WAG Wrapping thumbs in cast handstand

[All Chalked Up]

When doing cast to handstand, kip cast to handstand, free hip to handstand, giants, etc. on the uneven bars, are you supposed to wrap your thumbs around the bar (in the handstand portion of the skill)?

The coaches at my gym seem to have different opinions about this & I want to know which one is the safest.

Thanks

 

[Deleted member D3987]

no thumbs for most things........

 

[iwannacoach]

There are coaches who feel thumbs should stay next to the forefinger on almost every skill except handstand turns, and of course coaches who feel they come in handy in specific positions....... but can't remember any who felt thumbs could remain wrapped around the bar during circling skills like clear hips, toe hands, stalders, and giants.

You can get an idea of where, during a bar routine, thumbs may help provide a stable base for the support phase of bar skills like casting from the bar, and handstand moments by watching Gabby Douglas on bars. My use of her as an example isn't an argument of "thumbs up" on thumbs, but because she's a convenient example where you can clearly see her thumbs moving from a unified hook to an opposed hook position.

The reason I may tell a kid to use her thumbs is that most girls have to flex and sag through their wrists to center their hands over the bar during support phases. The backward flex makes it harder to maintain straight arms and the correct body shape for some gymnasts moving through these positions/skills, and using thumbs helps them keep their wrists in a a more comfortable and powerful posture.

So if you have two differing attitudes coming from the coaches at your gym, and are allowed to choose the style that works for you....... Try whichever thumb method you're not using now for a week, as long as you're done competing for the season, and see if the new method equals your original method. If it shows promise, pursue it for another week, then evaluate it again and decide what to do.

Oh yeah.... Please make sure both/all of your coaches know what you're doing so you don't end up with a coach apocalypse on your hands.

 

[All Chalked Up]

Thanks! After I'm done for the season I will begin trying to use my thumbs and see how it feels.

 

[stargazer]

I've wondered this myself and have actually watched Gabby's bar routines so see when she wraps her thumbs. I generally only wrap my thumbs for 'supports'/casting. I used to not switch my thumbs but now that I'm practicing handstands I've switched. The idea of being in a handstand on bars without wrapped thumbs terrifies me, so I've re-taught myself how to switch them after my kips to prepare for kip-cast-handstands. Good luck with learning it if you choose to try, it only took me a couple weeks to get comfortable, hopefully it's the same for you

 

[iluvgym]

It's easier to keep your arms straight on a cast with your thumbs on top of the bar. When the thumb gets put under the bar the hands turn in and the elbows bend more.

 

[JBS]

It's an individual gym at our gym. We help each gymnast discover the thumb position that is best for them.

EDIT: That should say..."It's an individual thing at our gym".