Women Grips - team now being required to all get same brand

[GymCMLA]

Is it typical for a team to start requiring a certain brand grip for the girls? That they will carry in the pro shop? Many of the girls have different brands (and have had them for years - not the same grips of course, but the same brand/style etc) and are happy with them. I am frustrated by the "you have to buy x from out pro shop". I understand that some grips only go to certain weight and level, but DD is not above her weight for her grips (she is 75 lbs and rated to 120) and she is not a L8 (she just finished 6, so I think 1-2 years at 7 are in her future), but she is saying that she has to switch to resisport and can't have narrow grips anymore b/c "she can't use them at L8".
We usually do buy new grips mid to late summer so the are broken in and in their prime for meet season.

 

[Anna's_Mom]

DDs coach recommended a certain brand but didn't require it. Oddly though, they weren't the brand the shop carried, these had to be ordered online. And I didn't mind the price of the grips but the $20 for shipping was outrageous!

 

[GymCMLA]

Yes, shipping can be rough, sometimes a couple of us get together and order. I just know there will be a mark up in the pro shop. And I am not loving the change to "all the same" when that has not ever been the case. And all info only coming home through the kids. HC said need new grips every year, need to get resisport from the shop and can't use narrow anymore.

 

[gymgal]

Did you confirm with the HC to make sure there was no miscommunication, as it went through the girls? Are they making all the L8+ girls switch over too? I think we would have several girls upset by that in our gym, including my dd (well, she uses reisport double buckle, so in this case, she wouldn't care but if she had to switch to another brand, she would) Or is there a blanket policy that that above a certain level, they require a specific brand? If that's the case then I can understand it, but still, as a parent and likely the gymnast would prefer to know this from the start. Grips are like a security blanket to some girls. Don't mess with them once they become attached!!!

 

[Marie Cart]

As a coach, I order all grips through the gym and the money is then deducted from parents account. And yes, I order them all the same brand. RKO Double Buckle. I do this for a few reasons.
1. I size all the girls hands. It is really essential grips fit properly, therefore, I like to be in charge of the sizing and ordering.
2. For me, having gymnasts in buckle grips is the way to go. It prevents the constant tightening and retightening of velcro grips. It makes bar work out more productive imo.
3. Lastly, I feel as someone who has coached more many years, I know more about grips brands than the parent or gymnast. I know which brands are more durable, I know which brands have worked or have not worked for gymnasts I've previously worked with.

Doesn't seem like HC has communicated to you why the sudden change. Do you think he/she would be willing to discuss with you? Could be for some of the reasons I listed above and perhaps they haven't realized the communication gap has left the parents in the dark a bit...

 

[raenndrops]

As a coach, I order all grips through the gym and the money is then deducted from parents account. And yes, I order them all the same brand. RKO Double Buckle. I do this for a few reasons.
1. I size all the girls hands. It is really essential grips fit properly, therefore, I like to be in charge of the sizing and ordering.
2. For me, having gymnasts in buckle grips is the way to go. It prevents the constant tightening and retightening of velcro grips. It makes bar work out more productive imo.
3. Lastly, I feel as someone who has coached more many years, I know more about grips brands than the parent or gymnast. I know which brands are more durable, I know which brands have worked or have not worked for gymnasts I've previously worked with.

Doesn't seem like HC has communicated to you why the sudden change. Do you think he/she would be willing to discuss with you? Could be for some of the reasons I listed above and perhaps they haven't realized the communication gap has left the parents in the dark a bit...

You make excellent points, but I would take issue with part of #3... "I know which brands have worked or have not worked for gymnasts I've previously worked with." My problem is, just because something worked or didn't for gymnasts you dealt with in the past doesn't mean that they will or won't work for EVERY gymnast. (I am a tutor - typical students and students with learning disabilities, ages 6 - adult... I know what has worked for the students I worked with in the past. I know what hasn't worked for them too. It doesn't mean that the same things will work with my current students ... in fact, I had to come up with an entirely new plan for one of my current students. None of the techniques that were "foolproof" have worked with him.)
And these girls already have grips... ones that they like and that work for them. A change needs to be explained... and hopefully it isn't just that the gym wants to make more money from marking up the grips in the pro shop.

