Parents So, our gym doesn't have a pit...

[Deleted member D3987]

So Dunno, am I to gather from this ^^^ that you consider pits to be essential at the optional level?

you know Bog, you always brighten my day when you come in with posts like this!

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

The only time a coach without a pit trumps a coach with a pit is when the coach with the pit is a complete imbecile.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

compared to what other gyms that have 9's, 10's and elites? successful is a relative term. and your former gym didn't know how to use a pit. this does not make pits bad. it's the people that use them incorrectly. and if i'm remembering correctly, and i'm sure you will corect me if i'm wrong, but wasn't your former gym the one with the pit that wasn't big enough for any use at all?

and i'm glad you mentioned boys. does your gym have any boys doing triples off rings and high bar? how about yurchenko doubles either twisting or flipping? handspring double fronts? handspring double front 1/2's? how about triple backs on floor? how about any tumbling for that matter that you see at the collegiate or olympic level?

there is no ice cubes chance in hell that any of the above can be learned without pits, resi's and in some cases spotting belts. and sometimes a combination of all 3. but it starts with the pits. plain and simple.

so i hope you understand that where a coach decides to work is a deal breaker for them if the gym does not have pits. how they teach what we teach coupled with the shelf life of their bicep tendons, knees and back leaves a prudent coach no alternative in coaching high level gymnastics without the training devices.

some of you don't seem to understand, because of where you are in the gymnastics continuum, that coaches can't be in the way or beneath some of the gymnastics that gymnasts perform. 1st, the athletes wouldn't have it any other way. 2ndly, you would have coaches becoming catastrophically injured. some of you need to "brush up on your Shakespeare" before you start opining about the efficacy, safety and practicality of pits versus spotting.

First off, my opinion was based on my personal experience, stated very clearly above. Didn't comment on any coaches and what they might choose. I would never claim to be an expert on what is good for coaches and gymnasts, I was merely stating my "mom" opinion.

Our girls 9, 10 (currently no elites but have had in the past from what I understand), fare comparatively to other big name gyms in the state. They may not be training Olympic skills but in the past 2 years we had 5 out of 7 seniors sign with D1 schools, so they are doing skills that colleges are looking for. We do have girls who do twisting Yurchenkos. Can't comment on the boys because I haven't seen them compete nor do I watch their training, i only hear about the successes.

We have resi's and belts, just no pit. AGAIN, please note that I have never said that pits were not necessary! Just merely saying that my DD has been ok without. (maybe because she is small and perhaps that makes her easier to spot )

Our former gym was not the one with a small pit. I've only ever mentioned pit in the context of DD's fall one or maybe 2 other times.

 

[Bajanswife]

Well, for some gymnasts a pit is not an option because there is no gym with one anywhere in the country! Our gym is in a rented warehouse - on the second floor! There's no way we can have a pit. It's the owner's dream, but owning a gym here does not make one much money, so it will remain a dream for the forseeable future. Then again, college scholarships and the Olympics are pretty much a pipe dream for our gymnasts too, so I guess it all works out in the end.

 

[wallinbl]

Well, for some gymnasts a pit is not an option because there is no gym with one anywhere in the country! Our gym is in a rented warehouse - on the second floor! There's no way we can have a pit. It's the owner's dream, but owning a gym here does not make one much money, so it will remain a dream for the forseeable future. Then again, college scholarships and the Olympics are pretty much a pipe dream for our gymnasts too, so I guess it all works out in the end.

The upside is you live on a beautiful tropical island!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

First off, my opinion was based on my personal experience, stated very clearly above. Didn't comment on any coaches and what they might choose. I would never claim to be an expert on what is good for coaches and gymnasts, I was merely stating my "mom" opinion.

Our girls 9, 10 (currently no elites but have had in the past from what I understand), fare comparatively to other big name gyms in the state. They may not be training Olympic skills but in the past 2 years we had 5 out of 7 seniors sign with D1 schools, so they are doing skills that colleges are looking for. We do have girls who do twisting Yurchenkos. Can't comment on the boys because I haven't seen them compete nor do I watch their training, i only hear about the successes.

We have resi's and belts, just no pit. AGAIN, please note that I have never said that pits were not necessary! Just merely saying that my DD has been ok without. (maybe because she is small and perhaps that makes her easier to spot )

Our former gym was not the one with a small pit. I've only ever mentioned pit in the context of DD's fall one or maybe 2 other times.

okay. to clarify, a resi IS a pit. they're called resi pits.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

The upside is you live on a beautiful tropical island!

i second that!

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

okay. to clarify, a resi IS a pit. they're called resi pits.

Sorry, my mistake, thought you were referring to the big thick mats because you mentioned spotting belts, resi, pit as 3 things.

