Gymnasts - When is the right time to buy grips?

Parents are often unsure about whether or not it is an appropriate time to buy their gymnast their first pair of grips. A gymnast's coach should be able to provide some insight on this issue, but here are some general tips for gymnasts and gym parents.

1. Grips can be expensive. A pair of Reisport dowel grips (which I used throughout my gymnastics career and highly recommend) goes for about $45, and other types of grips will cost at least $35. Since gymnasts are primarily young girls and young girls grow quickly, grips will need to be replaced every so often to fit the gymnast's hands. The longer you can hold off on grips, the better in terms of the amount of money that will have to be spent.
   
2. It is not entirely uncommon to see gymnasts from China and Russia competing on the uneven bars without using grips - even in the Olympics. Grips are not absolutely necessary. It is possible to get by without them.
   
3. That being said, grips do help a little bit with preventing big rips on the gymnast's palms (some girls do have trouble with the grips rubbing their wrists the wrong way and causing rips there instead, but in general, grips should help reduce the number of rips). Grips are not a solution to rips but can be one factor in helping to prevent them.
   
4. In general, I would say that the majority of gymnasts do not buy a pair of grips until USAG level 6 or 7. I got mine in level 7 and really did not feel that I needed them in level 6. There are some girls who get them in level 5 and others who don't get them at all. It is a matter of preference - usually the coach's preference, but also the gymnast's and the gymnast's parents. There are no rules that say you need a pair of grips by the time you reach a certain level.
   
5. The uneven bars skill that causes the most friction on the hands is probably giants, in addition to other circling moves. Front hip circles, back hip circles, and baby giants are part of the level 5 and 6 routines, but they usually don't constitute the majority of practice time. From level 7 on, gymnasts are going to be spending a lot more practice time on giants and connections with circling skills. Grips are going to help reduce the friction on these types of skills.
   
6. The primary function of grips is... Well, it's in the name. Grips help gymnasts grip the bar. This function is the most helpful when it comes to giants. Before then, the gripping function is much less needed.

Post on different types and brands of grips should be coming soon!

Long-Hang Kip

The long-hang kip is a bit different from a glide kip performed on the low bar. Though the two skills require similar upper-body strength, the timing is quite different, as is the swing. In general, this is a skill that takes a lot of practice and repetition before the gymnast figures out what the correct swing feels like and transfers that swing into her muscle memory. As with the free hip circle, I can offer a few tips and tricks, but practice is what is going to get the skill to click.

This skill begins with a jump to high bar. If your jump isn't solid, the long-hang kip will be more difficult. You do not want to jump in such a way that your back is severely arched when your hands hit the high bar. In order to have a smooth swing into your kip, you should reach the high bar with a tight, straight body. Depending on your height and the bar setting, you may benefit from reaching the bar in a slight, tight hollow rather than a straight, stretched body. Either of these options is great as long as there is no huge arch to interfere with the natural motion of the swing.

As you reach the high bar and begin your swing, you want to try to keep your feet behind you. A pretty common mistake is bringing your feet up too high on the upswing. When the upswing is too high, it's difficult to continue that momentum as you bring your ankles to the bar and begin to kip up. Swinging too high will work against you by bringing your momentum straight down, rather than back and up. You want to control your swing by keeping your feet behind you at the beginning of the swing.

However, this doesn't mean you should ignore the tap. You still need to perform a slight tap as you would with a normal tap swing. Keeping your feet behind you before the tap will just help to control your height and speed.

After the tap, you should swing up so that your body reaches a nice, stretched hollow. This is the point at which you want to raise your ankles to the bar and begin to kip. From this point forward, the kip is much like a regular glide kip. The same motions apply - the "pull up your pants" motion with the legs, a slight wrist shift, and ending in a front support. Of course, if you are connecting a cast out of your long-hang kip, you will need to finish with your feet in front of the bar and your shoulders leaning over as well.

These are just some basic tips. A lot of it, as I said, is just figuring out the timing that works for you. Happy kipping!