 

[Marie Cart]

You make excellent points, but I would take issue with part of #3... "I know which brands have worked or have not worked for gymnasts I've previously worked with." My problem is, just because something worked or didn't for gymnasts you dealt with in the past doesn't mean that they will or won't work for EVERY gymnast. (I am a tutor - typical students and students with learning disabilities, ages 6 - adult... I know what has worked for the students I worked with in the past. I know what hasn't worked for them too. It doesn't mean that the same things will work with my current students ... in fact, I had to come up with an entirely new plan for one of my current students. None of the techniques that were "foolproof" have worked with him.)
And these girls already have grips... ones that they like and that work for them. A change needs to be explained... and hopefully it isn't just that the gym wants to make more money from marking up the grips in the pro shop.

I agree with you. As I stated in my post above, the OP should ask HC why the change. There has obviously been a drop in communication. I understand where you are coming from as far as a tutoring plan goes. That is the same for lesson plans I create for my students. Each gymnast we all work with is different and a different coaching approach is often needed. With that being said though, I do not think ordering grips is the same as tutoring a child or developing a coaching strategy for them. I'm sure many other coaches have different preferences than I when it comes to grip styles. RKO double buckle is my preference unless their hands are too tiny to fit them. They have always worked well for us.

 

[Dr Maleficent]

Our gym has the same policy as you use Marie Cart. The coach sizes and orders the grips, we just write the cheque!

 

[Empowered]

I know coaches have preferences and know what's worked, but my daughter competes 9 in ridiculously narrow grips for her giant hands and bars is by far her best event.

Do her coaches like her grips? Nope! Did they order her wide grips last summer? Yup! Does she wear them? Nope! I think as long as she's competing well and progressing, it's not a battle her coaches feel the need to fight at this point.

 

[kris]

My daughter competed level 8 in narrow grips and is now training level 9 in the same grips. She has small hands and likes to feel the bar a bit. She'd be a bit freaked if she suddenly had to switch.

 

[GymCMLA]

We have double buckles already. HC has never said anything about what grips they had, but she does help us size them before we order and once they are in before they "wear them". We had pixie's for 2 years and sized up to all leather hot shots (US glove). Our girls have everything - resisport, gymnasta, ten-0, us glove, pixie's. She's never cared what kind. I don't know why the change. I do think it has to do with the owner making money off us (just started charging the girls for their locker use) I will talk to HC before I do anything about them, but I am waiting to see if the other changes in our gym life happen before I ask. The change is odd to me. We've had our share of lack of communication this year from HC to parents, so I am not surprised that we haven't heard anything except through the girls. DD's grips are in good shape for the summer so I will lay low unless someone forces something sooner. I was just wondering if this was what other people do in other places.

 

[Marie Cart]

Empowered, I do agree with you. At some point it isn't worth the battle. I've had girls come from other gyms with other grip styles. When they needed new grips we did order them RKO and they switched easily but I think if I had a gymnast who was absolutely insistent on remaining with the brand she currently was using, I wouldn't pick that fight.

 

[SignHere]

I have seen massive confusion among parents when we were told "order grips for your DD" with little to no guidance. I have seen massive amounts of money wasted, as well, from parents ending up buying multiple pairs of grips before settling on a " right" style. I would imagine there was a lot of complaining.

Think about all those Chalkbucket posts about what type of grips to buy!

Then, at our last travel meet, my DD showed up with only 1 grip. There were massive quantities of tears. She was able to borrow a grip from a teammate, but the grips were not only broken in for completely different hands, they were completely the wrong style.


So... There are 3 reasonable explanations for the new policy.

 

[MnMgymnast]

You make excellent points, but I would take issue with part of #3... "I know which brands have worked or have not worked for gymnasts I've previously worked with." My problem is, just because something worked or didn't for gymnasts you dealt with in the past doesn't mean that they will or won't work for EVERY gymnast. (I am a tutor - typical students and students with learning disabilities, ages 6 - adult... I know what has worked for the students I worked with in the past. I know what hasn't worked for them too. It doesn't mean that the same things will work with my current students ... in fact, I had to come up with an entirely new plan for one of my current students. None of the techniques that were "foolproof" have worked with him.)
And these girls already have grips... ones that they like and that work for them. A change needs to be explained... and hopefully it isn't just that the gym wants to make more money from marking up the grips in the pro shop.

