Parents Giants without grips?

[TumbleTimes4]

My eight year old recently came home and said her coach wanted to start working with her on giants (I will be confirming this with the coach, not just gonna take her word for it). She does not have grips. Should she be working those without them?

 

[GymLife]

She will be fine. "Working giants" can be a number of things, including 100's of drills. Some of the girls on DD's level 6/7 team do not use grips.

 

[MeetDirector]

It depends. does she use grips on bars now for kips and hip circles? Strap bar work can't use grips, but that is considered "working giants".

On things like this, ask the coach.

 

[TumbleTimes4]

It depends. does she use grips on bars now for kips and hip circles? Strap bar work can't use grips, but that is considered "working giants".

On things like this, ask the coach.

She does not use them for kips or hip circles.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

You don't need grips to do bars.

 

[mls529]

Totally possible - my daughter was both training and doing actual giants without grips for the past year. She is just now considering getting them. Some of her teammates had them for kips and cast handstands. A couple of the smaller girls including my DD were fine without them even for some bigger skills.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Our girls all do NOT get grips until they start swinging a lot of giants, and all learn them without grips. Some of the smaller girls do not get grips until they start working more L9 skills. Our HC is a big fan of learning how to swing on bars and work your hands properly first.

 

[InbarSquirrel]

My DD(10) competed L7 this past spring with no grips and she not only did giants on the high bar but also a stalder circle too. She had really small hands at the time and currently wears size 000 in pixie grips. Her transition to grips this summer took about a month as she trains for L8.

 

[DADGYMDAD]

My daughter was 7 when she did the giants alone and even if her coach is so picky about the form. It never stopped her from doing many in a row. Now she just turned 8 and started using the grips full time, she said she would not go back. I have to say. It did cost her a couple of falls but a BIG one that scared her for a couple of days... after that she was back like nothing happened. [emoji106]

 

[3rd_time_around]

I personally know a gymnast who is not elite who went to level 9 without grips.

 

[BachFlyer]

^^ouch

 

[3rd_time_around]

I personally know a gymnast who is not elite who went to level 9 without grips.

Wow, this was supposed to say "who is NOW elite." I hate that I can't go back and edit the original. Sorry! As for the "ouch" comment, she did great without them.

 

[vbdb]

We watched the senior women from Cuba at the Pan Am games do bars without grips. That's hardcore!

 

[HoldThePhone]

My daughters coach didn't allow her grips (also she was totally fine without them) until she had three giants in a row on the real bar. After she had that it took her 9 solid months to adapt to them. She had/has very small hands as well.

 

[Jenn's Jam]

Our girls on Xcel Gold, (most of them are level4/5) And I am pretty sure all of them have grips but some of the younger girls don't use them because they don't like them.

 

[gotgym]

Both my daughters had very small hands and performed without grips up through level 9. One finally adapted the other hated the feel and would" forget" them often.

 

[gymmom11]

My daughter has very tiny hands. She's level 4, but even on her team her hands are TINY. Their coach recommended Pixie dowel grips for the whole team. She says they are better for beginners and small hands, and also stated many girls can wear them until L8-10.

 

[txgymfan]

I just saw a Shawn Johnson YouTube video. She said she didn't wear grips until she made National team and Marta made her. She has her first pair framed and frankly has saved almost ever leo and dance costume she has ever worn.