Clear Hip Circle on Bars

A clear hip circle (or free hip circle - I will use the two interchangeably as most coaches do) is a level 6 USAG uneven bars skill that is a variation of the level 5 back hip circle. I find this skill to be quite mechanical; there are a lot of specific things to keep in mind in attempting this skill as far as body position and timing go. Gymnasts need to be very aware of their form as well as their position on the bar and in the air in order to figure out the precise timing necessary for this move. Much of the most helpful instruction for free hips comes from timing drills that help the gymnast get the feel for when to open their shoulder angle and shift their wrists. Another main component of the skill is upper body strength.

While most of the progress with this skill will come from repetition and drills, there are a few tips gymnasts can keep in mind to make the skill go more smoothly. These are also tips that coaches should keep in mind in correcting form.

• A strong cast - at least to horizontal - is highly recommended before the gymnast even begins to attempt this skill with or without a spot, especially if the goal is a clear hip to horizontal or higher. Without the momentum that comes from a high, tight cast, it is nearly impossible to complete this move successfully. Muscling it around is possible but likely will be accompanied by an arched back and other form mistakes, and the gymnast will probably just barely clear the bar.
• As the gymnast begins to come down from the cast, she needs to maintain a controlled hollow body position with stomach muscles tight.
• Instead of bringing the hips back to the bar as the gymnast would with a back hip circle, she needs to drop her hips below the bar. The bar and hands should be about in line with the gymnast's mid-thigh. When first beginning the skill, it's okay to drop the hips only an inch or so below the bar, but as the gymnast progresses with both strength and timing, she will find it beneficial to drop a little lower below the bar. During this point in the skill, it is also essential that the gymnast leans back with her shoulders. The timing as far as when to lean the shoulders back has to do with how high the clear hip is intended to be - for example, if the gymnast wants to do a clear hip to handstand, she should begin leaning back with her shoulders as she passes through horizontal coming down from her cast. If the gymnast does not intend to free hip too high, she can wait a little longer before dropping her shoulders back and beginning the circling motion.
  
• While the gymnast is circling the bar, she needs to maintain the hollow body position. A slight pike is okay, but ideally the gymnast's body should make a hollow line. The main point to remember is not to arch at this point in the skill, as that will make it impossible to push up and off the bar. Likely an arched back will turn the free hip circle into a regular back hip circle with bad form, and the hips will come back to the bar, which of course is not the goal. Another point to remember as the gymnast begins to circle the bar is to keep the head position neutral.
  
• As the gymnast comes around the bar, she needs to begin to open her shoulder angle and simultaneously shift her wrists. As she does this, she will push down with her hands into the bar and push her feet up towards the ceiling and back, clearing the bar and landing with her feet on the floor. Or, if the gymnast is performing a free hip to handstand, she can return her hips to the bar and finish in front support.

Handspring Vault

A few general tips for a killer handspring vault.

• The first and probably most obvious tip is to never underestimate the importance of your sprint down the vault runway. The run is a huge factor in determining the power and turnover speed of your vault. It is important that you're comfortable with the distance at which you begin your sprint in order to avoid what coaches like to call "stutter stepping" as you near the springboard. The best way to find the take-off, stride, and distance that work best for you is simply by trial and error. Always use the tape measure to check your distance before you vault! Once you find your distance, your run should be very consistent. You should be taking the same number of steps every time, taking off with the same leg, and therefore having very few issues when it comes time for the hurdle. We've all had those days when we get stuck at the end of the vault runway hurdling with the wrong leg. To avoid this issue as best you can, befriend the tape measure and find the sprint that works for you.

• The second tip is to get a powerful hurdle. Newton's Laws tell us that the amount of force we inflict on the springboard during our hurdle is equal to the amount of force the springboard will give us in return. The more you pound the springboard, the more spring it will give you to complete your vault. So be powerful with the hurdle and don't hold back - use a full arm circle to help you get the momentum you need. Another common mistake that happens during the hurdle is that the gymnast leans too far forward with their hips towards the vault table. We don't want to jump into the table, we want to spring up and over it, so leaning into it is not going to help. Hitting the springboard with your feet in front of your hips in a hollow is going to give you the necessary height.

