GYMNASTICS GRIP INFORMATION

Gymnastics Grip Break-in Procedure:

You first need to soften the stiff leather. Start by rolling the
leather. Wrap the leather around the dowel and roll the grip down
to the cuff. Repeat this step with the dowel facing you and with it
facing away from you. You will notice an immediate difference in
the softening of the leather. Perform this step several times on
each handgrip and include the wrist cuffs as well. Never pinch or
fold the leather sharply together. It is now okay to start using your
handgrips in slow under swings until the grips feel comfortable
enough for more advanced skills and full giant swings. These
grips are now prepared for your use only.

Regarding the Finger Holes:

The rolling process above should soften them to a comfortable fit.
But if they are still too small or tight for your fingers, follow this
procedure. Use a small piece of sandpaper (many brands supply
it with the grips). Wrap it around a pencil and slowly and carefully
sand around the finger holes. This will open the hole consistently
around the opening without tears. Never stretch the opening by
hooking it on something and pulling and never cut the holes with
a knife. This will tear or weaken and damage the leather rendering
them unsafe and beyond repair.

More Important Gymnastics Grip Notes:

Never use water to soften leather grips. Water causes deterioration
and rotting, as well as stretching of the leather. This can
shorten the life of your grips.
Inspect your grips often for tears or over stretching. Grips that
become too long are very dangerous and can cause grip lock. If
any part of the dowel can touch the lower portion of the grip
when the hand is around the bar, the grip is too long. If the grip
slips off the fingertip or the dowel slides to the side and if the grip
does not stay in the correct position on the wrist, it is too long.



Gibson Athletic is a leading provider of gymnastics grips. We carry rainbow grips, Just Right grips, and Reisport grips! For all of your gymnastics needs please visit http://www.gibsonathletic.com/ or call us at 1-800-275-5999.


Source: http://gym.net/resources/

HOW TO- Do a Kip!

Step1
Start by adjusting the bar to chest height. This is too low for competition, but it will enable you to learn the kip easier.

Step2
Face the bar and grasp it with both hands. Your starting position should be arm’s length from the bar. Beginning gymnasts make the mistake of starting too close to the bar, throwing off their body position in the glide.

Step3
Jump or take a little hop and bring both of your legs forward into a glide, keeping them straight and together as you swing. Your body will be in a relaxed “open pike” position at the beginning of your swing.

Step4
Stretch your body out at the ending point of your glide. When done correctly, your body will complete the swing at a 45-degree angle from the floor. Push your hips slightly upwards, not so much that you arch but enough that your body stretches out completely.

Step5
From there bring your toes up to the bar. This is a quick movement and your abdominal muscles need strength to accomplish it. The trick is to pike, bringing your insteps to the bar while your body is still at the end of your swing.

Step6
Pull the bar towards your hips, keeping it against your legs the entire time and with a hollow body. This should be a quick movement propelling your body around and up. Pretend the bar is a pair of pants and that you’re pulling them on. This pull must accompany your body’s return swing in order to mount the bar.

Step7
Push yourself up tall on the bar as your upper body completes the mount.


A kip is a very difficult skill. Some gymnasts take longer than others to get it and it takes a great amount of strength.

Gibson Athletic sells uneven bars for in gym and at home use. From preschool single bars to AAI ELITE uneven bars we can assist you in selecting the right product for your needs. For more information visit www.gibsonathletic.com or call us at 1-800-275-5999.

FUN FACTS!

What NCAA team has four consecutive NCAA Championship titles going into 2009?

• Georgia

What US 2000 Olympian was a Cuban Womens National Team Memer prior?

• Annia Hatch

Where is the 2012 Olympics Games?

• London

Where are the US Women's National team training camps held?

• The Karolyi Ranch

GREAT ARTICLE- Q & A with Shawn Johnson!

After two weeks of performing on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” 2008 Olympic balance beam gold-medalist Shawn Johnson, the first gymnast to appear on the show, quickly earned a spot among the top contenders for the mirrored globe trophy. Johnson and partner, Mark Ballas, a professional dancer who won the show’s sixth season with 1992 Olympic figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi, have danced the Viennese waltz and the salsa, and they are now practicing the foxtrot for week three. She admits that her elite gymnastics skills, which earned her four medals at the 2008 Olympic Games, haven’t helped her in dancing.

