Parents Bar Settings

[z2akids]

DD came home the other day and told me that she "graduated" to the bigger setting on bars. Her gym seems to mostly keep their bars on two different settings (2 sets of bars, although they sometimes change them around). I am curious about her use of the word graduated. The bars she has switched to are spread further apart (I have no idea of actual settings for either).

Are bar settings simply a factor or height or is there some sort of advantage to her using the set that is spread apart more? It seems like the girls who are stronger on bars in her Level 4 group tend to be the ones on the wider setting, but most of those girls are also older, taller and several are end year L4s.

Anyway, I wasn't sure if she was just growing or if there is a reason she was told she had "graduated" to the wider setting.

 

[gymgal]

She probably meant that she was with the big girls (older, taller, etc) but the coaches could be describing them as the lower level and upper level bars as in what skills you train on them. It is really hard to know what she means without context.

In general, some gyms keep their bars at FIG. It is the setting used for elite competitions. And it is narrow - check out any of the elite competition videos on you tube). These gyms (I believe) use a narrowed, shorter bar setting for their really young gymnasts in early training and then move them to FIG. In most gyms not training elite, there is usually range of what coaches and gymnasts prefer. And yes, they often have a couple sets of bars set specifically for younger/older gymnasts or gymnasts learning to jump to high bar vs gymnasts learning circling skills. By the time gymnasts are in high school, they are usually on what is considered "wide" (or "extra wide" which apparently is preferred by a lot of college coaches). DD was on wide while learning her giants but once she learning transitions high-low and low-high, she moved to a narrower setting again, somewhere between wide and FIG from what she explains, but I honestly am lost). No idea where she will end up but she has been here for a little more than a year and is very comfortable on this setting.

 

[z2akids]

Thanks. DD's gym is not an elite gym.

DD definitely associates the wider setting with higher level bars. The higher level girls mostly Giant on that set and the couple who are doing release skills use that set as well.

DD seems to think that she will have more momentum leading to better kips? Anyway, I won't be contradicting her. Anything that helps is good, regardless whether it is really just a placebo. Lol

DD is still one of the short ones, so I don't know why she switched, but she was excited like it was a big deal. Lol. She was frustrated by bars most of the season (her beautiful straight kip disappeared and then recently returned) so anything that boosts bars confidence is good.

 

[raenndrops]

Thanks. DD's gym is not an elite gym.

DD definitely associates the wider setting with higher level bars. The higher level girls mostly Giant on that set and the couple who are doing release skills use that set as well.

DD seems to think that she will have more momentum leading to better kips? Anyway, I won't be contradicting her. Anything that helps is good, regardless whether it is really just a placebo. Lol

DD is still one of the short ones, so I don't know why she switched, but she was excited like it was a big deal. Lol. She was frustrated by bars most of the season (her beautiful straight kip disappeared and then recently returned) so anything that boosts bars confidence is good.

If the bars are too close, some girls have difficulty getting into a good position from which to kip (so the momentum thing is real). We have girls that use the close setting so they can just grab the high bar while on the low bar… many of these girls are Xcel Gold and going from low bar to high bar, they just jump to front support. Other girls with close settings do it because they are afraid to "take the leap" … and they have had to learn to kip with less momentum.

 

[z2akids]

If the bars are too close, some girls have difficulty getting into a good position from which to kip (so the momentum thing is real). We have girls that use the close setting so they can just grab the high bar while on the low bar… many of these girls are Xcel Gold and going from low bar to high bar, they just jump to front support. Other girls with close settings do it because they are afraid to "take the leap" … and they have had to learn to kip with less momentum.

My DD is small enough that she had an actual jump to high bar even on the closer setting. But, it may be that the further jump is better for her momentum. Lol

She has never been afraid to jump on the closer sething, but she was never comfortable on the wider setting. She grew an inch or 2 this year, so that might be part of it.