How to Protect Hands and Knuckles While Breakdancing

Breakdancing places a lot of pressure on the hands and knuckles.

Breakdancing is an exciting and highly athletic type of dance. However, due to the extreme nature of many of the moves, it can also be very hard on the performers. Taking certain precautions will decrease your likelihood of sustaining an injury while breakdancing. In this article, we will discuss how to protect your hands and knuckles while breakdancing.

Things You'll Need

• Fingerless gloves
• Powder
• Practice mat

Instructions

How to Protect Hands and Knuckles While Breakdancing

1. 

   Wear gloves.Fingerless gloves allow your hands maximum mobility while protecting your palms and knuckles from bruising and abrasions incurred by spins. Many professionals prefer not to wear gloves while performing, but most wear them at least part of the time during practice. If you are learning a new move, gloves can also help with balance and give you a better grip on the floor.

2. Practice on a mat. A soft, forgiving surface is ideal for practicing new moves and perfecting difficult stunts. Not only will a practice mat cushion a fall, it will provide a softer surface for your hands and knuckles while you are perfecting a new technique.

3. 

   Powder your palms. Powdering or chalking your palms decreases the likelihood of slipping on a hard floor if a move requires you to balance on a single hand. However, some breakdancers do not like powder because as it rubs off hands and onto the floor it can cause slipping during fancy footwork.

4. Work with an experienced trainer. Someone who has a lot of experience with breakdancing can help you learn moves with as little risk as possible to your hands and knuckles. Since many breakdancing moves require you to balance on your palms or bear a lot of weight on your knuckles or the backs of your hands, a trainer can help you do these moves in a way that causes minimal discomfort.

Tips & Warnings

• Some gloves come with extra padding over the knuckle area. These may be especially good for beginners whose knuckles have not yet toughened up.