brittle hands, especially the mid hand bones and wrist. I haven't had the misfortune of hand injury in a while though, thank god. I think proper wrapping did the trick.

[MagnificentMatt]

When I just started boxing I had quite brittle hands, especially the mid hand bones and wrist. I haven't had the misfortune of hand injury in a while though, thank god. I think proper wrapping did the trick.

You think strengthening your grip could help?

I have been gripping sand for my gripping/forearm strength.. Def burns my hands up especially after a few minutes.

[RDJ]

You think strengthening your grip could help?

I have been gripping sand for my gripping/forearm strength.. Def burns my hands up especially after a few minutes.
I squeeze the stress ball a lot, but I have no idea if it makes any difference.

[elchivito]

Do you use the mexican style handwraps since they are longer? i bought once those everlast ones but they were too short. barely coverd a finger.the mexi-wraps are usually alot longer, softer around the hands as if you're not wearing anything. a friend who's a coach usually gives them to me for free. i have very delicate hands and wrists and tend to get sprained or sore either from hitting the heavy bag too hard or a well placed punch to the head, usually 9 times out of 10 with my right hand, and my hands would balloon up pretty bad and couldn't use it or move a finger without excruciating pain. that's why for the past 15 yrs or so i've always had boxing as a hobby and nothing more. i guess the best thing that worked for me is just don't hit the bag as hard and work more on speed, combinations, posture, and footwork, as several pros and coaches recommended me. even today i want to really unload when i spar or pound the bag, but i'm alot wiser now and every person has to know their own limits to bring out the best in them. most pros that i've seen pretty much tap and barely nudge the heavy bag with a heavy shot here and there and would leave me scratching my head, but then i found out it was to protect their hands. i've heard guys like joe calzaghe and paulie malignaggi are devastating punchers at times in the gym, but at fight time they hold back alot because of the hand problems that they have. the bottom of the heavy bag is also the hardest and my favorite part to hit to practice on liver shots, so i guess one should also take it easy on that because sometimes it feels like your hitting a rock even with wraps and 16oz gloves. i've done the grip exercises feverishly for the last 5yrs or so helped alittle, but not much really. luckily, i've never broken anything thru the years, yet:D and i hope i don't jinx myself , probably from the massive amount of milk i'd drink as a kid and i still chug today.

[Melbourneborn]

I ended up having to leave the sport because I was continually getting hand injuries and it was frustrating me and incredible amount. In the end I couldnt spar 4 rounds without hurting either hand, and couldnt punch through with my right hand.

But, such is the hand (pardon the pun!) we are dealt. Some of us just dont have the 'little' assets that are often over looked.. like nice, strong hands.

[Arka]

What exerises do you guys do to strengthen your hands?

I know that repeatedly squeezing a tennis ball is good for strengthening the back/outer muscles of your hand.Gene Tunney liked doing that whenever he had any free time in the day.

In this respect,going to the gym and pinch gripping a couple of plates,is a useful progressive exercise.
Here is the weightlifter John Davis pinch-gripping two solid 35 lb plates
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Also good for developing the outer part of your hand is thick-bar barbell work.You can improvise by wrapping a towel round a barbell and doing deadlifts and curls or reverse curls.When you do thick-bar lifting,not only are you training your grip but your forearm muscles are seriously engaged as well.

Sports store gippers are also useful for all over-conditioning the muscles in your hands.If you want,you can get some from ironmind that go to seriously heavy poundages.
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Personally,I have found that using an adjustable sports store gripper is useful for practising your pinch-grip.
[Only registered and activated users can see links]

As for wrist strength, a cable or pulley machine would be effective.Cable curls,reverse curls,hammer curls and tricep pull-downs to your body away from the machine, would strengthen your wrists in all dimensions.

[Kyroguy]

I know this goes against everything anyone has been told but I used to always hurt my hands and wrists sparring, hitting the heavy bag etc. Then I started conditioning my hands by hitting the heavy bag lightly without any protection for a few rounds every once in a while. It really helped after a time and toughened up my knuckles, helped me keep my fists tight, and trained me to hit without sloppy form.

I know everyone will say this is the wrong thing to ever do

[Arka]

I know this goes against everything anyone has been told but I used to always hurt my hands and wrists sparring, hitting the heavy bag etc. Then I started conditioning my hands by hitting the heavy bag lightly without any protection for a few rounds every once in a while. It really helped after a time and toughened up my knuckles, helped me keep my fists tight, and trained me to hit without sloppy form.

I know everyone will say this is the wrong thing to ever do

Hmmm....sounds like a martial artist repeatedly striking a hard surface to toughen his hands and feet.:huh

[Kyroguy]

Hmmm....sounds like a martial artist repeatedly striking a hard surface to toughen his hands and feet.:huh

It does, and that's where I got the idea. The body responds in time and need to different stresses placed on it in life. If you rely on wraps and protection then your hands will never adapt to the new demands being put on them by hitting bags and sparring.

Anyway, it worked really well for me and I haven't had problems for years.