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BPD304

Proud Parent
I had a question in regards to thoughts on buying a beam and or a single bar for home practice. It seems lots of our level 3 gym parents have bought one or both for their girls and older girls have at least a beam. I don't have either but am feeling like maybe my oldest is behind because she doesn't have a bar to work on kips at home. Does everyone have this equipment? Do you need it? Will it help my DD or teach bad habits? Both girls are begging for a bar and a beam...

Thanks

J
 
Leave gymnastics in the gym!

Any skill "practiced" at home will most likely be learned wrong and then have to be unlearned and learned correctly with the trained coach at the gym.

Do stretching and strength (situps, pushups, crunches) at home; nothing more. Home needs to be the sanctuary away from the gym.
 
Well this is a VERY hot topic among the gymnastics community. Yes your child can learn bad habits from home equipment. They could also practice good habits. I would ask your child's coach what her/his take on it is. Some coaches don't allow home equipment as they don't want bad habits to form or injuries to happen. A panel mat would be the safest option. I have one and it's helped me immensely by allowing me to work on fixing my technique in handstands, walk overs, etc. safely and do conditioning on a soft surface. Now please keep in mind I don't practice any handsprings or skills I don't have 100% safely or consistently. I figure most gymnasts will try to practice cartwheels etc at home so they might as well do it safely.
 
My thought is that if your dd is working kips that the last place she should be working on them is at home. Badly learned kips can stick with a gymnast for a long time, you would not believe the number of higher level gymnasts who get dinged for bad kips at meets.

A bar at her level is a waste of money too. A chin up bar is useful for strength work, if your coach thinks that is something dd needs to work on.

A beam can be fun, but most people here who have bought them report back that they get little use down the road and they spond their lives climbing around them.
 
Big waste of money and space. I know because we have both. When my daughter was old L4 all of the girls on her team got them. We didn't want her to get behind, so we bought them too. There really was never time to use it because my daughter is always at the gym. Also, the home gym equipment is not as stable as the equipment at the gym. If you still think you need it, ask some of the higher level parents, I bet they have it sitting at home barely used and would be happy to sell it to you.
 
I have two level 10 daughters, and they have never done practicing at home. Sure, when they were younger they played around on furniture and in the yard, but no equipment or parental "coaching". Leave gym at the gym, if you want a chance for a balanced life for your kid in the long haul. If your kid sticks with it, it will get intense enough that they will need a place where they don't have to be a gymnast, where they don't have to worry about practice and skills. Let coaches coach, and you parents parent. Actually, this lets you be the good guy a lot of the time; when they are struggling at gym, you can provide the safe space where they can be loved and supported, and that's where they can get the energy to go back to the struggle at the gym the next day. Well, that's our family philosophy, anyway. It has worked for us.
 
I really don't want to buy it I know 2 of the coaches don't like it and the other 3 don't seem to mind.

Both girls are in the gym 6-9 hours right now and that will increase 9-15 once summer starts. So not really sure if they will use it anyway. I know nothing about gymnastics and my fear was creating bad habits and poor form.

It just seems like everyone (since Christmas) has rushed out to buy all this stuff and I'm one of the few that has not. I was feeling like a bad mom for not buying. I think I may continue to hold out!



Thanks for all the input!
 
Practice makes permanent. Practice bad you get bad. No proper spots you get injured.

No equipment at home, I pay a lot of money for her to be in gym, with spots, learning and practicing correctly, with timely correction.
 
My DD begged for a beam and bar, just like all her little pre-team teammates. Santa brought her a mat and a floor beam for Christmas when she was 6yo. Four years later, the beam has gotten lots of use but not for any fancy skills. She keeps those in the gym with proper spotting. Its hard enough to learn proper form and technique, she doesn't want to mess that up by reinforcing any bad habits at home.
 
It just seems like everyone (since Christmas) has rushed out to buy all this stuff and I'm one of the few that has not. I was feeling like a bad mom for not buying. I think I may continue to hold out!

