Women grips and small hands

[sjm2b3]

DD has been trying to get used to grips for a few months. Can anyone explain the pros and cons of using dowel grips when you have very, very small hands? She can kip in them (not as well as without grips) but not much else (not a decent clear hip, very low tap swings, etc in them). She didn't wear them regularly until the last few weeks, but is struggling like crazy (ripping off bar). I feel like she tried to have a good attitude and really go for it, but a few falls later she's not so positive. Is the adjustment period just a lot longer for small handed kiddos?

 

[bookworm]

My daughters have always had small hands and have used Hot Shot grips from day 1...you can feel the bar around the grip

 

[sce]

There is an adjustment to grips, no matter the hand size. It's better to adjust now than wait until she has even more skills. She will get the hang of wearing them.

 

[cbifoja]

Mine also has small hands and uses the Reisport Just Right dowel grips. The piece of leather across her palm is thinner than normal so that she can feel the bar with her hands still.

 

[sjm2b3]

Her coach is fantastic so I know she knows what she is doing--I just was surprised it took this long to get used to them. Her older brother also doesn't wear them (he does both front and back giants without them ) so I'm thinking he probably needs to start this summer and hopefully his hands have grown.

 

[2gymmies]

Mine has super small hands as well (size 000 grip) and wears English Bulldog kipper grips and likes them. She learned giants with bare hands but has since learned them with grips. She doesn't do clear hips (she trains toe-hands and stalders, instead), and her hands are too small for front giants still so I can't help you with either of those. She could kip right away and re-learned her giants within two weeks. Hang in there an give it time - as long as the coach feels the grips fit correctly, she will figure it out!

 

[gracyomalley]

DD got grips when she was still a 00 size - in old L6 - took about a month to get all the skills back to speed (kips, free hips, fly away, etc) but then they came much easier with the grips after that.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

hot shot grips buckles not velcro. Link Removed

 

[munchkin3]

My DD wears her grips for about 10 minutes at the beginning of bars, and the coach lets her take em off. I hope she will be in them full time by the summer. She is using Ginasta 00.
Overall she hates them. Not the Ginasta grips, just grips in general. The Ginastas are very soft and narrow.
I guess it's like getting used to wearing shoes.

 

[sjm2b3]

She has the pixie size 000. Is there really that much of a difference between brands that ordering a different one would help?

 

[gymgymgymnast08]

Some people swear by a certain brand of grips. I used about four different brands throughout my gymnastics career and I didn't prefer one brand over the other. When I was younger, I would tell my mom I needed whatever brand the best bar worker at the gym wore and my mom would buy them for me. When I got older and ended up being the best bar worker at the gym, I got the kind that Nastia Liukin used. Call me superstitious but bars was always my best event!

In my non-expert opinion, there is not that much of a difference between brands!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

you couldn't be more wrong...but you did preface and qualify that with your "non-expert opinion."

 

[gymgymgymnast08]

you couldn't be more wrong...but you did preface and qualify that with your "non-expert opinion."

I just remembered a previous thread where I wrote that I didn't wear my grips on specific hands and apparently that was very bad and wrong so I won't answer any grip questions ever again!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

 

[sjm2b3]

I don't want to order new ones if the size and just getting used to them is the bigger problem. Her coach measured and ordered them so I trust that was correct. She had two really bad falls (jumping to high bar in them) but I guess she didn't have them on quite right and was not gripping with the dowel correctly--I'm guessing another brand won't change that. She may have to be like her brother in no grips for awhile!

 

[Short Balding Guy]

you couldn't be more wrong...but you did preface and qualify that with your "non-expert opinion."

Dunno; Would you please provide some guidance as to what features you believe we should look for when advising/selling grips to women USA-G athletes? You certainly do not have to point to a retailer/manufacturer, as the features will bring us to that choice.

(Disclosure: I have a gym full of athletes in US Glove & Baille grips. I have been pleased with the service and fit of these grips.)


Thanks in advance, SBG -

 

[sfts]

When I got my first pair of grips, it took about a month to get my skills back. About 2.5 weeks of that month was purely mental and getting over stopping myself because things felt "wrong" (i.e. different).

If it helps any, I will say that jumping to high bar was one skill that was more yes/no with grips than without. Without grips, I always caught because I could overcome technique errors (generally not getting my hand over the bar enough) with sufficient grip strength. With grips, if I didn't get my hand over the bar enough to hook the dowel, I was off. Of course, this meant that I had to focus on what my coach had been telling me all along about doing my jump properly. If I did use proper technique, catching the high bar was easier with the grips (imagine that, following my coach's instructions and using proper technique made things easier! ).

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Dunno; Would you please provide some guidance as to what features you believe we should look for when advising/selling grips to women USA-G athletes? You certainly do not have to point to a retailer/manufacturer, as the features will bring us to that choice.

(Disclosure: I have a gym full of athletes in US Glove & Baille grips. I have been pleased with the service and fit of these grips.)


Thanks in advance, SBG -

quality in materials and leather people. i tried each and every one of them. it's all about the leather and craftsmanship.

your gym full of athletes is in good hands. no pun intended...

 

[Gymluvmom]

My daughters have always had small hands and have used Hot Shot grips from day 1...you can feel the bar around the grip

Yup I agree, mine used the hot shot grips w the neoprene sewn in when she was super small then moved to the buckle hot shots w out the neoprene(made for higher level skills). she is now onto double buckle US Glove grips. I wholeheartedly endorse this company! They are made in the US and have excellent customer service.