B
Billy
I posted awhile back about grips and when to start using them. My DD got grips (coach ordered them for the whole team) when she started L4 on May 1st. She absolutely loves bars and is really good at them so I thought this would be no big deal. WRONG!!!!
DD has had the worst time using the grips. She lost all confidence on bars, struggled with the new skills, and to make matter worse, she peeled off the high bar a few weeks ago and landed on her back. Her coach broke her fall and there were mats so she wasn't hurt but it scared her half to death. Since then, she won't jump to the high bar.
Her HC says she doesn't have to use the grips but warns (strongly) that she's going to tear up her hands if she doesn't. DD is 6 years old and has never had a rip, ever. So this weekend she's been practicing bars (a lot!) at home (we have a training bar) and has been jumping to catch the bar. We measured and set up her mats to simulate the jump to the high bar (by distance and height of jump but the bar is not actually "high") and she's done great. She's even started teaching herself to do a baby-giant, all without the grips.
So, I've decided to let her skip the grips if she wants. I'm thinking that, even though she's training L4, she's still little and may not have the hand size or strength to manage the bar and the grip together. But, I'm worried that she'll have trouble at higher levels either a) not using grips and ripping up her hands, or b) getting used to the grips in conjunction with learning harder skills. So, am I doing the right thing letting her not use them now?
DD has had the worst time using the grips. She lost all confidence on bars, struggled with the new skills, and to make matter worse, she peeled off the high bar a few weeks ago and landed on her back. Her coach broke her fall and there were mats so she wasn't hurt but it scared her half to death. Since then, she won't jump to the high bar.
Her HC says she doesn't have to use the grips but warns (strongly) that she's going to tear up her hands if she doesn't. DD is 6 years old and has never had a rip, ever. So this weekend she's been practicing bars (a lot!) at home (we have a training bar) and has been jumping to catch the bar. We measured and set up her mats to simulate the jump to the high bar (by distance and height of jump but the bar is not actually "high") and she's done great. She's even started teaching herself to do a baby-giant, all without the grips.
So, I've decided to let her skip the grips if she wants. I'm thinking that, even though she's training L4, she's still little and may not have the hand size or strength to manage the bar and the grip together. But, I'm worried that she'll have trouble at higher levels either a) not using grips and ripping up her hands, or b) getting used to the grips in conjunction with learning harder skills. So, am I doing the right thing letting her not use them now?