Parents So, our gym doesn't have a pit...

[DisMom]

Hi All--

This is my very first post!

My DD is a 9 year old L6 who has been doing gymnastics for 2 years (just about to the day). She never did rec or pre-team. Instead, she spent years tumbling on (and off!) my furniture until my mother said, "Get that kid in gymnastics!" lol So we went to our local gym, they watched her for 30 minutes, and put her on the L3 team (which competes in our state). She joined L3 in November and won States in April. Then she did most of a year at L4, skipped L5 (got a qualifying score) and is now a L6.

Sorry...that sounded braggy! Not at all my intent. Just stating that even though my DD is a L6, I am kinda new to lots of this.

And I certainly don't know anything when it comes to choosing or switching gyms.

So as the title states, her gym does NOT have a pit. How big of a deal is this? I mean, I know that a pit makes it easier/safer to learn more advanced skills. But with proper spotting, does it matter?

There is an excellent gym about half an hour away. But with her current gym, she takes the bus from school, so it is SUPER easy and convenient. Plus lots of her school friends are there. And it is only a 5 minute drive from my house. I know that convenience isn't the main thing to consider when choosing a gym (or when choosing to change gyms), but I have 2 other kids who are incredibly active in their sports as well, so it sure makes my life easier that getting this one to and from gymnastics is so easy.

What are your thoughts? Is not having a pit a reason to move gyms? Thanks!

 

[ALgymMom]

I had my daughter at a gym with no pits through level 6, once she finished compulsories we switched to a gym with pits 40 miles away. It was a hard decision, I also have 2 other children in sports so I understand the inconvenience! However, the girls that stayed behind in her group are not as advanced skill wise so I know it was a good move. I don't think she would already have 9/10 skills without them.

 

[MeetDirector]

We are lucky - we have two buildings with multiple pits (for different purposes, both boys and girls). I will defer to Dunno on the real need for pit training, but I would bet that my dd would not be doing Yurchenkos or double backs off bars without the foam pits. We also have an empty pit that is used for ground-level bar training. If your dd is in this sport for the long-haul, a 30 minute drive is nothing if it means safer training of the crazy-hard skills.

Good Luck.

 

[onebusymama]

I don't have much advice for you, but I understand what you are dealing with. I have 3 very active children who are all in different sports & activities. Also I work full time. I struggle w/ trying to get my children to & from their hobbies/activities often & remind myself they are only children. I of course value their education above all, but try & let them strive to their fullest potential in sports & activities. I guess it depends on you & your DD goals. My DD recently made pre team in gymnastics & it did put a burden on time & travel for our family. I don't want gym to be 'her life' & I don't think she wants that either. You & your daughter need to decide how important gym is to her & her goals in it. Also the sacrifices & commitment it takes. Good luck.

 

[emorymom]

Well, and if it's otherwise a great place for her to be maybe you and the booster club can figure out how to get a pit dug. Not that I'm the expert in these matters ...

 

[Canadiangym]

My daughter was level 6 last season in a gym with pit. She has since moved to a gym without a pit but has a great coach who spots for everything. For info she is 10. I think that as long as her coaches are spotting you don't need a pit. My daughter is now working on level 9 skills. She has learnt a lot more in the 4 months she has been at the new gym then she had in her old gym. I was also worried about not having a pit, but my understanding is that spotting is better than a pit.

 

[sleeplessinnewyork]

Hi! Welcome to Chalkbucket. I'm somewhat new here too. I'm an optional gymnast. I changed gyms a little less than exactly a year ago. My previous gym had a pit, but my level coach refused to spot, so it wasn't super useful. Now, my gym doesn't have pits, but they have a resi. But, the coaches there spot really well, so it isn't a problem. Some of the more advanced girls can do double back tucks/ pikes, tsuks, and yurchenkos onto the resi without problems, but our coaches spot really well, so that eliminates some of the fear factor. We do occasionally visit a nearby gym that has a pit to work vault, but as this happens only a few times a year, I don't think it really has an impact. Lastly, when gymnasts throw new skills into a pit with no coach, bad habits DO form , and injuries CAN occur. So, not having a pit is not really a problem if your coaches can spot well, if not, then that is a problem Good Luck!