Johnson spoke with USA Gymnastics on Wednesday, March 18, during a busy morning of media interviews following the first results show. Read below to see what she had to say about competing on “Dancing with the Stars.”

What is the best thing about being on “Dancing with the Stars”?

Just the whole atmosphere of it. It’s the experience of a lifetime. Everyone here is so nice. It’s not really a competition, but it’s something that’s really fun and a reward for the Olympics.

Take us through your daily schedule.

Well, every day is pretty different. A few days out of the week, I’ll wake up and do media in the morning. Every day we have practice from 11 (a.m.) to 5 or 6 (p.m.). I’ll go to dinner and then come back and get rested up.

How do you like Los Angeles?

I love it. It’s so much fun here. It’s so nice and I love where I’m staying.

What have you been able to do in your free time?

Not too much yet. We’ve gone shopping a little bit and gone out to dinner. But other than that, not much because there just hasn’t been time.

What is your relationship like with Mark?

It’s great. We’re like brother and sister. He’s the perfect partner for me. We have a lot of fun in the studio, but we also get down to work, too.

You said that not much of your gymnastics training helps in dancing. What has been the hardest thing to learn?

Pretty much just putting the gymnastics habits aside. Gymnastics is second nature to me, so I’m used to doing that stuff and it just comes naturally. But it’s wrong for the dancing world; you can’t really use it. That’s been pretty hard for me.

What of your gymnastics training do you think has helped you?

The discipline, probably, and the hard work. None of the technical parts of it transfer over at all.

How does receiving the judges’ scores compare to getting scores at a gymnastics meet?

In gymnastics, you’re used to being scored on something that you’ve tried to perfect completely over years. This is something brand new, so you haven’t had time to get it perfect and work on it. The judges’ critiques are a little more…I wouldn’t say lenient, but they can’t expect you to be absolutely professionally perfect.

How were you feeling during the first show?

I was really nervous. I’ve never danced in front of millions of people before. It was really nerve-wracking. I just wanted to go out there and do what I did in practice. I wanted to make Mark proud by doing the dance he taught me and how he taught me. I wanted to prove to people that I could also dance.

Was it easier during the second show?

A tiny bit, but not really. I still felt the same. If I were doing the waltz again, probably, but since I was doing a completely different dance, no.

How many dances do you work on at once?

It’s one dance each week until you get further into the competition when it’s two dances each week. Then a little bit further, it’s two dances plus a group dance.

Are the other contestants friendly?

Very. Everybody here is like a big family and just wants the best for each other. All of us are in the same boat; we’ve never done this before. We all know what the others are going through and try to help each other as much as we can.

Do all the competitors train at the same studios?

Yes, but at all different times. There are a bunch of different studios that we use, so we never really cross paths during practice.

Who picks out/designs your costumes?

Mark does. He designs all of them.


Gibson Athletic is a long time supporter of USAG athletes. For all your equipment and gymnastics needs please check out www.gibsonathletic.com or call us at 1-800-275-5999.


Source: http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/

GREAT ARTICLE- Benefits of Ballet

Whether you're looking for an activity for yourself or for your child, ballet offers many potential benefits for both body and mind. It's a total body workout that requires both discipline and focus but is also quite enjoyable.


Here are some of the many benefits of ballet:

Ballet benefit:
Promotes better posture. Ballet exercises require the use of good posture and alignment. For this reason, many ballet classes teach postural alignment exercises which help to promote good posture and create awareness of good alignment as you carry out your daily activities.

Ballet benefit:
Sculpts and tones your body. The movements taught in ballet classes are designed to tone and firm muscles without developing bulk so you develop long and lean muscles as opposed to thick, bulky ones.

Ballet benefit:
Develops poise and body awareness. When you take ballet lessons, you're taught a series of simple exercises called the barre. These exercises are designed to help build poise and grace which are necessary traits that a successful ballerina must have. These exercises are repeated at each class to help build balance, strength, and poise.

Ballet benefit:
Helps to relieve stress. When you perform ballet exercises and movements, it relaxes your mind and removes you from the cares of the world. Your focus shifts to concentrating on each movement and the placement of your legs and arms. Many people report they can actually feel their stress melt away when they focus on ballet.

Ballet benefit:
Promotes creative expression. Ballet is not simply a form of exercise, although it does provide many of the health benefits of exercise. It's also a form of artistic expression. You interpret each dance movement in your own unique way and it becomes your own personal expression. This can be quite therapeutic for both mind and body.

