WAG open shoulder trainer - tumbltrak

[ivyagogo]

Does anybody use this item? My kids never keep their arms by their ears and I was wondering if this is a good item or a total gimmick or is it dangerous in any way?

http://www.tumbltrak.com/equipment/1:15:104/open-shoulder-trainer-tumbling-gymnastics-bars.html

 

[bogwoppit]

That thing terrifies me. Always has. Be very interested to see what coaches think of it.

 

[happychaos]

That thing terrifies me. Always has. Be very interested to see what coaches think of it.

YES!!!! I've seen girls doing back handsprings with those! Not at DD's gym, but at a gym that produced an Olympian..... I've always wondered how dangerous they were. I have never seen them at DD's gym, but I think I would forbid her from using them if they did.

 

[meganliz77]

My daughter uses those practicing her cartwheel on beam... That's what I saw them doing last week anyhow. Just the low beam. Not sure what else they use it for! I always thought it looked a bit odd and uncomfortable!

 

[profmom]

I think the girls have used them a little. Not much recently (though DD is an optional). The boys used them a lot last summer working on roundoffs and back handsprings.

 

[hawaii_gymnast]

I would be scared to use them, because if they are falling or something goes wrong they cannot easily move their arms or head to allow themselves to fall safely.
I like to use sponges beside their head held in place with their arms up if they cannot understand the shoulder open, if they close their shoulder sponge falls out and they feel it. With the trainer their arms are just held in place, they don't have to do it. As well their arms are free with sponges if they need them in case of a fall.

 

[CAGymmie]

I've seen some of our optionals use them, but only for backhandsprings.

 

[raenndrops]

I would be scared to use them, because if they are falling or something goes wrong they cannot easily move their arms or head to allow themselves to fall safely.
I like to use sponges beside their head held in place with their arms up if they cannot understand the shoulder open, if they close their shoulder sponge falls out and they feel it. With the trainer their arms are just held in place, they don't have to do it. As well their arms are free with sponges if they need them in case of a fall.

It would seem like the torture device would protect their heads for the most part... arms are stuck up there so head shouldn't hit... unless they fall straight back - in which case you aren't supposed to brace with your hands anyways ... you are supposed to bend your legs and tuck and roll.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Yes, I have one and I use it very infrequently. Just on certain occasions where you have a gymnasts who won't keep their arms to their ears on skills like walkovers. I have never used it for a flic or handspring and would not attempt to.

I would bother to spend the money.

 

[gymdog]

It seems like there are safe uses for that, but back handsprings wouldn't be one of them. Too risky. Use pieces of foam or break down to smaller parts, use spotting or barrels for shaping.

 

[hawaii_gymnast]

It would seem like the torture device would protect their heads for the most part... arms are stuck up there so head shouldn't hit... unless they fall straight back - in which case you aren't supposed to brace with your hands anyways ... you are supposed to bend your legs and tuck and roll.

True enough, but it could be enough to make kids feel unsafe, change things because they are scared of the immobility in their shoulders and thats when injuries happen.
I am sure there are times that it comes in use, but I can see lots of coaches using them unsafely.

 

[iwannacoach]

It may come in handy on light skills like handstands and walkovers, but to make the experience stick with them they'd have to put in considerable numbers. Getting a kid to concentrate a correction is probably going to have a better result in the long run because a large part of learning gymnastics has to do with imposing your will upon your body.

The trainer doesn't do that.

 

[Aero]

I purchased one of these for my own use at my gym and I've found some great uses for it. When the arms are at a fully open 180º angle there's actually still a little bit of room in between. This is good because it doesn't force the arms fully open, and thus it allows the gymnast a bit of mobility. Furthermore, I explain to them that if their arms are resting on the trainer, their arm angle isn't open enough. I tell them that the goal is to not touch the trainer. Theoretically, if they're doing the skills correctly, it won't even feel like their wearing anything.

That being said, I've had some good success using this tool, especially on beam skills like forward and sideward entry handstands, cartwheels, and even simple things like relevé walks on the beam in order for them to keep their arms up. I've also had success with training glide swings, tap swings and hollow releases for flyaways, cartwheels and round-offs on floor, as well as handstands. They also have some conditioning uses as well!

 

[profmom]

When the boys were working with them last summer, their tumbling was punctuated by their coach occasionally bellowing, "THIS is what it should FEEL like when you do it RIGHT!"

 

[ivyagogo]

I'm mostly thinking about front walkovers. I think I have only one or two girls who actually keep their arms back. I'll try foam for now and and see if I can get some results. Between them dropping their butts and leading with their heads, we have a loooonnnnggg way to go.

 

[Moxiegrl83]

Our gym uses them. Rec and lower team use them for handstands mostly. For actual moving skills, they use rolled up taped wash clothes they hold in place. I hear the threat all the time, "keep your arms by your ears or do you need a wash cloth?"

 

[gymdog]

I'm mostly thinking about front walkovers. I think I have only one or two girls who actually keep their arms back. I'll try foam for now and and see if I can get some results. Between them dropping their butts and leading with their heads, we have a loooonnnnggg way to go.

Do bridge stand up on knees. And tick tocks holding their foot all the way up.

 

[cazoon]

We had one at my old gym it worked well for cartwheels on beam to help not go around the side. It was a little scary but was helpful. My coach would also put it on people who had sloppy form as a punishment during line drills and beam warmup.

 

[xrachx]

My DD has one, but she has been working through having really closed shoulders. She only uses it at home to help her with her shoulder stretches and rotations, but it's definitely had an effect over the last few months...

 

[BlairBob]

Some years ago, I bought a whole bunch of them at congress. No idea whatever happened to them since I wanted to resell them but didn't.

They're ok, but you can still move the shoulders around a bit and you can just use sponges or what not and they can bail out.

So I felt fine with letting them use them for HS and cartwheels and RO and BHS so long as I was spotting but not on their own. Somewhat ok for FHS but I'd only let them use it into pit because I didn't want them falling backwards if they didn't make it over.