Parents Grips

[XcelMom08]

Can anyone give me a full insight on the full purpose of grips?
At our gym gymnasts don’t get grips until they do high bar or Kip.
But my DD keeps getting rips after rips even with tape that she can’t practice enough to move on to other skills.
I know you can still get rips with grips but I feel like she isn’t going to move anywhere if she keeps ripping all the time.
What would you do? She uses Vitamin E, Wond and Done tape and Rip Fix.
Coaches - would consider trying grips to see if they would help? I don’t want to push but I want her to move forward as well and I am not sure she is if she can’t practice without because she is just an easy ripper.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Grips do help to prevent Rips, but it’s not generally the reason for using them. The grips increase the grip on the bar, they work as an extension of the fingers.

When gymnasts start skills like clear hops and giants, the grips are useful to help grip the bar.

The reason for not allowing grips to less experienced gymnasts, is that they first need to learn to understand their own grip strength and get the feel for holding the bar.

Kip is a gateway skill on bars, once they get their kip, it indicates a readiness for more advanced bar work.

 

[XcelMom08]

Grips do help to prevent Rips, but it’s not generally the reason for using them. The grips increase the grip on the bar, they work as an extension of the fingers.

When gymnasts start skills like clear hops and giants, the grips are useful to help grip the bar.

The reason for not allowing grips to less experienced gymnasts, is that they first need to learn to understand their own grip strength and get the feel for holding the bar.

Kip is a gateway skill on bars, once they get their kip, it indicates a readiness for more advanced bar work.

understand. Just frustrated on how she will get there is she has to keep stopping for tips. Does that make sense? Again grips won’t prevent but I am at a loss well at to do too.
I guess my other question is this “normal”?

 

[mommyof1]

Is she taping her hands or is she making "tape grips"? The latter can really help with ripping. She could also ask her coach whether palm guards are permitted--they are leather, like grips, but without the dowel.

 

[XcelMom08]

Is she taping her hands or is she making "tape grips"? The latter can really help with ripping. She could also ask her coach whether palm guards are permitted--they are leather, like grips, but without the dowel.

Tape and won and don tape grips.

 

[Madden3]

The key for my sons during the bad rip days was to keep thier hands well moisturized. We got into a routine where every night before bed they would put a heavy coat of ointment or lotion on their hands right after washing them, and then wear clean cotton socks on their greasy hands overnight. Also I put hand lotion by every sink in the house so they would get in the habit of moisterizing regularly during the day after washing their hands.

 

[XcelMom08]

The key for my sons during the bad rip days was to keep thier hands well moisturized. We got into a routine where every night before bed they would put a heavy coat of ointment or lotion on their hands right after washing them, and then wear clean cotton socks on their greasy hands overnight. Also I put hand lotion by every sink in the house so they would get in the habit of moisterizing regularly during the day after washing their hands.

Thank you. Just feel like ughh I know she will get it. I’m being … mom lol. I better news! She got a front tuck on floor today!! Yayaya! Lol!

 

[Astraea_9]

Why are grips restricted at lower levels? Will they interfere with learning skills? Are they not allowed at completion for those levels? My daughter is a silver trainer (competing Bronze, training Silver) and recently asked me about buying grips because her hands hurt. I was planning on buying her some basic ones (no dowel) but after reading this I am wondering if I shouldn't.

 

[XcelMom08]

Why are grips restricted at lower levels? Will they interfere with learning skills? Are they not allowed at completion for those levels? My daughter is a silver trainer (competing Bronze, training Silver) and recently asked me about buying grips because her hands hurt. I was planning on buying her some basic ones (no dowel) but after reading this I am wondering if I shouldn't.

Every gym is different. Our gym just wants kids to have certain skills but I do know some parents that have bought grips without those skills and coaches haven’t said anything. So idk. Maybe ask your coach what they prefer.

 

[JBS]

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[XcelMom08]

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Would a pirouette bar help at all?

 

[JBS]

Would a pirouette bar help at all?

There are drills that can be done on a floor bar… it wouldn’t help with rips though.

 

[XcelMom08]

There are drills that can be done on a floor bar… it wouldn’t help with rips though.

Gotcha. I was wondering if it would help with learn the movement for the Kip. She has a beautiful glide. It’s that second half getting up that is the struggle. I read it’s like pulling your pants up and that made sense to her but how do you move your hands?

 

[XcelMom08]

Gotcha. I was wondering if it would help with learn the movement for the Kip. She has a beautiful glide. It’s that second half getting up that is the struggle. I read it’s like pulling your pants up and that made sense to her but how do you move your hands?

would that bar help learning how to?

 

[XcelMom08]

UPDATE: my DDs coaches want to try her with grips. HC is ok with giving it a shot. So she is measured and we will see if GK has any or another place she mentioned.
What’s the biggest hurdle with using grips for the first few time?
Should I buy more than one pair? Like a spare?
Her next meet is in April. I did express my concern if she would compete with them or not because I want if begins using them then I would assume she would get more used those come meet time/day.
They want her to have a double buckle.
Has anyone seen progress with using grips?

 

[katrid11]

UPDATE: my DDs coaches want to try her with grips. HC is ok with giving it a shot. So she is measured and we will see if GK has any or another place she mentioned.
What’s the biggest hurdle with using grips for the first few time?
Should I buy more than one pair? Like a spare?
Her next meet is in April. I did express my concern if she would compete with them or not because I want if begins using them then I would assume she would get more used those come meet time/day.
They want her to have a double buckle.
Has anyone seen progress with using grips?

DD started using palm grips in L3 when she learned her kip and swapped to dowel grips to do kips.
Grips do take a bit to get used to. DD said it took 1-2 practices to really be in tune with the grips.

We buy 1 pair at a time b/c DD seems to outgrow them before they wear out. We know she is outgrown b/c her bar routine gets funky looking b/c she can't shift her hands properly bc the grip is too small.

Next year at levels 6/7 we will go to 2 pairs of grips b/c she will be perfecting her giants and starting some other skills where having a 2nd pair of broken in grips could be helpful.

That said, DD has a velcro-strap pair of TenSports b/c they came in the smaller 00 size she needed at the time (now she is a size 1). Her coaches prefer double-buckle but DD has been resistant so far. Next year she'll transition to double buckle - likely over this summer.