Ballet benefit:
Promotes flexibility.The movements of ballet are quite effective in promoting flexibility. Ballet uses muscles that are seldom used in other sports, giving you a total body flexibility workout.



Gibson Athletic is a leading providor in the world of ballet. Please visit http://www.gibsonathletic.com/ or call 1-800-275-5999 for a free quote on our standard and custom ballet bars!




Written by Kristie Leong, MD

HOW TO- Do a Back Handspring!

Pushing off

Start with your feet together, your knees together, and your arms by your ears. Put your chin down. Bring your arms as you sit back into a chair postion.

Pushing back

Swing your arms above your head as you extend off the floor with a strong push from your legs and feet.

Arching back

Let your legs drive you upward and backward. Point your toes and extend through your ankles. Make sure you keep your head back between your arms while you start to reach for the floor. Start to look for a landing spot on the mat.

Reaching the floor

Keep your body arched and hips open as your hands touch the floor or the mat, with your legs and lower body still following. Spread your fingers a little, keep your feet together, and don't let your knees bend!

Coming down

Swing your legs and feet over and snap them down firmly toward the floor. Keep your upper body straight. Try to keep a tight hollow body position.

Finishing position

Land with your legs slightly bent and arms in front.

Good practice tools are handspring trainer mats and incline mats.

Check out great equipment and learning tools at http://www.gibsonathletic.com/!

FUN FACTS!

What gym are the last two Olympic gold medalists from?

-WOGA

Who is the most legendary coach in the sport of gymnastics?

-Bela Karolyi

What gymnast stuck her vault on one leg in the 1996 Olympic Games?

-Kerri Strug

What power house gym in Pennsylvania has a tradition of producing Olympic and National Team Members?

-Parkettes

Visit again for more fun facts!

Check out www.gibsonathletic.com or call 1-800-275-5999 for all your gymnastics needs!

RIP 101

For all gymnasts, a daily regimen of hand care must be put into effect to minimize rips and keep bar workout times more effective.

Before You Rip

1. After every workout wash your hands with soap and water, then rub hand lotion into the front and back of your hands.

2. Prevent excess callous from building up by rubbing the affected areas with a pumice stone. To find the areas of excess callous, soak the hands in water for about ten minutes and you will be able to notice areas on the palm that retain a whitish color while the rest of the skin stays pink.

3. Rub hand lotion into your hands at night before going to sleep and, if necessary, when you get up in the morning. Always keep your hands moist.

When You First Rip

1. Remove the excess skin carefully. A sterilized pair of nail clippers (to prevent infection) should work nicely, then wash with soap and water. Don't put hand lotion on a fresh rip. It is advised that you cover the rip with “rip specific” antibiotic ointment rather than Vaseline so the injured area has a chance to breathe.

2. Before going to sleep that night, put some antibiotic ointment on the rip and cover your hand with a sock or glove with the fingers cut out to keep the ointment off the sheets and out of your eyes. This treatment should continue until the rip is covered with new skin.

After You Have Ripped

1. Once new skin has covered the rip, continue using ointments. If the rip is allowed to dry up, the skin will crack and you will continue to rip in the same spot.


Gibson Athletic is a leading provider for gymnastics sports medicine. We carry three great products to help with conditioning, repairing and healing rips on hands and feet. They are known as DAT sticks. Callous Stick is used prior to workouts, to promote tightening and toughening of calluses on hands and feet. Condition Stick is used at night, to keep calluses moist and pliable. Rip Stick may be used whenever calluses are sore, hot, blistered or ripped, to reduce discomfort and assist in healing.

These are gymnastics sports medicine essentials!
Check them out at www.gibsonathletic.com or call us at 1-800-275-5999.


Source: Rik Feeney

GREAT ARTICLE- Dancing with Shawn!

VOTE !!!

Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson performed with her partner Mark Ballas on the season premiere of "Dancing with the Stars" Monday night, March 9, on ABC. They received 23 points from the judges, tied for second out of the 13 couples. Voting between fans and judges determines which dance teams advance to the next round. Phone lines and text votes are open to fans from the beginning of each show until 30 minutes after. Online voting will remain open until noon ET the next day.