• This one is really important, and I'm sure you've heard it before: it's all about the heel drive when it comes to handspring vaults. A heel drive is just what it sounds like - you need to drive your heels upwards to eventually find the vertical position and get over the table. The tricky part is that you need to drive your heels while maintaining good body position. You don't want to just arch your body and flop over the vault. The heels need to be the driving force for your whole entire body, which should remain tight and, for the most part, very straight. This requires a fair amount of core strength but is essential to a good vault.

• This next tip is all about angles (by that I mean the angle your body makes with the vault table). While ideal contact angle depends on the speed and power of the gymnast, the important thing for all gymnasts to remember about angles is that you should always be off the table before your body hits the vertical position. You want the "pop" or the "shoulder block" to happen before you hit the 90 degree mark. In other words, you don't want your contact with the vault to happen so late that you are blocking off the vault after you have hit the vertical position and are angled towards the landing mat. Your shoulder block should happen as quickly and as powerfully as possible so that it is almost as if you barely touched the vault at all.

• Another note on the shoulder block is that it should require absolutely no elbow bend. In fact, the entire purpose of the block is to get power off the vault table without having to use your arms to push. Not only is an elbow bend incorrect, but it'll also slow you way down and surely cause you to flop over with an arched back onto the landing mat, rather than with all your muscles squeezed as they should be.

• Of course, during the initial moment of contact as well as the whole shoulder block phase and continuing through the second flying phase, you should have a tight, straight body position. You should be stretched out, but with no yucky loose arching. If there's one thing judges cringe at seeing on vault, I think it would be an arched body. Arching over on a vault is a little bit like cheating on a test; it allows you to complete the vault using minimal strength and effort and without really having to block at all. However, it's completely incorrect and not very pleasing to the eye.

• As your feet finally start to hit the landing mat, bend your knees and extend your arms out in front of you to absorb the shock of the landing and to help you find the balance to stick it!

Back Handspring Tips

This seems to be a hot topic, so here are some tips for how to do a great back handspring!

1. Practice the squat!! The squat is so essential to the backward motion of the skill. You've probably heard it many times, but it should be as if you're sitting in a chair. You need to get a good bend in the legs and sit back. The backwards motion starts here!!

2. Get a strong arm swing. You should practice without the arm swing, too, so you can figure out how to push hard with your legs to make the handspring. But once you know you have that down, the arm swing will get you some good momentum. You should, of course, combine this with the push from your legs as you extend your legs and spring off those toes.

3. As you begin the first phase of the handspring, really open your shoulder angle (note: that does not mean that you should throw your head back!) and open your hips so that you find that nice tight arch position over the top.

4. Over the top of the skill, your arms need to be tight at your ears with your head staying in place, chin tucked in slightly. Of course, straight legs, tight core, and pointed toes. At this point, you can start spotting for the hand placement with your eyes.

5. Immediately after your hands hit the floor, you need to block as hard as you can off of your shoulders. Do not bend your arms and push off - the block should happen all with shoulder power, and of course with straight arms (not locked, but straight) and your fingers slightly turned in to prevent injury to the elbows.

6. Now you're ready for the turnover. What you're going to do now is to snap your legs down towards the ground for the rebound. You can do snap-down drills by kicking up into a handstand on a panel mat and snapping your feet down, first controlling the landing by bending the knees and landing with a hollow chest, then trying the same thing with a high rebound once your feet hit the floor.

7. During the rebound, your knees should not bend. Similar to your hands hitting the ground in the handspring, you do not want to lock the knees but they should be straight. The rebound really comes from pushing off the toes as hard as you can. After you get a great rebound, you can start working on sets for a back tuck!

8. Coming down from the rebound, bend the knees slightly to control the landing and extend your hands our in front of you for balance. Keeping a tight body throughout the skill and the rebound is going to help you to stick the landing.

Following these basic tips you should have a pretty nice back handspring :) Remember to stretch out your back with bridges and back walkovers before jumping right into the handspring! Happy flipping!

How to Help Prevent and Take Care of Rips in Gymnastics

My coach used to try to make us think rips were cool. He would say, "Getting rips means you're a hard worker and a great gymnast." Maybe that's true, but nobody likes to get rips, so here are a couple of tips to help prevent them and to take care of them when they happen. There's not a whole lot that you can do about rips, unfortunately, but I'll tell you everything I know.