 

[GymBee97]

it's not about what you like. it's about which methodology provides the safest environment for safety and efficacy of learning that takes hold over the long haul.

if it was about what you like, the college programs would never have authorized the expense to put pits in simply because they are tasty apples or bananas. the level of gymnastics being done there, which is the end for the majority of club gymnasts, is so high coupled with the size of the males and females who are now full blown adult athletes who pack a ton of power in to everything they do, that they could not function without pits and resi's.

I agree everyone wants the safest environment but I have been to colleges with gym programs that don't have pits and have a decent team with some great coaching. I personally like the pits and am glad my DD has one to practice into, but as a MOM looking at programs, competitions etc through MOM eyes for many years I have seen really great gymnasts at the optional levels do very well in gyms without the pits too. So I think the great programs offered by really great coaches is more important than a pit any day. I'm lucky because now we have a gym DD loves, with coaches that think of gymnast safety and health before the gymnastics.

I've also so seen some really serious injuries come out of the use of pits as well. Usually because the pit was an after though (or at least it looked that way). You know a pit where it has wall on 2 or 3 sides in an alcove somewhere and your doing your skills towards that wall. I've seen alot of powerfull gymnasts get very close to those walls. Very unsafe in my mommy opinion for the upper levels with the bigger more powerful skills.

As I said before Yes I personally like gyms with pits but it wouldn't be the reason I would pick a gym over another unless the program, coaching, distance etc were all equal. Just one moms opinion here.

 

[sglemon]

The upside is you live on a beautiful tropical island!

LOL! I have to agree^^^ Pit vs tropical island? Who needs gymnastics anyways?

 

[bogwoppit]

I would rather have great coaching, and atmosphere, than an arse of a coach with pits. Just sayin'.

 

[iwannacoach]

$100,000 is a lot of money to invest just so that it gives an appearance to look committed. for the gym business, that's a lot of mula

Dunno.....I'm afraid there's a way to build a fuctioning pit for less than $100,000. Unless your talking about a pit system that's about 1/3 the size of the smaller gyms that some kids end up at. I'm a little puzzled that you seem at odds with pits being used to make training safer, less threatening, and more efficient.

that's a lot of mula when the only return on investment is preventing injuries and teaching better gymnastics correctly in a non-intimidating environment.

I could be wrong, but of the thousands of clubs with pits there are probably fewer than 100 at any given time that employ pits for the purpose of "pushing the envelope", and the remaining thousands are being used just for enhancing training by allowing kids passing through the "landing short" phase to work with the coach watching from a short distance while mingling with other kids working on other skills.

As far as pitting in a pit to "make it look good".....These are pits in name only, with their intended use limited to "advanced playtime" and recreation, and they don't cost much more to construct than the foam blocks to fill them.

I hope you'll induldge me just a bit further......The word is moohlah, not mula. I got confused when I read it.....kind thought you'd miss spelled "hula".......

Whoopsies!.....I wanted to settle in my own mind the mula-moohlah conflict. Mula is another term for money.....but there are many other uses for the word as well, here are a few I found at Wikipedia you may get a kick out of.........

Places

• Link Removed, a city in the Maldives
• Link Removed, a town in the autonomous community of Murcia, Spain
• Link Removed, a village and municipality in southern Slovakia
• Mula, a drum used in Link Removed
• Link Removed or Ħal-Mula, a village in Malta near Link Removed

Rivers

• Link Removed, a river in India
• Link Removed, a river in Pakistan
• Link Removed, a river in Spain

People

• Link Removed (born 1963) is an opera singer born in Tirana, Albania
• Link Removed are a clan of Link Removed of Link Removed in India and provinces of Pakistan

Other

• Mula (Malayalam Language), (refers to a part of the anatomy)
• Link Removed, a Lunar mansion in Hindu astrology
• Link Removed, English slang
• Mula, Spanish term for Money
• Link Removed, another name for the American record label Young Money Entertainment founded by the rapper Link Removed
• Mula, type of white Radish or Daikon in Nepali

Pretty funny how one word can mean so many things.

 

[gymgal]

Well, for some gymnasts a pit is not an option because there is no gym with one anywhere in the country! Our gym is in a rented warehouse - on the second floor!

I have read that you can build above ground pits/pools.

 

[beamer]

Having watched it both ways with L6 DD (first gym, no pits; second gym, pits) I can attest that for both compulsory and optional level gymnasts, the pits make a HUGE difference for both skills development and safety.

It seems to become really important at the optional levels and my impression at the old gym was that it was the mid-level (talent-wise) girls who were getting really hamstrung -- so to speak -- by the lack of pit training. The really talented gymnasts will get the skills, pit or no pit, but progression is faster and more effective with them.

There is a girl about my daughter's age (11) still there (at the old gym) who is competing L7 this year. She is exceptionally talented, flexible and strong and could -- were she at a gym with the proper pit training AND coaching -- compete at the college level. The kid exudes joy and passion in every routine she performs. Her parents are lovely.

