Are these grips too big??? (pictures)

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Billy

I think my daughter's problem with her grips is that they are too big for her hands. Her hand measures just under 5 1/4" from the tip of her middle finger to the end of her palm. These grips are a size 0 but they are for anyone under 6". I think they are too big and it looks to me like she's not able to hold onto the bar because the dowel is in the wrong place. What do you guys think?
 
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It's kind of hard for me to tell. The dowels are basically in the correct position on the bar and they should be folded over like that. In the top row, second picture, it did look like the grip was shifting a bit. I can almost extend my hand with my grips (i.e. if I fall forward on my hands they aren't that restricted), but not that easily and I can't really extend my hand back. They definitely aren't broken in, they still have the rough look. I submerge mine in water and let them dry a couple of times before I even start to deal with them but you didn't hear that from me...;)
 
They appear to wrap around the bar correctly...and more often than not, kids have trouble when the grips are too short rather than to long (up to a point).
 
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What I was looking at is the way the dowel is past her fingertips when she's on the bar. Is that right? She's not able to hold on because the dowel doesn't let her fingertips even touch the bar. I thought the dowel was supposed to be on about the 2nd knuckle of the middle finger.
 
The grips should have come with a sizing chart or outlined a way to measure from either the wrist or base of the fingers to determine size.

Fit is not based on how they wrap around the bar, but where the grips end when pressed flat against the hand.

The grips are sized for hands up to 6". Her hands are under 5 1/4". How can there be a one-size-fits-all up to 6"?
 
I have ordered some Hot Shots grips for her. According to their sizing, she needs a size 00, which is up to 5 3/8". They also are narrower and supposedly use softer leather for easier break-in/ adjustment. I'm hoping those will work better for her.
 
You can also buy Reisport grips in 00-- these fit hands up to 5.5".

The fit looks okay; I didn't see anything that I would be especially concerned about. My fingertips do not touch the bar, but they hang a bit over the dowel (however, I also wear a size 2, so take that with a grain of salt). The grip sizes do fit with ranges of 1/2" to 3/4", so it's not unreasonable to say that a 5 1/4" hand would fit into a grip made for 6" and under.
 
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ugh! Are those the 810's - they look very uncomfortable to me when I see them online - very wide. Those don't look too big from that angle, but the width just seems all wrong for smaller hands. My dd uses the G501-12's They are a slimmer, but the same length (up to 6") dd's hands are 4.5" and grips are a little big, but broken in enough to where they work well for her. I would love for her to try the pixie grips.

Glad to hear you are giving the grips another try... You will have to update on how the other brand works out, what does your dd's coach say? Have you asked her which brands she prefers?
 
I have a feeling you will have better luck with the Hot Shot grips. My fingers definitely grip the dowel though. I just put on my grips and the finger holes hit just above the second joint on my fingers. I use sandpaper wrapped around a pencil to make them bigger until I can get them about halfway to the second joint, then I let them stretch from there. I also have rubber bands connecting the finger hole area to the buckle (so it runs along the back of my hand).
 
The grip sizes do fit with ranges of 1/2" to 3/4", so it's not unreasonable to say that a 5 1/4" hand would fit into a grip made for 6" and under.

Actually, I made a mistake. The website says size zero fits up to 6.5", making them over 1 1/4" longer than my DD's hands.

The coach ordered the grips for the whole team, so she must prefer the Ten-O brand. I haven't told her about ordering the other kind. I figured we'll let DD try them out at home, no pressure, and if they work for her here, she can take them to the gym to try during practice. She got a little panicky when we started talking about her using grips again. But, we've explained to her that these grips are probably too big and that the new ones will be smaller and designed more for a smaller hand, then she was okay, at least to try them out at home.

Here's what I ordered, in a size 00:
American Gymnast | Products | Hot Shot UNEVEN BAR BUCKLE Dowel Grips

Here's a few more pics of the grips on her hands:
 
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You will have to decide to do grips all the time or none. Going back and forth with them causes problems as well. Hands that never used grips stay soft and those that work bare handed for awhile really get their hands tough. A girl whose hands are soft(especially a little one) will complain about working bare hands because it hurts and they may rip. Going the other way from bare handed, there is a transition to getting used to doing bars with a piece of leather on your hand.

Let her try the smaller ones, but if she doesn't like the feel or starts to doubt being able to do skills again, then drop the grips for now. She may need a year or so before she's ready for them and trusts herself. I think you'll see most girls her age and level at meets without grips, so I wouldn't make this a huge issue if they don't work this summer.
 
I absolutely agree. We've already told her that using grips is entirely up to her. She has tough hands and has never had a rip. Working bars bare handed doesn't bother her at all. And if this pair doesn't do it, we're going to stay away from grips until she's a bit older.
 
definetely not too big length wise - but way too wide IMO... maybe some prefer them this way, to protect the whole hand? not sure... grips are not for preventing rips so much as allowing for more bar time. I agree that many L4's are not wearing grips in our region either. But being that AAU has slightly more ub difficulty, I can see why gymmies would need more bar time, and then possibly require grips (per coach of course). The majority of clubs in our region require grips for L5 on up.
 
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DD can complete extend her hand with room to spare in these grips.
 
DD can complete extend her hand with room to spare in these grips.


Yeah...they are way too big...both length and width. The beginner-type grips are not only shorter and thinner, but the band which goes around the wrist is proportionately smaller so that the point where the grip meets the band will fall at the right part of her wrist.
 
Just to give you a little reference, my gymmie started in Ten-0s when she was 10 and she wore a size 1(still does). I would say for her age she had an average size hand, but longer fingers.

Yes, dd's grips take up part of her forearm when that part is only meant to go around the wrist and cover her entire palm. The coach really should have measured hands before ordering and also considered a grip for a younger gymnast.
 
Being able to completely extend your hand isn't necessarly a bad thing--a lot of coaches don't recommend this, but that's how I used my grips and I was a college gymnast on bars, as well as regional champ. I liked my grips to be down my wrist on part of my forearm (I always wore size 2 and my hands theoretically should have been in size 1s). I think it's more of a comfort thing--if she's comfortable wearing them longer rather than shorter then go with it. Some kids like them longer, while others like them right on their wrist.

As far as width goes--they look wide, but again if it's more comfy then go with it. Over time she'll learn what she's comfortable with and what not.
 

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