1) Use tape. If you feel like you're getting a blister or if you already have a rip, use a little bit of pre-wrap and then wrap your hand in athletic tape. It doesn't necessarily take away the pain, but it does help to prevent the blister from ripping further. (Ew, I hate the word blister. I bet you do, too. I don't blame you. Bear with me.)

2) If you are getting to the level where you're starting to learn things like clear hip handstands and giants, now is the time to get grips. They do NOT prevent rips like some people say they do, but when you are performing skills that require so much hand-to-bar time, they do reduce the friction a little bit. Of course you'll also need them to help you grip the bar, which is clearly their intended purpose.

3) If you get a callus on your hand, you can use a pumice stone or some other sort of file on it to reduce it a little bit. You don't want to go overboard with this, obviously, because if your hands are completely callus-free, they'll get sore pretty quickly on bars.

4) This one is a little controversial, but some girls like the "sock method." Put some lotion on your hand and then put a sock over it while you sleep. Take it off in the morning. Supposedly it has healing powers, though I've never tried it myself.

5) Try some Neosporin and a band-aid if all else fails.

6) If you're really in a lot of pain, ask your coach if you can work on low-friction skills for a while. Examples of that would be casts, cast handstands, squat ons, jump to high bar, pirouette drills, release moves, transitions, etc. depending on your skill level.

Happy bars. :)

Tip #5: Being a great gymnast.

Tip #5: Watch your routines on tape. Ask your coach if he/she would be willing to videotape your routines during practice, or have a parent videotape you at a meet. If you're like me, you'll realize that you're making errors you never knew you were making, but you'll also realize that certain skills or elements of your routines look so much nicer than you thought they did. This is not only a confidence booster, but it is also a good way to critique yourself and figure out where improvements need to be made. It's the easiest way to learn exactly what you need to keep doing and what you need to change in your routines. Playing the video back in slow motion can also be helpful... Slow motion is a particularly helpful tool when it comes to vault, where even the best coaches can miss errors every now and then, since it is so fast-moving.

Anyway, the whole taping and critiquing thing is supposed to be a very positive experience, so I would warn gymnasts (many of whom are too hard on themselves) to be forgiving of their own mistakes and to notice both the good and the not-so-good in their routines. Watch the video with a coach, a teammate, a parent, or a friend who knows at least a little bit about the sport; they will be able to provide you with constructive criticism and support. :)

Tip #4: Being a great gymnast.

Tip #4: Watch your lines. You guys all know this, but it's SO important to keep your legs straight, your body tight, and your toes pointed at all times. I'm sure you've watched Nastia Liukin's bar routine and heard almost every commentator say something about how impressive her clean body lines are. Even if your clear hip or cast doesn't quite reach the height it needs, if you make a nice line with your body, it's going to give a better impression and you just might get away with it. This doesn't apply only to bars, of course, but I think it's most impressive if you can look graceful and polished during a bar routine. It's expected on floor and beam especially, but bring this to bars and vault as well. It looks nice. If you can make the routine look effortless by polishing it up and displaying great form, you've done your job.

Tip #3: Being a great gymnast.

Tip #3: Study ballet. Again, this probably seems very basic, but grace is a huge part of gymnastics, and it is something that has to be learned. My mom used to come to my meets, and almost every time, she would say, "I can tell which girls are ballerinas and which aren't." Girls who have taken a few ballet practices learn to extend all their limbs, point their toes, and move in a way that looks totally effortless. My sister, who is a dancer, tells me that gracefulness eventually comes naturally. If taking a ballet class is not an option, that's okay. There are other ways you can practice being graceful. Take the time to stand in front of a mirror at home and go through a routine only completing your arm movements. Watch the way you move and try to make it appear as light and as polished as possible. It will pay off!!! I wish I had done more of this when I was a gymnast.

If you watch "Make It or Break It" on ABC Family (come on, I know most of you do :P), you will see Sasha Beloff telling his girls that there are two types of gymnasts: power gymnasts and artistic gymnasts. To an extent, that is very true. I always considered myself a power gymnast. However, to be the very best, you need to have both power AND artistry, and both those elements can be learned.

