Kip bar? Worth it or not?

[gymnastbeth]

It's definitely a different perspective for me, since I'm a gymnast, but I really don't think a bar is a bad idea, or even that dangerous.

I guess it's because in elementary school, I learned a mill circle on the metal bar at school. I taught my friends them too, and BHC's as well. My friend who was a higher level gymnast than me taught me a baby giant at school! I did penny drops (hanging down from knees on bar and flipping off), and front hips, kips, and shut-throughs as well!

Looking back, the things I did were probably not great ideas. But I never got hurt. And I nobody I knew ever got hurt. Actually, more people got injured playing "wall-ball" at recess. I guess what I'm saying is, people seem to make a big deal out of possible injuries, when, in general, they are far and few between. (Reading this over, I sound a little willy-nilly about injuries, but I've seen people get hurt at practice, with supervision, and never seen someone seriously hurt doing gymnastics outside of practice! You just need to be careful.)

 

[Bella's Mom]

Bella's Mom... where do you live again? I know where you can get one for cheap! Apparently this gymnast had some injuries shortly after getting it (she didn't injure herself on the kip bar) and barely used it! She says the mat that goes underneath it was $175 all by itself, so this is definitely a good deal!

I'm in KY. Where's the good deal?

I have a landing mat already but another one would still be usable with my kiddo! LOL

 

[Bella's Mom]

Just a word of warning, mill circles can be pretty dangerous if they slip. This I wouldn't let them try to "get" on their own outside the gym. Front and back hip circles, okay, the falls on these usually aren't too bad. But these bars really aren't stable, even a 45lb kid is probably going to "dump over" on a mill circle rather than do the full amplitude required for success. Maybe it's better bolted to the floor though, I have no idea or no idea how to do that.

Thank you for the concern but she is VERY close to getting it. Might even have it by christmas. She works on them alone at the gym all the time. Once I have the bar bolted into the floor, she will have a pretty thick mat underneath the bar. I think the chance for injury will be minimal and a lot less than having her attempt them at the playground.

 

[MaryA]

I'm in KY. Where's the good deal?

I have a landing mat already but another one would still be usable with my kiddo! LOL

Central PA... unless you're looking for an excuse to road-trip, it's probably not that good of a deal!

 

[Bella's Mom]

It's more than mill circles, too-- I know a gymnast who broke her neck on a BHC. She was at the gym on the low bar with mats and peeled off after the cast. Not sure how that really happens, but it's not like she was even learning BHCs-- she had done 2 years of L5 and had a 9.4-9.5 bar routine. (And, of course, I've seen plenty of headers on mill circles!)

Kids can break their necks doing a million different things outside of the gym too. Kids can break bonses riding bikes and scooters but I don't think that many would advocate not allowing children to have bikes at home because there is a chance they could get hurt. No, we provide safety equipment and let them live. To me, the decision to get Bella a kip bar falls under the same philosophy.

 

[Bella's Mom]

I guess it's because in elementary school, I learned a mill circle on the metal bar at school. I taught my friends them too, and BHC's as well. My friend who was a higher level gymnast than me taught me a baby giant at school! I did penny drops (hanging down from knees on bar and flipping off), and front hips, kips, and shut-throughs as well!

Same here. I didn't realize they were mill circles when I did them but in the fourth and fifth grade (back inthe 70s), all the girls "spun" on the bars. We would do front and back "mill" circles. We would sit with the bar in the crook of our knees, hold on and then throw ourselves backwards and forwards spinning 20-30 revolutions over and over before stopping. We would switch our hands from the outside of our knees to the inside of our knees, still while spinnning round and round.

THAT was dangerous. A lot more dangerous than having a bar bolted to a floor with matting underneath. Thick matting, not just a hard tumbling mat.

 

[Bella's Mom]

Central PA... unless you're looking for an excuse to road-trip, it's probably not that good of a deal!

Well, while PA would be a beautiful trip right now, I should probably pass. LOL But thanks!