Johnson and Ballas, along with the rest of the competitors, will perform again on Monday, March 16. Following another round of voting, the "Dancing with the Stars Results Show" will premiere on Tuesday, March 17. The two couples with the lowest combined scores from judges and viewers votes will compete in a Dance Off. Their original set of judges scores will be tossed out and they will perform the same routine again for a new set of judges scores. The new set of scores will be combined with their viewer votes from Monday night and the couple with the lowest combined total will be eliminated.

Source: USAgymnastics.org

HOW TO- Make A Tape Grip

Do you have a rip that just won’t go away? Does it burn when it touches the bar? If so, we are here to help! The magic is in the tape grip. Below are instructions to creating a tape grip and helping ease the pain of the blister.

-Rip off a piece of tape twice the size of your palm.
- Fold the tape over long ways hiding the sticky side. Now it should be half the size crossways.
-Fold the top part of the tape over in a half circle so that the top edge is in line with the bottom part.
-Now you should have created a loophole.
-Place a piece of tape over the folded tape, leaving the loop open for your finger.
-Flip over and do the same on the other side.
-Then use the tape to fasten the tape grip to the wrist. Wrap the tape around a few times to make sure it is secure.
-Test it out. Make any adjustments to length, etc. if needed.


At Gibson Athletic we want to help your athlete become as comfortable as possible in uncomfortable situations. For tape, pre-wrap, and any other sports medicine needs visit www.gibsonathletic.com or call us toll free at 1-800-275-5999.

FUN FACTS!

Who won the 1996 Olympics?

-Lilia Podkopayeva UKR

Who was the first gymnast to score a Perfect 10?

-Nadia Comaneci

Who is America's "Most Decorated Gymnast"?

-Shannon Miller

Who was the 1991 World All-Around Champion?

-Kim Zmeskal


More fun facts are on the way so stay tuned!

One of the Greatest!

Check out one of the greatest athletes of all time...

Charlie Tamayo is of Cuban decent. Defecting from Cuba in 2003 is one of the worlds best gymnasts. He was Cuba's first world medalist at the age of 20. He defected two years later and was ineligible for the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games due to the legalities of citizenship. He will be 31 by the 2012 Olympics. Will he be there?

Salto Cafe

GRIP 101

What is a Grip? A grip is a tool gymnast’s where on the palm of their hands when performing on the bars or rings for both men and women. It is a leather strip that attaches at the fingers and is secured around the wrist with either a buckle or Velcro strip. Upper level gymnasts use grips with a dowel attached to help grip the apparatus. Beginners use basic grips usually with just a plain strip of leather.

Who wears them?

ANYONE can wear grips. From beginner to elite gymnasts there is a grip for you.

Do I need grips?

Depending on your coaches preference grips are a great option for kids having problems with rips or gripping the bar. Grips make gymnasts feel more comfortable performing more difficult skills because they keep your hands secure around the wood and metal bar. For large tap swings, giants, free hips, and dismounts the leather not only protects your hands but makes you feel safer. If athletes are having problems with “peeling off”, grips are a great decision too!

Which Grips Should I Buy?

There are many different brands of grips. Each company’s grips feel a little different. Some athletes like softer leather grips and others prefer a little stiffer grip. It is important to find what works best for you.

Gibson Athletic offers multiple grip lines where you are sure to find the best one for you! We have rainbow grips for beginner athletes. This is the most simple grip on the market, appropriate for any beginner. For beginner to intermediate athletes, the Just Right grips are a good choice. Just Right grips are thinkly cut, so they are ideal for gymnasts with smaller hands. This grip has a wooden dowel and functions the same as regular sized grips just with a smaller strip of leather. For the intermediate to advanced-level gymnast, Gibson recommends Reisport Grips, a leading brand in the industry, worn by many of our Olympians. Reisport offers a “softer” leather grip as well as a “Protec” line which is a stiffer grip. The “Protec” grip is a very durable and long lasting grip. Any of these grips can be purchased through Gibson at http://www.gibsonathletic.com/ or by calling 800-275-5999.

What Else Do I Need?

Under grips you will need to purchase wristbands. This keeps the skin from chafing and ripping. Some prefer the neoprene wrist bands which are thicker and more protective than just the standard cotton. These offer the most protection, although either suffices.

There is also a tool called a grip brush. This keeps grips from getting to smooth and slick. This can help your grips last longer.