 

[iwannacoach]

Two thoughts about a pit. With a pit available to a coach who knows how to coach with one, there will be more opportunities for kids to work repetitions they would otherwise have to be spotted on. The coach is left free to instruct the kids using the pit, plus other kids who aren't using the pit. It pretty much means that more can get done....but no guarantees as it depends on the kids and the coach.

A pit makes a bit of a statement about the clubs overall commitment to the upper levels. There are always exceptions to that, but in general clubs will have a pit because either to train more safely at a higher level.....or....they just want to make it look like their commited.

 

[Quadqueen]

There have been many threads on this. Many coaches (and parents) will say a pit is essential, and I can see how it would make things a whole lot easier. That being said, our gym doesn't have one. We have level 9s so the upper level skills can be taught without them - if you have coaches trained to spot these skills.

 

[GymBee97]

there are alot of gyms without pits and their gymnasts have done very well. I think it's all in what you get use to and if you have a coaching staff use to training without one. With that said I'm glad our gym has one as my daughters "brave-o-meter" doesn't register that high and without the pit I don't know if she would be as far along as she is.

In the end its like asking which is better Apples or Bananas. It depends on what you like.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Previous gym had a pit. Coaching expertise was lacking. No successful higher optionals in the last 8-9 years. My DD peeled off the pit bar and smacked her head on the side of the pit, whiplash another girl tumbled into the pit, whacked her face on her knee- broke her nose.

Current gym does not have a pit, but we have a very good optional program with just as many level 9-10's as there are 4-6's. My DD learned tsuks, yurchenkos and doublebacks here. Our girls and boys team members have done very well. Our coaches are experienced and spot skills when necessary.

So in my experience, a pit or no pit would not be a deal breaker as far as deciding on a gym.

 

[GymBee97]

So in my experience, a pit or no pit would not be a deal breaker as far as deciding on a gym.

I agree it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me either. I would look more for is this program, coaching staff etc fit my DD best!!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

at some point of development you will have to use pits and resi's. coaches can't spot everything safely. rescue spotting is dangerous for both athlete and coach. AND the gymnast becomes dependent on touch for timing. the timing changes when there is no touch. this is also dangerous.

as i've stated before, with modern gymnastics, it is not feasible to do high level gymnastics without pits and resi's. you can't maximize a gymnasts ability without them. most of what has been opined above is incorrect. it's absurd to think that modern day gymnastics could be accomplished without pit's, resi's and other such training devices. that's all.

and welcome to the CB.

 

[Faith]

What does your daughter want out of gymnastics? The olympics, a scholarship, to be good and learn some cool stuff, to be with her friends? What do you want her to get out of it?

I think if your DD is focussed on being the absolute best she can be (whatever that may be), the social side is irrelevant to her, and she wants to make the sacrifices that come with higher level gymnastics, then I'd be looking around for a gym that has good coaching and the equipment necessary, like dunno says.

If she's happy where she is, with no particular ambition, just enjoys doing gym and being with her school friends is important to her, then it sounds like you have a safe, convenient gym for that, which is better than bad coaching with pits.

How high does your gym go? I'd probably leave her there until she maxes out and is starting to learn advanced skills that really do need a pit.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Two thoughts about a pit. With a pit available to a coach who knows how to coach with one, there will be more opportunities for kids to work repetitions they would otherwise have to be spotted on. The coach is left free to instruct the kids using the pit, plus other kids who aren't using the pit. It pretty much means that more can get done....but no guarantees as it depends on the kids and the coach.

