WAG Open Gym

[OzZee]

So how does Open gym work? I've always wondered this.
Are there kids training at the same time? Have to use certain areas? Coaches?

We don't have open gym around here - maybe as clubs struggle for enough room for their regular classes.

Just keep hearing it mentioned and every time I wonder what it's like.

 

[juststartingout]

Open gym here is more for play, not training. At our gym you rarely see team kids there, just the die hard ones. Our gym restricts kids from vaulting over the table and jumping to high bar during open gym. My dd likes to go because there is usually a higher level girl or two there (coaches kids) that will help her with her skills.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Yes, more like a free play situation. Some team kids do go (mine included) but they have orders from their coaches that they can only perform skills they have solid, not try to throw skills they are still learning or even worse, haven't started learning yet. No vaulting, no jumping to high bar.

 

[OzZee]

So can they just go anywhere they want or is there someone providing guidance? Tumbling? LOL, I think I'm just imagining kids bumping into each other and stuff.

Is it only when there are no kids training in the gym?

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

At our gym it's a free for all. I discourage real tumbling because yes, there are clueless kids running all over the place. No coaching at all, but a few rec coaches are there to supervise and keep people as safe as possible... But not to organize in any way, just watch for safety.

And yes, when regular teams/classes are done for the day. We have smaller kid open gym/indoor playground during the day at set times between rec classes, and one older kid open gym after classes and team are done on Friday evening.

 

[raenndrops]

There are no classes or scheduled training sessions during open gym.
At the open gym that we attend, the first 90 minutes anyone under 18 who pays and has a signed waiver can go. There are really no restrictions... as long as they are trying to be safe. I have even seen girls on the strap bar during open gym. There are usually little kids running around, so the adults (both the ones in charge and the parents of the kids) try to direct traffic for safety. I tend to direct the traffic around the trampoline... one at a time, no running across when someone else is on... take turns... etc.
The last 90 minutes is for serious tumblers only (team gymnasts and cheerleaders). You can choose to go to both sessions for $10 or just one for $5-7. It is during the last 90 min that the girls can safely cross tumble, etc. Since it is a 30 minute drive there, we stay for both sessions and get our money's worth.

 

[COz]

@OzZee : I'd wondered this too. I discovered that open gym exists in Sydney at least at some gyms. One gym has it a few times a week, I found this YouTube video which shows what happens at that one. There are lots of videos by these guys showing them training at other Sydney gyms too. In the background you can see actual gymnasts.
I think there was a thread a while back where people were talking about whether their open gym had structured classes or not and I remember a comment by someone, possibly dunno, that stuck in my mind. It was something along the lines of the gyms that have structured open gym got sick of Pakour people trying to kill themselves.

 

[l.c.o]

At DDs gym, open gym is for fun. I've sent her a few times when I've known her teammates were there, but they can't even use much "real" equipment. Fine with me, I figure fun is good, too.

When DD first got grips, she asked to go to open gym at the gym close to home to get used to swinging and kipping again. She knew from a friend that she could use "real" bars and chalk. So I think we went 3-4 times with said friend on team there. They are much more relaxed - there's lots of flipping and vaulting (even over a table). It makes me a bit nervous, especially as there are kids everywhere, but DD is more the cautious sort, so it's been ok.

Since she's felt more comfortable in grips, we haven't really gone. I don't want her to pick up bad habits. Plus, she's already in the gym quite a bit, so some down time is good with us!

 

[OzZee]

@OzZee : I'd wondered this too. I discovered that open gym exists in Sydney at least at some gyms. One gym has it a few times a week, I found this YouTube video which shows what happens at that one. There are lots of videos by these guys showing them training at other Sydney gyms too. In the background you can see actual gymnasts.

Thanks, that's interesting. Looked at that gym's website and the open gym is I assume the Adult gym so only 16+

 

[MissLisa]

Yea. The gym I trained at when I was younger in Sydney has open gym but only for 16 +. I go sometimes when I'm back visiting. I love it as I can train and use equipment such as pits, strap bars etc that I don't have access to where I'm currently located. I do know that a gym about 30 mins away from me now has open 'teen' gymnastics as I enquired about an adult class and they suggested that. I never went though as it wasn't at a suitable time/ day and the gym tried to rope me into coaching! lol. I have no spare time as it is but I have trouble saying no to that as I love coaching! No idea how it worked but I popped my head in once and it looked hectic.