I would also suggest watching a few videos of past Olympic gymnasts (and by past, I'm talking 1960s-1970s). Over time, the emphasis on poise and beauty has slowly made room for a greater emphasis on power. That's not a bad thing by any means, but sometimes it helps to look back at how gymnastics has evolved and how it all started. Watching early gymnastics routines always inspired me to bring back the artistry in my own routines.

Since I don't know how to embed videos yet, I will provide you with the link to a routine from 1968. There are a lot of lovely, beautiful dance moments in here. Enjoy :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxpl6BzYJ5o&feature=related

Tip #2: Being a great gymnast

Tip #2: Smile at the judges. As much as the judges say that your presentation and attitude don't affect you're score, they really do. Technically speaking, judges can't deduct for lack of presentation. But selling yourself - in your floor routine especially, but also in your beam routine - will give the judges a better overall impression of you, and I can almost guarantee that it'll win you a couple of tenths. So make eye contact and smile during your routine. Let them know how much you love this sport. Show them that you're passionate about it. These guys watch the same routines over and over and over again in compulsory meets, so shake it up a little bit and be the gymnast that stands out in their minds at the end of the day.

Tip #1: Being a great gymnast.

I will be posting a series of tips to help you become the best gymnast you can be. Here is the first of the tips. It might seem simple and unrelated, but I assure you it is not :)

Tip #1: Support your teammates.. Establishing a close bond with your teammates by praising them for their accomplishments, as well as supporting them during the rough patches, will make for smoother practices. If you encourage your teammates, they will encourage you back. I can honestly say that I would never have been able to progress at the rate that I did in this sport if I had not had the constant support of the people around me. My coaches and teammates helped me to overcome fears and to keep pushing even when I was frustrated and tired. A simple high-five and a "good job" when I achieved something new was enough to get me really pumped up to keep working hard. Try this out at your next practice. If this is something you already do, keep doing it! Maybe there is a teammate that you don't talk to as often or don't know quite as well as the others; try giving her a high-five next time, or telling her you know she can do it. Being a good teammate is just as awesome as being on the podium at a meet.

Back Extension Roll Tips

I'm answering this in a separate post because I think quite a few people have trouble with back extension rolls at first. I know I did. So, to the anonymous reader who asked the question, getting only a few inches off the ground and then falling back down is an extremely common problem with this skill. It's a practice-makes-perfect move, nobody gets it exactly right on the first try.

The back extension roll is dependent on timing and strength. As you roll back, make sure that you're keeping your arms straight (VERY IMPORTANT! Bending you arms and pushing up is incorrect and judges hate it) as well as pushing your arms/hands hard into the ground as you open your shoulder angle. You will use your abs to help elevate your body. You can start with a backward roll to the hollow push-up position and slowly work your way up to the extension to handstand. Hope that helps!


Photo provided by cgill on Flickr.

Tips for Back Tumbling Skills

Gymnasticsluver wanted a few tips on back tumbling skills, so I'll just give the basics. The biggest errors I see in back tumbling usually happen at the very beginning of the skill, on the take-off, so that's what I'm gonna talk about.

So in your back handspring, the squat is really important. If you feel like you're undercutting it or piking down, it might have something to do with the take-off. When you're going into your squat, make sure that your knees are in line with your feet (not in front of them). The backwards motion starts at the very beginning, so you should feel like you're sitting back in a chair. That way, when you push off with your feet you'll get a nice backwards motion and a good arch position over the top.

In any flip skills (tuck, pike, layout) the take-off is also VERY important. The main thing is that you need to get a good set before you tuck (or pike, or flip in general lol). You can practice getting a big set out of your roundoff back handspring, as long as you have a coach there to support your back. If you're tucking immediately out of the rebound or throwing your head back, your form will be sloppy and incorrect. Same applies to twisting moves; you still need to set before you flip and before you twist. Twisting right away is a mistake.

Other than that, obviously make sure you're getting a good sprint and a powerful hurdle into the roundoff before any tumbling pass. Keep your body tight and you should be good to go!

Overcoming Fears and Mental Blocks in Gymnastics

A lot of gymnasts I come across on yahoo! have developed fears of certain skills. If you're one of those gymnasts who is currently going through some weird stage where you fear a particular skill or event, I just want you to know you're not the only one!

