Why Do Wrestlers Have to Tape Their Wrists?

Currently, I got a wrist injury, and I am using wrist wraps to sustain and accelerate my healing. This got me thinking about why wrestlers tape their wrists. There are many reasons why taping our wrists is important, and I will discuss them in this post.

Wrestlers tape their wrists because wrist tape acts as a support to protect the bones and muscles from impact and over-stretching. Furthermore, it can accelerate recovery by preventing the use of injured muscles or joints. Wrist tapes can also absorb sweat, reducing slips. Lastly, wrist tapes add aesthetics and help people look more athletic.

This post will discuss why wrestlers tape or put bandages on their wrists. What are the benefits, including aesthetic reasons, of wearing wrist wraps? As a bonus, I will also discuss finger taping, which is becoming more common nowadays.

Why do wrestlers tape their wrists?

The primary reason why wrestlers put tape on their wrists is to provide support. In addition, wrist tapes or bandage prevents the occurrence of wrist injuries which are common in grappling sports. Another reason is it can help accelerate healing since it limits the use of the injured portion of the hands. Lastly, it adds aesthetics to make the wrestler look more like an athlete.

Wrestlers use wrist tapes because it acts as a support in either preventing injuries or accelerating the healing process.

This support is beneficial for wrestlers as wrist injuries are common since grappling sports like wrestling involve a lot of lifting.

Furthermore, the wrist bandage or wraps protect the bone from impacts, as these are common on takedowns.

Recommended Read: How safe is wrestling? How common are injuries in the sport? I created a post diving into scientific journals to answer this question here: Is Wrestling Safe?

Taping our wrist is important since our wrist contains small bones which are pretty delicate.

This is also why Wrist taping is common in other sports and martial arts like Boxing and Muay Thai.

However, their purpose is a little bit different. Boxers cover their wrist to prevent injuries from impacts produced by their strikes. This is the same with Muay Thai fighters.

As we discussed, Wrestlers protect their wrists from the impact of falling from takedowns. While both strikes and takedowns can harm the wrist, their source is different. The good news is that wrist bandages or wrappings can address both issues.

Did you know that wraps can also increase your performance in wrestling matches?

Hand wraps prevent sweat from running down your arm and onto your hands, increasing your grip. Thus, wraps can prevent slips which is one of the primary causes of improper techniques which might lead to injuries.

If you’ve tried rolling with someone who sweats a lot, you will understand how hard it is to hold them. Luckily, wraps can absorb some of the sweat so we can properly execute the techniques required to do some locks and holds.

As for my case, I am currently using my hand wraps for faster recovery.

Since I tried different martial arts, I injured my hand due to improper form while punching the sandbag. This caused pain in my wrist.

Wrist wraps are a great way to hold your wrist and prevent further injury. Furthermore, it helps the injured part rest, so it heals quickly.

Why does it help the injured part rest? Well, it keeps the injured part stationary, so it would be hard moving the site of injury.

But here is something I’m doing with my wrist wraps to accelerate the healing further.

Currently, I use wraps to cover my wrist after putting a topical medicine. That way, the medicine would stay on my wrist longer.

Since the medicine wouldn’t accidentally be wiped to other places because of the bandage, it stays longer and does its job better than not having any wraps.

This is a helpful tip I’ve been using to accelerate the healing of my injuries using wraps.

There are also aesthetic reasons to use a hand wrap,

Some wrestlers use hand wraps because it helps them look more like athletes.

As you probably know, hand wraps are common in many sports, not just wrestling.

Thus, wrist tapes make them look like a natural athlete.

Furthermore, wrist wraps come in various colors, depending on your preference.

There are white, black, red, blue, and others with unique designs.

As for me, I use black wraps since their color isn’t affected by dirt.

Don’t get me wrong; I still wash my wraps every week. I just don’t like how white wraps look after a while. Stains are also evident on other colored wraps.

I don’t have to worry about those on black wraps.

Another aesthetic reason for using hand wraps is it helps the hands look bigger.

Some wrestlers also use wrist wraps because it makes their hands look bigger, which looks better.

As someone with small hands, this is also a bonus on why I wear wrist wraps.

Furthermore, my current injury would’ve been worse if I wasn’t using any wraps.

With all of these in mind, how about WWE wrestlers? Why do WWE wrestlers wear tape?

WWE wrestlers wear tapes as a support to prevent injuries. Furthermore, it hides and protects against any injuries they might have on the day of the match. Bandages are also a great way to add some aesthetics to their character. Lastly, it was once used to hide some blades, which is now prohibited in WWE.

For WWE wrestlers, the reason why they wear bandages is almost the same as others.

Handwraps are good support and can add aesthetics to make them look more athletic.

However, there was a time when wraps were used for another purpose.

As I want this post to be complete, I have to add this.

There was a time when blading was common in wrestling. It is where they induce some tiny wounds on their forehead to facilitate bleeding.

This was an essential part of a wrestler’s job since bleeding increases ticket sales.

However, they need to be smart in using these blades. They have to use it without the audience noticing.

Thus, they started to put the blades on their wraps to hide them from the audience. Then they use them by putting the wraps on their forehead.

It is worth noting that blading is currently not allowed in WWE.

Thus, hand wraps aren’t being used for this purpose nowadays.

Recommended Read: Did you know why blading is now illegal in WWE wrestling? What do they use now as a substitute? I discussed those in a separate post, which you can find here: Are the blood and injuries you see in wrestling real?

Before we end, have you noticed some people taping their fingers? Let’s discuss that next.

Why do wrestlers put tape on their fingers?

Wrestlers put tape on their fingers to prevent their fingers from moving laterally. This significantly increases gripping power while reducing the likelihood of a finger injury as the tapes keep the fingers together. Lastly, it also prevents slips in grappling by absorbing sweat.

So, what’s the purpose of taping the fingers? Well, it is the same as taping the wrist except for its location.

Taping the fingers prevents them from moving laterally. This means it prevents injuries to the fingers.

It also increases grip strength as there is no need to exert too much force to keep the fingers together.

Like wrist wraps, it also helps absorb sweat, which can cause the hands to slip when grappling.

Preventing slips is essential since slipping can cause improper techniques that might lead to injuries for both parties.

However, the additional benefit of wrapping the finger is it adds gripping strength.

Wrapping the fingers means you don’t need to exert much force in keeping them together. Thus, your holds will be solid and stronger. In short, you don’t need to exert too much force to produce the same amount of grip.

That’s why this practice is becoming more popular in wrestling matches.

Who knows? Maybe you will also use it in the future.

What’s next? Have you ever wondered why so many wrestlers chew some gum? I also wondered about this and looked at scientific papers to see if chewing gum has some benefits. The end result is I created this post which you might find interesting. What are the Benefits of Chewing Gum for wrestlers?