@OzZee : I'd wondered this too. I discovered that open gym exists in Sydney at least at some gyms. One gym has it a few times a week, I found this YouTube video which shows what happens at that one. There are lots of videos by these guys showing them training at other Sydney gyms too. In the background you can see actual gymnasts.
I think there was a thread a while back where people were talking about whether their open gym had structured classes or not and I remember a comment by someone, possibly dunno, that stuck in my mind. It was something along the lines of the gyms that have structured open gym got sick of Pakour people trying to kill themselves.

I used to compete against Fivedock back in the day (often enough to make friends with the other level 6/7 girls)! haha... There you go. This forum makes me miss gymnastics and competing and being young and flexible.

 

[profmom]

Pretty different by us. Team only -- XCel, JO, or one of the high schools where the girls work out with their coaches at the gym. For the girls, coaches are stationed at most or all events except vault, which they can't do at open gym. First half hour is stretch, and each half hour, someone calls out the time so people can rotate if they want to, though a few will wander off to another event in the middle of a rotation. The "open" part is that girls can pick what they want to do and the coaches are just there to facilitate. They can stretch themselves a little, but they aren't allowed to chuck crazy stuff.

The boys' open gym time is even more controlled. While they have a few options for events, they have to stay in the vicinity of the one coach who's running it, and he does significant directing and hands on working with the boys.

Both of mine enjoy open gym and go as much as they can. DD is a bit less enthusiastic about it than she used to be, but is still there more often than not. It's nice for her because she usually rotates with a couple of friends who are in different workout groups.

 

[MILgymFAM]

We have wrk different kinds of open gym. One is open to everyone and is a play time. There is supervision on the floor and the kids can use all of the equiptment, but no throwing new skills or full routines, etc. There is also a team open gym which is more like a practice, but girls can work on anything they like, after stretching and warming up.

 

[2gymnastand1soccerplayer]

The nearest gym to us that does open gym only has 2 age groups that can go, 2-6 years who go during the day, and on Wednesday nights for 2 hours they have a 14+ group is aloud to go. My oldest dd has only gone once last summer and she said they can use what ever they want and do whatever, although most of the people that go are ex gymnast, adult gymnast, and parkour people. I've ily taken my youngest dd a couple times when she was 4 before she started school, they weren't allows to use any of the big equipment mostly just the little immature sizes stuff.

 

[SuperGirlmlm]

Fridays from 9-10:30 after all the workouts end. I go to most of them with a teammate or two. There's usually around 20 kids, all teens. We usually tumble into the pit or use the single rail over the pit. Then the last half hour we do some die hard conditioning

 

[htimcj]

Our open gym is basically the gym is open to the general public and it is a free for all. DD goes sometimes but just to play tag

 

[twinmomma]

Open gym is on Saturday. It does overlap the saturday session with our Optionals girls and our boys team. There is a class or two also that runs into the first half hour of open gym. We don't generally go, but this last weekend it was free and DD ended up tagging into the class with her former Xcel coach. Afterwards, she and her friends mostly practiced back handsprings on the tumble track and she practiced her FHC on the bar that she's just now getting.

I don't generally go because our gym charges $10/kid for Open gym and I already spend a ton on her lessons I have a hard time spending $20 to take both my kids to a free for all for two hours as well.

 

[z2akids]

We have open gym for 90 minutes about one Saturday month. It is $5 per kid (or free if the child missed a practice that month) and is only open to girls who are on team or rec at our gym. There are one or two coaches in each area. Team girls are allowed to work on any skill that they have solid and get spotted on skills they are working on.

They limit the number of kids and they maintain pretty strict rules (at all times) about walking paths through the gym.

My daughter goes when it fits her schedule. Every couple of months.

 

[mobeans]

I really like Open Gym. We have one coach there and she goes around and helps the girls as they need/want. My daughter is 7 so she usually goes more for play (tumble track, pit, etc.) but does work on skills, esp if she meets friends there. The coach is so awesome and will assist them with skills they want to work on. It's also like little 5-10 min private sessions over the course of Open Gym! Some of the girls will even play their floor music and run through their routines a bunch.

Cost is $7 and it's two hours long. How often we have it varies, but during the fall/winter (meet season) it can be 2-4 Saturdays a month. I don't believe we have any during the summer.