when to wear grips... And when to join team

[gymbum08]

Im 15 and just started gymnastics ( i know its a bit lte for me to be a geat gymastt) but i work really hard and love it to death. anyways i was wonderig when to purchase grips, and when i do do i get dowel grps or not? i have simple things mastered like bck hip cicle and kartwheel on beam ( i do it like 5 hrs a week maybey two of wich are open gym ) and want soo badly to be on a team! should i get privates bumped up to every day? tips welcome. thx

[Gymnasticsgirl521]

I know the rule about grips at our gym is you start to use them at level 5. Our coach says that the girls need to get their hands more calloused. (SP). She says if girls are not healing from rips and such then grips can be used earlier.

I have an inexpensive set DD had to get when we went to the GK outlet. Her coach wont let her wear them in the gym but she said it was ok for her to play with them at home to get used to the way they feel on her hands.

As for increasing your gym time. I would recommend maybe talking to your coaches and let them know your personal goals and working a plan to help you achieve that goal of making the team. They may suggest you adding one private a week on top of your class practices and open gym.

Best of luck to you.

[Aussie_coach]

First of all congratulations on getting started in gymnastics. It is a great sport and will benefit you in many different ways.

It is not advisable to get into grips too early. At first your hands need to learn to grip the bars correctly on their own. The dowel on the grips will do this for you and if you don;t spend a decent amount of time working bars without grips you will not learn this properly. Having said that though because you are older you may need grips earlier on in your training than a younger girl. Because the heavier you are the more pressure there is on your hands.

In our gym the girls usually get grips around level 4, this is because at this level the girls are training a lot more (4-5 days a week) and will need to spend more time on bars and their hands need to last longer. I would reccomend if possible leaving grips until you have a really strong kip with straight arms. By the time you have mastered the kip with straight arms you should have enough understanding of grip to move safely to using grips. You will find they are useful for the skills like clear hips and giants you will learn after kips. If you have not got your kip yet, or if you have it but are still inconsistent or bending your arms I would only reccomend grips if you are one of those people who rips easily. You could even have this as a reward for you. - get gaurds when I master the kip.

If you are doing this go straight to the dowel grips, but if you ca't resist and get grips early go for the non dowel grips.

As for joining the team, that will vary a great deal from gym to gym. Some gyms will only out their most talented gymnasts on the team. Other gyms will have every gymnast who reaches level 3 or 4 on the team. Some gyms only start their teams at level 5, most at level 3 or 4 and some as early as level 1 or 2 so you will need to find out what the policy is at your gym.

Some gymns will not allow a girl of your age to join the team. Preferring instead to put new 6-8 year olds on. If this is the case, look for another gym. It is a crazy policy and I belive a person should be able to join the team at 50 if they have the skills, the dedication and the committment.

[Scrapntyme]

At my dd's gym, the policy on grips seems to be once the kip is mastered, the gymnast is expected to start using grips. My dd was 7 and a level 4 when she got her first set of grips. I know this policy varies from gym to gym. Some gymnasts don't start using grips until they are level 7 or even level 8.

Good luck to you!

Mary

[tgc]

Our gym is large. We have about 1800 recreational gymnasts. However, our team is relatively small (under 50). I have often heard parents talking to coaches about getting their girls on team. The coaches always stress conditioning. Get more flexible in splits and shoulders. Do lots of pull-ups, pullovers, and leg lifts. Spend a lot of time doing handstands. Our gym will only take girls the pre-team route if they are young; however, they take older girls if they have all their level four skills and just need to clean up their form. At our gym they are always watching the rec. girls. They are not only watching for skills, they are also watching the girl’s attitude. They are looking for focus, ability to take corrections and work ethic.

Good luck to you!

[lannamavity]

You should probably ask your coach, but I would always recommend a new gymnast over 12 should go right into dowel grips.

The whole "feeling the bar" is a developmental thing for little kids. Unless you have a year to practice learning how to swing without grips and then make the transition into grips, and you are given the choice, I would say go for some good grips from the Grips Etc website.

[gymbum08]

I have never taken a class lesson, i take privates only, so should i add on another? anyways when i was in the gym today my coach and the recriational gym director said they had a meeting an they want me on the team and it will proably start over summer!! i have not asked about grips yet but i dont have my kip. i just got my mill circle and double back hipcircle. thanks again, any other advaice is also appreciated!!

[GymnastRaeRae87]

My coach told me to get grips when I started working harder skills on bars. I would talk to your coach. My coach helped me pick out my grips and he did a great job, I love my grips!
p.s. it is never too late to become a great gymnast!

[catesmom]

gymbum- Congratulations on moving to team! It looks like your hard work has paid off. I'm sure that as you move to team you will be told by the coaches when to get your grips. At our gym the girls typically get grips in level 6 when they start working giants, but each gym is different, so you will have to see what your coaches say.

I'm sure you will enjoy having more time in the gym now, practicing with team. And now you get to look forward to competitions! Let us know how you are doing and what level you compete at.

Congrats again and good luck!

[PeaceLoveGymnastic]

At my gym we never use dowel grips. They don't work as well because you can't grip the bar properly. I also use 3 hole grips (like the men) and i love them. They cover more of your hand and stay on better.

Good Luck!