It is all I can do when I see them occasionally at meets to not explain to them what they are missing!

 

[Moxiegrl83]

What's the difference between a resi-pit and a pit that has all the foam squares in it?

 

[gymgal]

I would think a pit allows for much higher repetitions without as much wear/tear on the body.

 

[Bajanswife]

I have read that you can build above ground pits/pools.

It comes down to space too, and the fact that our ceiling is barely high enough as it is for giants! We really need a gym that's a little bigger, but with extra size comes extra cost. Not only that, but it's much harder and more expensive to get the materials for any kind of pit shipped to Barbados. The good news is that we finally bought a tumble track recently - we're just trying to find the most economical way of getting it here now. In order to fit it in we have to do away with the trampoline, but it's getting old and rusty anyway.

 

[LizzieLac]

I have read that you can build above ground pits/pools.

We have an above ground pit - not very expensive at all. Very helpful for training, but agree it does not replace good coaching.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Dunno.....I'm afraid there's a way to build a fuctioning pit for less than $100,000. Unless your talking about a pit system that's about 1/3 the size of the smaller gyms that some kids end up at. I'm a little puzzled that you seem at odds with pits being used to make training safer, less threatening, and more efficient.




I could be wrong, but of the thousands of clubs with pits there are probably fewer than 100 at any given time that employ pits for the purpose of "pushing the envelope", and the remaining thousands are being used just for enhancing training by allowing kids passing through the "landing short" phase to work with the coach watching from a short distance while mingling with other kids working on other skills.

As far as pitting in a pit to "make it look good".....These are pits in name only, with their intended use limited to "advanced playtime" and recreation, and they don't cost much more to construct than the foam blocks to fill them.

I hope you'll induldge me just a bit further......The word is moohlah, not mula. I got confused when I read it.....kind thought you'd miss spelled "hula".......

Whoopsies!.....I wanted to settle in my own mind the mula-moohlah conflict. Mula is another term for money.....but there are many other uses for the word as well, here are a few I found at Wikipedia you may get a kick out of.........

Places

• Link Removed, a city in the Maldives
• Link Removed, a town in the autonomous community of Murcia, Spain
• Link Removed, a village and municipality in southern Slovakia
• Mula, a drum used in Link Removed
• Link Removed or Ħal-Mula, a village in Malta near Link Removed

Rivers

• Link Removed, a river in India
• Link Removed, a river in Pakistan
• Link Removed, a river in Spain

People

• Link Removed (born 1963) is an opera singer born in Tirana, Albania
• Link Removed are a clan of Link Removed of Link Removed in India and provinces of Pakistan

Other

• Mula (Malayalam Language), (refers to a part of the anatomy)
• Link Removed, a Lunar mansion in Hindu astrology
• Link Removed, English slang
• Mula, Spanish term for Money
• Link Removed, another name for the American record label Young Money Entertainment founded by the rapper Link Removed
• Mula, type of white Radish or Daikon in Nepali

Pretty funny how one word can mean so many things.

i'm not at odds about anything. i was replying to something you said in your post up thread. now someone has said she has been to college programs that don't have pits. i can attest that at least 60 D1 schools do. i have been in that many over several years. and even some 2 and 3 schools have them also.

to clarify, resi pits and loose foam pits are the best of the best for training to and in a high level. these pits MUST be used by trained and experienced coaches or they become as dangerous as anything else where incompetence is involved.

most pits of the size i have are $100,000 and up. multi function and multi event. i have 12 different apparatus that go in to the pit. and i'm not an exception. i came from a day where there were no pits. i don't know how we didn't all get maimed doing some of the things that we did. handspotting was rare and mostly belts were used. i never want to go back to those days again. i will grow in to an old age with no spotting injuries and our gymnasts' bodies will go in to adulthood in pretty good shape also.

so, it starts with experienced competent coaches first. nothing can replace that.

and by the way, you must not be Italian. it is how it is spelled and defined in our community and also has a double meaning that i can't print here and has been this way since before my parents came to this country and before computers:

[TD="class: word"] mula[/TD]
[TD="class: tools"][/TD]

[TD="class: text, colspan: 2"] money, cash
that's a lot of mula
[/TD]

[TD="class: index"][/TD]
[TD="class: word"][/TD]
[TD="class: tools"][/TD]

[TD="class: text, colspan: 2"][/TD]

i thought i would explain the origin. mula means mule. mules made lots of money for their owners. mules transported everything before cars. including honey. honey in Italy made lots of money. can't remember at the moment, but there is a famous place in Italy where "the golden mule" is buried on an old farm and it is now a shrine. it's a holy place. i understand that some of my relatives were there. so, you can see how it is "mula".

 

[Deleted member D3987]

the green and blue mat:

resi pit pic - Bing Images