I see so many home videos with small bars and low beams in the home, can someone tell me where you got them or how they were made?
Home equipment
- Thread starter Caligirlzz
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cher062
I don't have the bars but others in the gym do and they just purchased them from any of the gym supply companies (they are not cheap) We have a folding beam that sits on the floor and is only 1/2 the length of a real beam so DD can work on a specific skill usually the tumbling on the beam holds her up.
I think we got it from DSG it was about $100.
Other than that we have a panel mat but its made from the same material as the funnoodles you know those foam rod things for the pools so its very light weight. We also have an Iron Gym (as seen on TV) we got it from the local Wal- greens or CVS I forget which pharmacy and it was well worth the $30 0r $40 bucks we paid for it - DD uses it Son and hubby also use it on a regular basis.
Doing gymn at home is a really bad idea
I suppose now is a really good time to mention that doing gymn at home is a really bad idea. Sure kids love to play, and it is tempting to buy the home beams, mats and other stuff that often gets pushed around Christmas for your kids to play with. There are at least three reasons not to.
1. Safety: is your play area lined with 8" thick mats? I didn't think so. In fact it is more likely that your darling will set up that cheese or practice beam within coffee table range.
2. Form: do you have a gymnastics coaching background? If not, what makes you think that you can stop your child from forming bad habits on home practice equipment? Also, to take just one example, most practice beams are covered with a different material from real beams, which means that a full turn on your home practice beam will feel and react differently from the real thing.
3. Burnout: if your child is like mine, when my daughter was little she could never get enough of gymnastics and would do handstands at home, cartwheels down the street, flop-flops on the grass, etc. If you are lucky enough to have a child that sticks with the sport, his or her hours will increase and your home will become a sanctuary away from gymnastics. It is not that your child will grow to hate gymnastics, but it will become mentally comforting for them to have gymn at the gym and everything else away from gym.
I suppose now is a really good time to mention that doing gymn at home is a really bad idea. Sure kids love to play, and it is tempting to buy the home beams, mats and other stuff that often gets pushed around Christmas for your kids to play with. There are at least three reasons not to.
1. Safety: is your play area lined with 8" thick mats? I didn't think so. In fact it is more likely that your darling will set up that cheese or practice beam within coffee table range.
2. Form: do you have a gymnastics coaching background? If not, what makes you think that you can stop your child from forming bad habits on home practice equipment? Also, to take just one example, most practice beams are covered with a different material from real beams, which means that a full turn on your home practice beam will feel and react differently from the real thing.
3. Burnout: if your child is like mine, when my daughter was little she could never get enough of gymnastics and would do handstands at home, cartwheels down the street, flop-flops on the grass, etc. If you are lucky enough to have a child that sticks with the sport, his or her hours will increase and your home will become a sanctuary away from gymnastics. It is not that your child will grow to hate gymnastics, but it will become mentally comforting for them to have gymn at the gym and everything else away from gym.
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cher062
Our gym want them to have the practice beam and chin up bar at home. the beam we have has the same material and our beam sits on the floor and isnt elevated. We aren't talking back tucks or otheer tumbling either more for practicing the dance parts of the beam routine and getting those toes pointed etc. We are also fortunate that we do have a big house and one room dedicated to exercise. a full sized beam 4 feet off the ground will never happen here. As for the mini bar well my dd is just too tall for that and they usually are designed for the little ones.
All my gymmie has had is the home practice beam and its about 5 yrs old now. It is covered with the same material as the beams in the gym which is why I picked that one(was made by a coach). Only being 8' long she has never been able to do full routines. Now, like Cher's dd she uses it mainly for work on leaps, turns----absolutely no acro. She gets the beam out when she wants to, otherwise its propped in a corner and forgotten.
I do so agree with Pogo. Leave the gym in the gym.
I do so agree with Pogo. Leave the gym in the gym.
Same here, we have a beam, rarely used now the girls are bigger. I could coach my girls, but boy that can get really ugly really fast. I would def leave the bar stuff at the gym unless you are talking chin up bars for strength.
Girls who will be good gymnasts will be that without endless hours of home gym. If your DD needs more activity take her swimming, biking or do some other family activity. Cross training is very good for gymnasts and gives less chance of burnout.
Girls who will be good gymnasts will be that without endless hours of home gym. If your DD needs more activity take her swimming, biking or do some other family activity. Cross training is very good for gymnasts and gives less chance of burnout.
I'm with Bog and Pogo on this issue. The urge to have gym equipment at home comes mostly to the younger ones who want to practice constantly, (and to their parents who want to encourage practice and development), and it can be entertaining, but I don't think there is much real skills development achieved at home. And as time goes by home equipment is used less and less. I admit to getting dd a floor beam when she was L5 but I couldn't even tell you where it is now. Probably gathering dust in some distant corner of the basement. Maybe I will go dig it out and put it on E-bay. (If you are going to get home gym stuff, E-bay is a good place to look)
I agree with POGO 100%
We do have one of the folding floor beams as well. Dd use to play on it often, but now it is used to keep the dog off the leather sofa when we are not home.
