Breaking in grips with water

[tgc]

The girls in my daughter’s group all recently received their grips. My daughter and a teammate have had a couple private lessons together and that coach has let them use them a little to break them in. Well yesterday the bar coach let all the girls use their grips for the first time. She took a spray bottle and wet all the girl’s grips (except my dd’s). I know the manufacturer said not to use water as it weakens the leather and voids the warranty. I was glad that my dd’s grips were not sprayed. However, she saw it as the coach treating her different, maybe in an attempt to hold her back. I told her it was because her grips were already broke in. Our gym has a water bottle hanging at all the chalk stations. My son says the boys do not put water on their grips. Some of the mom’s are upset that the coach has wet the grips. Is it common practice to go against manufacturers’ recommendations and wet the grips?

[hammy]

Most girls use either water or saliva (spit) on their grips along with chalk--this helps make the chalk more paste like and stick the bars. It is my belief that guys do not use water because their bar is metal, while the girls' bars are made of wood and fiberglass. Most grip companies will not take grips back once they've been used on bars--water or not (I believe--i may be wrong). Long story short, most girls use water and chalk on their grips.

[jasmine196]

All my girls use water on their grips. I did as a gymnast as well. It helps hold the chalk onto the grip and from personal use kept me on the bar as well. I know they say not to use water but its the only way I've ever done it. The important thing to know is its just a spray of water, not dipping it in water. That will hurt the grips.

Even my advance kids can still get up to a year of use out of their grips using water. My question, is why did the coach not spray your dd's. That's a little strange.

[KBT]

Using water on grips is very much a personal preference. I'd estimate at least 75% of girls use water on theirs for the reasons already mentioned. I preferred not to because I didn't like the feel of the pasty chalk-water mix. I also preferred my grips to have a really roughed up feel which I felt I could achieve better without using water. Your daughter will probably try several different methods of grip preparation before settling on one she likes best.

As far as breaking in the grips, I think water may help mold them faster, but it's not necessary. Everytime I got new grips I would fold them down at the wrist and up in the middle and velcro around it. After a day or two of them being folded up like that, they were ready to use - no breaking in period necessary because they were already folded to curve over the bar. I also store mine like this.

[tgc]

Thank you for the information. The parents at my gym were reassured that their daughter's expensive grips were not being ruined. I still do not know why my dd's were not sprayed. Maybe because hers were more broke in.