How To Avoid A Boxers Fracture

Wrist and hand’s are the main source of problems for many fighters. For a boxer, they are the only set of tools, and for Muay Thai and MMA fighters, they are used for all stand-up fighting and grapples. It is for this reason they are the problem. The most common hand injury for a fighter is a “Boxers Fracture”. A fracture occurs when one of the metacarpal bones on the hand breaks. These injuries are most commonly caused by trauma with a closed fist on a hard object.

Heavy bags and bad technique are the usual culprits for the boxers fracture. Closely followed by regular gym goers not wrapping their hands and hitting the bags showing off.

The results of a fracture are the pain to the hands and possibly the inability to close a fist. In some cases, the fracture may not even be apparent until you take your wraps and gloves off and may just be mistaken for an aching wrist due to the compression of a well-wrapped hand. Unfortunately, as I found out when training for my first boxing fight, a fracture to the hand can and will set your training back weeks. On average, for a very slight fracture, it takes five to six weeks to fully recover.

How To Avoid A Boxers Fracture

For this reason, it is important to minimize the risk of hand injuries. I have written a list here of top tips to avoid the boxers fracture.

Wrap Your Hands

To some seasoned fighters, this may seem painstakingly obvious but as with any hand contact sport, it is extremely important to wrap your hands with the quality hand wraps. For those that don’t know there are literally TON’S of tutorials out there for how to wrap hands. One of my favorites is the tutorial from Mike at Expert Boxing. Wraps can also be bought extremely cheaply from Amazon and any sports store. You may even be able to find them at Walmart. A good set that will last a couple of months will set you back at the very most ten bucks. Ask any trainer out there how many promising fighters they have seen come and go due to hand injury’s from not properly wrapping up.

Don’t Punch with Your Ego

Although it is extremely tempting when you get into the zone at the gym to start ego punching (Hint: Ego punching is hitting too hard for your ability and showing off) if you are in this for the long term it’s important that you refrain. Your future bones will thank you I promise!

So many people go into the gym after having there first one-on-one session with the coach and start wildly swinging hoping to impress the other fighters and the coach.

Invest in a Good Set of Gloves

Think of boxing gloves as an investment. If you are serious about your training you will need a good pair. It is not a competition on who can buy the most expensive pair but where gloves go quality almost always means paying a larger quantity of cash. Cleyto Reyes and Twins are currently the big powerhouses in the industry but these are pretty costly. At AllFightGear we have taken a lot of time to write great quality reviews on other brands that you can check out. We recommend Fairtex for beginners due to the great price and quality. Cleyto Reyesise great when you have a little bit of experience. Good gloves will save you from many hand problems due to the superior padding that they use. Don’t buy the cheaper ones as they are made from poor quality foam and fake leather.