I've used ours to help block off a room that just had the carpet cleaned from our dog. Those practice beams have multiple uses!
We have both a beam (made by hubby) and a bar. I didn't want either of them, but her dad wanted her to have them because she was begging for them. I would avoid it if possible. My DD does practice on her stuff occasionally. Goes through phases, like any toy. She is really into her beam right now and loves to practice and play on it. Her bar (I was very against the bar, but hubby was going to make one and I was more worried how his would turn out so found one on Ebay) doesn't get used much anymore. I suspect it will again when meet season rolls around, but for now, it is taken apart and not being used. I would sell it, but she still wants it around.
Sounds hypocritical, coming from a home that has gym stuff in it, but really, if you can, just save your money. If it had been only up to me, she would only have a mat to play on since we have tile in our house. I don't think much good has come from having it, except for DD getting her mill circle really soon after she got her bar. Other than that, it is just an expensive toy.
Sounds hypocritical, coming from a home that has gym stuff in it, but really, if you can, just save your money. If it had been only up to me, she would only have a mat to play on since we have tile in our house. I don't think much good has come from having it, except for DD getting her mill circle really soon after she got her bar. Other than that, it is just an expensive toy.
I see I kinda opened a can of worms so I will just thank you for all the comments. My dd's are on their hands all day long, instead of their feet and I won't make them stop. I will allow them to love what they do for as long as they love it.
I see I kinda opened a can of worms so I will just thank you for all the comments. My dd's are on their hands all day long, instead of their feet and I won't make them stop. I will allow them to love what they do for as long as they love it.
Nobody is saying stop letting them have fun with the sport. Even as they get older, they still do handstands(in an elevator I might add), go dancing around the house, make up beam routines. Try chaperoning a group of L8s at an out of state meet. They went up and down streets at an outdoor mall doing parts of each other's floor routines. I think for them this is the time to let loose and not worry about a coach correcting anything. What we're trying to point out is this equipment is expensive, not really used all that much and kids just learning a new skill can develop bad technique very quickly or hurt themselves. The bars you have seen are the ones the gyms buy for their pre-k programs. They aren't designed for kids over about age 5 or 6 or to do any type of circling skill. I believe your dd is 8? She may simply be too tall to even use them. Then if you buy the bar, you need to have at least 1 decent mat---not the panel kind that have little foam. Really, past L4, those bars are basically useless.
Let her have fun with the sport. If she wants to be upside down at home(yes, I've learned to talk to feet also!), thats fine and healthy. Try and keep things simple and low stress at this point---home is home; have fun/show us parts of your new routines and gym is gym; practice/learn and perfect those skills/get corrections.
Oh I think all our girls are, or were, just like yours, upside down more than right way up!!! It is usually why they end up in gymnastics in the first place. The point is not to stop them doing what they love, but try to keep it as safe as possible at home. We had a thread a while back about injuries gymnats have had doing gym in the wrong places. Lots of pain from hitting table etc with feet, hands and heads.
It's not about stopping them doing what they love, none of us would be here if that was the case. We all love gymnastics and we all want gymnastics to be a safe sport that our kids can grow with.
I think, as you have read here, a lot of new gym parents think their kids need equipment to advance and supplement their hours in the gym. As you also have seen the parents with more hours under their belts have seen that the girls do just fine without home gyms.
It's not about stopping them doing what they love, none of us would be here if that was the case. We all love gymnastics and we all want gymnastics to be a safe sport that our kids can grow with.
I think, as you have read here, a lot of new gym parents think their kids need equipment to advance and supplement their hours in the gym. As you also have seen the parents with more hours under their belts have seen that the girls do just fine without home gyms.
My dd's are only 4 and 7 years old and just began level 4. I most certainly have no plans on buying a "home" gym but rather something for them to practice the little things on.
Thanks for your advice!!
Thanks for your advice!!
Wih the right mats and plenty of space, I don't see anything wrong with a beam at home for your kids at this age. Especially since they aren't doing big tricks, it might be a great way for them to have fun and get more comfortable on the beam - one of the scariest events for some new gymnasts. I would only let them practice things they have already learned at practice, no new skills. As for a bar, I am against this just because like the others have said, they are ment for preschool gymnasts. The bar is actually much smaller in diameter than a real bar, so it might even hinder them. Skills will seem easy as their hands will easily be able to fit around it, but then at gym they still might have difficulty not being used to the regular size. It is also very easy to pick up bad technique on bars if not done properly.
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