Home Equipment

[gymnasticky]

Do you think it's safe to have equipment at home, and if so what equipment do you think is safe to have (beams, bars, trampolines)? And do you know anywhere that sells safe equipment on the less expensive side? Thank you!!

 

[GymBee97]

Chin up bar and floor mat is the most you really need and that is assuming you really are going to do anything at home. The most you should do at home is conditioning. Leave the beam, bars, vault, and floor skills at the gym where there are coaches there to supervise you, spot you and give proper corrections to your practice. Most team members spend enough time at the gym working on skills there is no need to do home practice. Leave the gymnastics at the gym.

If you want to practice anything do things that will help you stretch and flex more. You know splits, straddles, chin ups etc.

 

[RennaDanGym]

It's safe to do basic things, as long as they are doing skills they have by themselves with clean form etc... We have a low beam and a floor mat that some friends gave us, and we have a trampoline in our back yard.

 

[GymBee97]

I agree basics may be safe to do at home but really it isn't necessary to do them at home. We had a beam on the floor at home my DD used it for about 3 months then it is now in the corner hardly ever used. Just put a piece of tape on the floor or floor mat for her to keep straight IF she is even going to practice the moves at home.
Honestly after 15 years of this the time in the gym with the coach should be more than enough time. Let her at home time be the time where she doesn't have to think about gymnastics and can just do what ever she wants - In all the years I have seen girls doing this the ones that do the "at home" stuff end up burning out because its just no down time to just be a kid.

 

[wallinbl]

Panel mat was used all the time when DD was younger (under 7). Not so much anymore. Beam was used for a few months in the beginning, then again when she was learning cartwheel and back walk over. Not so much anymore, though sometimes she'll practice press to handstands on it. She freaks out if I mention getting rid of either, though she never really touches them. I got them both cheap on Craig's List, so I can probably get the same amount back when I sell them (guy that sold me the beam had no idea what he had - it's a 12' Spieth).

Used to have a trampoline when she was much younger, but the insurance company found out and threatened to drop us. We had to sign an affidavit that we removed it. That was as much for the wife and I as it was for the kids (they were pretty young at the time).

 

[CoachGoofy]

Chinup bars are the only thing I'll actively endorse, though a floor beam is something I could live with.

TRAMPOLINES GAH NO NO NO NO NO. THen I have to fix their technique & form & are all upset that I won't let them do on my real trampoline what they say they can do on their backyard one because their lead up skills scare me.

 

[iwannacoach]

Chinup bars are the only thing I'll actively endorse, though a floor beam is something I could live with.

TRAMPOLINES GAH NO NO NO NO NO. THen I have to fix their technique & form & are all upset that I won't let them do on my real trampoline what they say they can do on their backyard one because their lead up skills scare me.

Now that's a list I can appreciate. I would like to add one thing...a mirror everywhere you turn so you can check your posture 24/7.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: in an ideal world I would forbid my students from ever jumping on backyard trampolines.

Unfortunately, here in the real world, I suspect that would be about as effective as banning alcohol on college campuses.

A floor mat, a bit of wall space, and a chin-up bar are all I'd recommend having at home. MAYBE a mushroom or a floor beam, but only if they're the sort who are very attentive to detail in their own skills.

 

[Moxiegrl83]

Why need equipment when you have a house? Our bed is a trampoline, our walls have little feet marks from handstands (luckily no holes...yet), the couch a vault, and the only thing she hasn't found yet is a beam. ;-) But we do have a panel mat for practicing her floor stuff, and she's anxiously awaiting Daddy to attach a chin up bar to her tree house in the backyard. I thought about looking around for a cheap beam to play, but I have a feeling it will be exciting a whole 5 minutes then collect dust in the corner.

 

[Krystan]

We have a floor mat, low beam, and chin-up bar, and they are used *all* the time. A mat is great even if you're just doing stretching or handstands. I'm sure a piece of tape down the mat would suffice for a beam, but the low beam has been great. Dd just stands on it while hanging out, and is always just doing turns and jumps on it, nothing too fancy. I tell her she can only do things on it that she is doing safely without a spot at practice, so for it's everything up to a back walkover. It's right on the ground. I do think it has helped her confidence on beam a lot. The chin up bar is great if I can just keep her from trying to swing on it!

GymBee97, maybe you are talking about a gymnast that is in the gym 6 days a week? Dd is only 3-4 days a week and constantly wants to work on stuff while home (handstands, press handstands, conditioning). Without a mat it simply wouldn't be safe. IMO.

 

[gymnasticky]

Most team members spend enough time at the gym working on skills there is no need to do home practice. Leave the gymnastics at the gym.

I am not a team gymnast. I'm in a sort of Xcel program, except it's not affiliated with Xcel. So I do practice and condition at home when I have free time, since I only have limited hours a week to be at the gym. I don't mean that I would be trying new skills, but perfecting old skills so that some day I will make the team and won't need to work at home!

 

[gymnastbeth]

Working skills at home won't have much benefit, working conditioning will help you TONS. If you get any equipment, I'd reccomend a chin up bar.

 

[wallinbl]

Interesting that there are so many chin up bar suggestions. I have one for my own use. I'm constantly telling DD to get off of it. She tries to use it for kips, tap swings, etc, but it's located over tile and hardwood, so any fall from a swing could result in serious head injury. At one point I had taken it down for 2 months because she couldn't restrain herself. It has gotten better after repeated hiding of the chin up bar, but it's by no means a safe thing in our house.

 

[SuperGirlmlm]

I have a trampoline, that we got not for gymnastics, but more for fun, but still, I can't resist doing a few hand springs, and tucks!! I don't try anything more advanced than that though. I also have a low beam for hand stands and cartwheels, and full spins. Again, nothing that advanced.

 

[Natasha]

We had the same problem at our house with the chin up bar. I removed it over a year ago. I just recently bought a new one a few weeks ago. I bought the kind that you just put up over the doorframe (does not get bolted in). I showed my girls how it absolutely cannot be used for swinging as it can come down. It is now only used for pull-ups and I remove it and put it in my closet when not in use.

 

[bookworm]

Most team members spend enough time at the gym working on skills there is no need to do home practice. Leave the gymnastics at the gym.

Could not agree with this more, GymBee. Still haven't bought any home equipment and it's been 14 years!!

 

[BlairBob]

Girls: Floor bar, chinup bar, paralettes, floor beam, rope to hang from bar and hold in hands and do pullups or climb- no legs.

Boys: Parallettes, chinup bar, rings, rope to hang from bar and hold in hands and do pullups or climb- no legs. Mushroom in early levels, possibly single pommel floor mushroom.

For both genders. Possibly a KB and a barbell set with squat stands. Do squats, deads and press.

A parent to spot lots of press Handstands.

Wall space to do lots of Wall Handstand. Build up to 5-7 minutes.

Maybe an ab wheel or furniture sliders or frisbee on carpet to do plank drags.

 

[LoriLou]

We have a floor beam, mat, and small bar. DD really only uses the beam though. The mat and bar stay in our sunroom pretty much unused. I think she gets plenty of bar time at the gym, and to be honest I prefer her bar work being done with a coach present.

ETA: and we have a trampoline in the backyard. That gets the MOST use in our house.

 

[GymBee97]

with our chinup bar we have a panel mat under it. And no kips or bar skills are to be done on it Just conditioning. (she wants to do more but we won't let her I think 20 + hours at the gym is more than enough practice)

 

[Moxiegrl83]

I just got DD one of those balance boards to use at home. The reviews were great for a wide variety of things (from geriatrics to cheer camp to physical therapy) And to be honest, I think it looks kind of fun for me to play on too. ;-)