When I was a level 6, one day I suddenly became afraid of the vault. I had been practicing and competing a handspring vault very successfully for over a year, and out of nowhere, I had developed some crazy fear. I know this happens to a lot of gymnasts; whether it's fear of a certain move or of an entire event, or whether you took a bad fall and are afraid to get back up there.

Everybody is different in how they deal with these situations, but the one thing that we all have to remember when overcoming fears or mental blocks is to trust ourselves. You KNOW you can physically perform a move, it's just the psychological part that's holding you back. Trust that your body has the capability to safely perform the move with precision and focus. Remember that your coaches are trained to know when you're ready to do a certain skill. If they tell you that you're ready, you probably are, whether you believe it or not. Ask for a spot if you have to... Whatever you need to do in order to get past your fear. Most likely the more you practice it, the less you will fear it. Even the best go through this.

So I hope you're all overcoming your fears and tackling the psychological aspect of gymnastics, which we all know is absolutely huge. Good luck to everybody!

Conditioning You Can Do at Home

Okay, a lot of people ask about what sort of conditioning routine they can do at home. I'm just going to give a few examples of the different things you can do for strength training on your own time with little equipment.

-Push ups. There are a lot of different kinds of push ups and they work different parts of your arms. The first is the standard push up, maintaining a tight hollow body position. The second is the wide-arm push up with your hands farther out to the sides; this one works your pecs, shoulders, and your underarm area. The third is triangle push ups, where you make your hands into the shape of a triangle (thumbs touching and pointer fingers touching); this will work the outsides of your arms. The fourth is handstand push ups which you can do against the wall. If handstand push ups are too difficult, another great exercise is putting your feet up on a couch or bed and placing your hands on the floor, creating as close to a 90 degree angle as you can between your upper body and your lower body, bending at the hips, and then lowering yourself down until your head almost touches the floor before coming back up. You can do 15 of each or so, or just figure out what amount of conditioning works best for you.

-Sit ups. You guys know all these... there's the regular sit-up, the "crunchie", the sit-ups where you raise both your torso and your legs (bending your knees), and of course the dreaded V-up. I find V-ups to be the most beneficial for muscle building. My coach used to say, "Do 30 in 30 seconds." This is a challenge at first but becomes easier, like anything else, the more you practice it. Other stomach exercises include the hollow hold as well as hollow rockers. Those are both great - you should definitely feel it the next day.

-Squats, leg swings, lunges, and calf raisers. Take these and get creative with them. If you have latex bands at your house, use them for leg swings. For the calf raisers, stand on your stairs with your heels hanging off the edge to get more out of the exercise than if you were just to do it on the flat ground. With the lunges, hold weights in each hand or jump in and out of the lunge position rather than stepping out. For squats, look to ballet - they do a lot of that fancy plie stuff. Don't just DO the squats, but hold the squat position as well. If you like wall sits, those are great for the thighs. Or you can always just stand on one leg and hold the other at a 90 degree angle for as long as you can, then switch. If you've got a practice beam to do that on, even better. I've always found leg exercises to be more difficult at home than in the gym, but there really is a lot you can do.

I hope these exercises help. I've tried to break them up into arms, abs, and legs, which are the main areas to focus on. Find a conditioning routine that works for you. Consult with your coaches, if you want, and get their recommendations on how many repetitions you should be doing on your own time. Have fun, drink water, don't over-do it, and build muscle! Ready... GO! :)

How to get your splits down faster

I can't get my splits down, and it's hurting my gymnastics. What can I do?

The simple answer is... stretch! Stretch at gymnastics, stretch at home, stretch at your friend's house... wherever. One trick I used to use is called contractions. No, not the kind you have when you're in labor, but I suppose the word is used because it is based on a similar concept. Contractions work like this: Go into your splits as far as you can, even if that means you're a foot off the ground. Now squeeze your leg muscles as hard as you can, so it's almost as if you can hold yourself off the ground not with your hands, but with your legs. Hold this longer than you think you can. 30 seconds, maybe. Then relax your muscles and slide a little bit further into your splits. If you've done it correctly, you'll find that it seems much easier now to split further than you could before. Do this every day until you feel confident with your splits, just be careful not to overdo it. Pulled muscles = bad, successful splits = good.