A pit makes a bit of a statement about the clubs overall commitment to the upper levels. There are always exceptions to that, but in general clubs will have a pit because either to train more safely at a higher level.....or....they just want to make it look like their commited.

okay...wait a minute...i think you're being facetious. $100,000 is a lot of money to invest just so that it gives an appearance to look committed. for the gym business, that's a lot of mula when the only return on investment is preventing injuries and teaching better gymnastics correctly in a non-intimidating environment. it's not like spending the same amount of money for those flip flop barrels and then taking on 1000 cheerleaders which will pay for those barrels in a few months and will make tons of money thereafter. agreed?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

My daughter was level 6 last season in a gym with pit. She has since moved to a gym without a pit but has a great coach who spots for everything. For info she is 10. I think that as long as her coaches are spotting you don't need a pit. My daughter is now working on level 9 skills. She has learnt a lot more in the 4 months she has been at the new gym then she had in her old gym. I was also worried about not having a pit, but my understanding is that spotting is better than a pit.

this is incorrect on several levels.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Hi! Welcome to Chalkbucket. I'm somewhat new here too. I'm an optional gymnast. I changed gyms a little less than exactly a year ago. My previous gym had a pit, but my level coach refused to spot, so it wasn't super useful. Now, my gym doesn't have pits, but they have a resi. But, the coaches there spot really well, so it isn't a problem. Some of the more advanced girls can do double back tucks/ pikes, tsuks, and yurchenkos onto the resi without problems, but our coaches spot really well, so that eliminates some of the fear factor. We do occasionally visit a nearby gym that has a pit to work vault, but as this happens only a few times a year, I don't think it really has an impact. Lastly, when gymnasts throw new skills into a pit with no coach, bad habits DO form , and injuries CAN occur. So, not having a pit is not really a problem if your coaches can spot well, if not, then that is a problem Good Luck!

this is incorrect on several levels and is convoluted.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

there are alot of gyms without pits and their gymnasts have done very well. I think it's all in what you get use to and if you have a coaching staff use to training without one. With that said I'm glad our gym has one as my daughters "brave-o-meter" doesn't register that high and without the pit I don't know if she would be as far along as she is.

In the end its like asking which is better Apples or Bananas. It depends on what you like.

it's not about what you like. it's about which methodology provides the safest environment for safety and efficacy of learning that takes hold over the long haul.

if it was about what you like, the college programs would never have authorized the expense to put pits in simply because they are tasty apples or bananas. the level of gymnastics being done there, which is the end for the majority of club gymnasts, is so high coupled with the size of the males and females who are now full blown adult athletes who pack a ton of power in to everything they do, that they could not function without pits and resi's.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Previous gym had a pit. Coaching expertise was lacking. No successful higher optionals in the last 8-9 years. My DD peeled off the pit bar and smacked her head on the side of the pit, whiplash another girl tumbled into the pit, whacked her face on her knee- broke her nose.

Current gym does not have a pit, but we have a very good optional program with just as many level 9-10's as there are 4-6's. My DD learned tsuks, yurchenkos and doublebacks here. Our girls and boys team members have done very well. Our coaches are experienced and spot skills when necessary.

So in my experience, a pit or no pit would not be a deal breaker as far as deciding on a gym.

compared to what other gyms that have 9's, 10's and elites? successful is a relative term. and your former gym didn't know how to use a pit. this does not make pits bad. it's the people that use them incorrectly. and if i'm remembering correctly, and i'm sure you will corect me if i'm wrong, but wasn't your former gym the one with the pit that wasn't big enough for any use at all?

and i'm glad you mentioned boys. does your gym have any boys doing triples off rings and high bar? how about yurchenko doubles either twisting or flipping? handspring double fronts? handspring double front 1/2's? how about triple backs on floor? how about any tumbling for that matter that you see at the collegiate or olympic level?

there is no ice cubes chance in hell that any of the above can be learned without pits, resi's and in some cases spotting belts. and sometimes a combination of all 3. but it starts with the pits. plain and simple.

so i hope you understand that where a coach decides to work is a deal breaker for them if the gym does not have pits. how they teach what we teach coupled with the shelf life of their bicep tendons, knees and back leaves a prudent coach no alternative in coaching high level gymnastics without the training devices.

some of you don't seem to understand, because of where you are in the gymnastics continuum, that coaches can't be in the way or beneath some of the gymnastics that gymnasts perform. 1st, the athletes wouldn't have it any other way. 2ndly, you would have coaches becoming catastrophically injured. some of you need to "brush up on your Shakespeare" before you start opining about the efficacy, safety and practicality of pits versus spotting.

 

[bogwoppit]

So Dunno, am I to gather from this ^^^ that you consider pits to be essential at the optional level?