Men pommel question

[profmom]

So. The balance beam can be cranked up and down. The vault has several different settings. Uneven bars can be set closer or farther apart, and lowered or raised. High/horizontal bar goes up or down. P bars can get rotated wider or tighter.

Why aren't the pommels on the horse adjustable to enable younger/smaller gymnasts to learn skills more effectively?

(We have a couple of pretty young L9s, one of whom is very small. He does a great job on this event, but it looks almost silly to see him doing all his tricks on equipment that's sized appropriately for a hulking college student whose shoulders are twice his breadth and who probably has a good 100-130 pounds on him.)

 

[skschlag]

I do know that the handles on the horse actually go in and out. I see our boys moving them back and forth all the time. But that is probably it.

 

[Mom2twingymnasts]

I think the handles typically adjust but on some pommels they don't. I know that my son mentioned at one of his meets that he didn't do well on pommel because the handles didn't adjust. My son was a 9 year old (turned 10) level 7 and required the handles to be moved closer together.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

They are adjustable. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a horse on which the pommel width and the horse height couldn't be adjusted.

 

[pattymello]

Handles are usually adjustable. However at my gym and pretty much every gym I have visited the minimum width on the handles is still too wide for many of the young boys. I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing as with correct technique the boys will have to really work their shoulders from side to side during swings to maintain a strong support.

 

[skschlag]

ANd I know other equipment can only adjust so far for competitions, etc. My son's first year on p's, he fell out of the basket thing before the back uprise because the bars, as close together as they could go, were still too far apart for him It was kinda cute to see him try to hang on to those things at the time!

 

[pattymello]

Yes p bars tend to be a problem when we go to competitions. One of my gymnasts fell through on his basket and ender up doing a backflip kind of thing to his feet. Very lucky he was not hurt and it was the only time I have ever seen him fall on that element.

 

[skschlag]

Yeah..D only ever fell once...right on his back. It took a good year and a half before he would really do a good basket again!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

They are adjustable. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a horse on which the pommel width and the horse height couldn't be adjusted.

that is absolutely correct. ^^^ there is no such 'beast' where the height and pommels can't be adjusted.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Ours is adjustable. It goes up and down in height and the handles go in and out.

 

[profmom]

LOL! I guess I've just never seen ours being adjusted. And I guess that our small L9 guy will be in good shape as he grows. Thanks much for the clarification!