Rope Climbing?

[PeanutButterMom]

(Sorry if this is the wrong place to put this thread, but I'm never sure where to put stuff).

DD just switched to a new gym in March, and has really been loving it - it's much more conditioning-based than skills-based like her old gym, and conditioning is what she needs to work on.

Anyway, they have the big giant rope that goes to the ceiling of the gym (so 2 stories, I guess). Part of each practice they do a circuit that involves climbing (or attempting, in DD's case - she never saw a rope before March) to the ceiling and then coming down. DD is in a Pre-Team development class - 4-6 year olds. I just kind of assumed it was no big deal, until another parent was talking last night about how it makes her nervous fo them to be so high up wiht really nothing to catch them. There are mats on the ground, and it looks (from our vantage point) to be on the spring floor, but still.

My response was that the gym has been around for a long time, and if a kid fell and broke their neck, I'm sure we would have heard about it by now.

Is the rope climbing thing weird? Is it normal for that age group? DD just joined this gym, but talking to other parents it seems like a lot of the "beginner" (so like 4yo) classes do it.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

who climbs how high is to the discretion of the coach. they usually only make them climb as high as they can handle. there are really no rope injuries to speak of with the exception of occasional rope burns. they hurt but not life threatening.

as i have posted previously, the 2 basic skills kids must do are press handstands and rope climbs. if you can't do these 2 things you won't become a gymnast of any mention.

 

[GymBee97]

I don't know of any gyms in my area that don't climb ropes that high or higher.
My DD didn't make it to the top untill she was about 6yo but they had them trying from about 3yo. Of course at 3 yo she only made one or two pulls and the coaches hands were on the rope just under their feet so they wouldn't slide down.

If you have a gymnast that makes it to the top they have the strength and ability to hold on and not fall. I'm not concerned at all.

 

[coachmolly]

I worked at a gym with a climbing rope and would use it for class kids, but like Dunno said, I would stop them once they reached a certain point. I would only let the kids with the proper strength/body control go anywhere near the top. Just to echo Dunno's statement, rope climbs are undoubtedly important to the development of a well-rounded gymnast. I went without them (and press handstands) until I switched gyms at 15 and was at a serious disadvantage to those who had been working those skills since their pre-team days. Good for you on getting your DD to a more conditioning based gym, it will help her in the long run!

 

[Aussie_coach]

Rope climbing needs to be trained properly. It would be very rare for a kid to be able to climb higher than they can climb down and I have never seen a kid climb upo and then let go from a ridiculous height unless the rope was over the foam pit. But kids need to be taught to climb down properly. Sliding down the rope can do serious damage and climbing up incorrectly can cause severe rope burn. It might be worth mentioning to the coach that she did not have a rope at her old gym, as it may be assumed that she was taught to climb up and down in the beginner classes.

Coaches should also put a limit on how high the littlest kids climb.

 

[my4buffaloes]

I remember when my dd was 4 in the rec classes and she climbed to the top of the 2 story rope. I couldn't believe it! We are at a different gym now and both my dd's climb to the top multiple times a practice. I have never seen anyone get hurt or fall. My kids also do it in school here, with virtually no mats and that scares me more.

 

[BlairBob]

There are 2 ropes in my new gym but seeing as they are across the gym, I will probably just have some rope cut to hang from the UB, about 4 of them.

I have seen other gyms with the ropes being in the pit or under porta-pits. A friend dropped off one at practice last year after he didn't feel like climbing down and was getting dizzy (cause he was on meds).

 

[Pickle's Mom]

I have never seen a kid climb upo and then let go from a ridiculous height unless the rope was over the foam pit.

And even then, most gyms don't allow it. When my daughter was in developmental, they were not allowed to drop until the coach said it was okay. And failure to follow the rules got you sent home for the week.

I had difficutly watching Pickle climb to the top when she was younger (I think she made it up for the first time when she was 5). There is a deep foam pit under it, but it felt sooooo high. I never saw her or any of her teammates have a problem.

Wait until she stars going up with no feet. That's when it gets really scary as a parent.

 

[AmandaLynn]

I have a rule as a coach that no children are allowed to climb to the top of the rope until they show me that they can climb up halfway and back down correctly twice in a row without taking a break in between, sliding down because they are tired, etc. Half way puts their feet juuuust above my reach, so if they let go from there, I can catch them easily.

I'd assume that most coaches have some sort of a similar progression and don't allow kids that they don't know to just climb to the top on their first try.

 

[ZZMom]

My only fear about the rope is that ZZ has NO fear of it. She is six and has been able to climb it for a while. Her gym conditions a lot and if she gets tired on the second or third time up, she'll stop "to rest" once in a while before continuing. When she is resting, she has a tendency to lean all the way back and look almost upside down below her and talk to friends and coaches on the ground. She seems fully capable of hanging on and the coach is watching but doesn't seem concerned. Maybe I'm just a worry wart. I try not to put my fear into my kids.

 

[gym law mom]

Not to scare others off, but my gymmie is one of the few that did get hurt falling from a rope climb. She was 9yo and had finished L5so she certainly was used to rope climbs. The problem was the rope was old and had gotten slick. She got to the top and reached up to tap the top so only had 1 hand on the rope. That hand slipped and she dropped---fortunately she had her legs around the rope. She got some nice rope rash on her inner thighs and a very sore coccyx. 36 hours later a girl on the prep op team had the same thing happen---her hands were very cut up. The rope was taken down and the new one put up(the new one had been in the gym, but nobody had gotten around to getting it up) within 24 hours. I did express my intense displeasure. All in all the climb is safe it was the equipment that wasn't.

 

[ellabella]

My daughter recently fell from the rope also. Luckily she wasn't hurt except for some bad rope burn. She was trying to switch from climbling with her legs straddled, but not being used, to her legs to the side in the pike position. When she slipped I don't think she knew how to stop herself without having her legs there to help her. When they have their legs to the side what are they supposed to do if they slip? I told her she needs to ask, but I'm sure she won't.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

quickly straddle and squeeze.

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

Wait until she stars going up with no feet. That's when it gets really scary as a parent.

Then with no feet and ankle weights!!

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

Oh and at dd's old gym the rope was over regular panel mats. It used to really freak me out. This gym the 2 ropes are over the pit.

Quick question. A friend on another forum said her ds just started a rec class and had trouble with the rope climbing because he couldn't get the rope wrapped around his feet right. I was thinking that I had never seen the kids with the rope around their feet? Is it a different technique for rec kids?

 

[wallinbl]

Quick question. A friend on another forum said her ds just started a rec class and had trouble with the rope climbing because he couldn't get the rope wrapped around his feet right. I was thinking that I had never seen the kids with the rope around their feet? Is it a different technique for rec kids?

I do it when I climb the rope, but I'm old and out of shape. You can definitely wrap it around your foot enough to get some friction and rest.