It's the same way in my dd's group. She has told me, and I know from the other moms that it is true, that she is the only one that doesn't have a beam or bar. Many have both. We don't have room for either and even if we did, I agree with keeping gymnastics at the gym. She does plenty of round offs and handstands and that kind of stuff at home, but won't be doing her bar routines there. :)

BTW, one of her teammates broke her arm shortly after getting her new bar when she peeled off it and landed on her beam. :( Poor thing. It was right after they started training level 3 and so she missed at least 6 weeks of training and feels behind now. Seeing that helped my dd realize that maybe it wasn't a great idea to be practicing those skills at home.
 
It's the same way in my dd's group. She has told me, and I know from the other moms that it is true, that she is the only one that doesn't have a beam or bar.

As my mother used to say if everyone jumps off the Brooklyn Bridge are you going to follow.

Of all the reasons to do something, because everyone else does or has is the last one I factor in and only rarely. Maybe if it involves community sevice or team building.

Yeah I tend not to parent like everyone else. My girl hears "I'm sorry but you didn't get that Mom" often. :D
 
As my mother used to say if everyone jumps off the Brooklyn Bridge are you going to follow.

Of all the reasons to do something, because everyone else does or has is the last one I factor in and only rarely. Maybe if it involves community sevice or team building.

Yeah I tend not to parent like everyone else. My girl hears "I'm sorry but you didn't get that Mom" often. :D

Yes, I agree with that, which is why I said my dd won't be getting either one. :)

And also why my 13 year old ds is apparently the only kid in his school without an iPhone. ;)
 
When DD was an old level 5 "everyone" was getting home beams, etc. Now the kids who had them are in the same places as those who didn't - most have quit, some are moving fast and some slow, all generally "leave practice at practice" - except for standing back tuck contests and wanting trampolines (whole different issue).

I will say that the home mushroom for boys, if bought used from an older team mate - does help alot...and it small enough to roll into a big closet or use to fold laundry on...even that I find outside under the tree they've decided to climb these days.
 
I wish telling my pre team girls to keep the gym at the gym actually worked. Many of their parent got them equipment without educating themselves first, and now I'm left to deal with bad habits or injuries. I have told the kids repeatedly to do conditioning and flexibility at home, but in the end they will do as they please. I have one of my girls going to states and she has sprained her ankle on her home trampoline just 1 month before competition. She is the second one I have had injure themselves doing gym at home close to meets ( one I had to scratch cause she did it the day before). I could go on all day with my frustrations regarding home equipment. Its a constant struggle and the parents are no help. I'm actually making a list for the summer of appropriate things to work on at home ( using their equipment since they have it). No idea if they will even stick to that, but I can still hope.
 
I have told the kids repeatedly to do conditioning and flexibility at home

Yep best thing you can do at home. And as parent, ask what can specifically be done. For my girl, that foot flex is an issue. Mom and Dad do foot flex exercises with her.

I'm actually making a list for the summer of appropriate things to work on at home ( using their equipment since they have it). No idea if they will even stick to that, but I can still hope.

Love it, if you can't beat them join them and work with what you have. :rolleyes:
 
We had a "Vault Stack" (aka a box spring with 3 twin mattresses and one foam mattress on top) in our basement at one time. We also still have a homemade floor beam (covered with carpet).

The vault stack has since been burned (the basement flooded somewhat and the girls were getting too tall to play in the basement anyways).

We still have the floor beam... and no longer attach it to dining room chairs to work old L4 dismounts (at this point, OG is too tall to do anything more than walk on it and do turns unless it is outside - which we don't do ... and YG only works turns on it too).

I think SPENDING MONEY on a bar or beam would be a waste of money and can lead to bad habits. You are right to hold out and skip buying them!
 
The best benefit of our floor beam (and the only use it ever gets in the last 3 years other than as a bench) is for Achilles stretches, as we have no stairs in the house we could use).
 

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