That is kind of a bad comparison. Ordering grips is different than teaching a child. If you bought a table and you gave it to someone and it broke when you put something on it, does that mean you should buy the table again for someone else? I wouldn't. Every child is different, yes, but if my friend's grip isn't as durable as others I don't want you to buy those for me. My coach know what brands are best and I believe that their experience counts and they do know best in this case. And maybe the coach sees all these girls with different grips and would like to make sure they have the better grips so they don't have to keep replacing them and break them in over and over again.

 

[MnMgymnast]

We have double buckles already. HC has never said anything about what grips they had, but she does help us size them before we order and once they are in before they "wear them". We had pixie's for 2 years and sized up to all leather hot shots (US glove). Our girls have everything - resisport, gymnasta, ten-0, us glove, pixie's. She's never cared what kind. I don't know why the change. I do think it has to do with the owner making money off us (just started charging the girls for their locker use) I will talk to HC before I do anything about them, but I am waiting to see if the other changes in our gym life happen before I ask. The change is odd to me. We've had our share of lack of communication this year from HC to parents, so I am not surprised that we haven't heard anything except through the girls. DD's grips are in good shape for the summer so I will lay low unless someone forces something sooner. I was just wondering if this was what other people do in other places.

now for my above reply , i find that this is completely different either they are having money troubles and don't know what to do or they are just trying to get your money... at least that is what it sounds like.

 

[beachgirl]

There are 5 girls including my daughter that recently got their first pair of grips. Their coach measured their hands and told them what kind to buy. I bought and sent back 2 pairs of this brand (Reisport) before the coach told me she might need to wait for grips. At this point I had paid more in shipping than the grips cost. I told her that if I could buy a different brand I could find some that would fit. The next pair (Gibson) I bought on Amazon using prime, knowing that I had free shipping. Of course the free shipping pair fit. One of the other girls had the same problem and had to order a different brand. Only 3/5 of the girls fit into the desired brand. I'm wondering if everyone on the OP's team will even fit into the required brand.

 

[Firefly]

Our coach measures the girls and orders all of their grips. That said, I don't think he'd care if someone decided to choose and order a different brand/style as long as they fit correctly.

 

[Seeker]

I do think it has to do with the owner making money off us (just started charging the girls for their locker use).

WHAT??? They charge you for lockers?

 

[Oceanflippermom]

My daughter competed level 8 this year in U.S. Glove double buckle hotshot (narrow) grips. She just broke a pair, coach sized her in the exact same brand again this past week, so I'm sure she will compete 9 in these two pair we just bought.

 

[raenndrops]

That is kind of a bad comparison. Ordering grips is different than teaching a child. If you bought a table and you gave it to someone and it broke when you put something on it, does that mean you should buy the table again for someone else? I wouldn't. Every child is different, yes, but if my friend's grip isn't as durable as others I don't want you to buy those for me. My coach know what brands are best and I believe that their experience counts and they do know best in this case. And maybe the coach sees all these girls with different grips and would like to make sure they have the better grips so they don't have to keep replacing them and break them in over and over again.

Your table analogy doesn't really work either.
It isn't like these girls are having trouble with their grips. It sounds like the grips are fine. The coach just (apparently) made the executive decision that they ALL have to switch to reisport - with no explanation. In our gym, there are 5-6 girls who tried reisport and hated them. They didn't work for them. 4 of them have switched to a different grip and the other 1 or 2 just decided they didn't like grips at all. There are several brands of grips that are excellent.
My tutoring analogy was JUST on the point that a coach may know what grips have worked for girls in the past (based on that coach's experience)... but it does not NECESSARILY mean that those same grips will work for EVERY girl. @Marie Cart has done the ordering for her gymnasts for a long time and it is her system. Her gymnasts use the grips she orders, but if they grew up in her gym, they have probably never tried any other grips (potentially falling in love with a particular grip). That is different than @GymClaire03 's coach all of a sudden forcing a change.