Start with the finger holes pointed upward and the dowel facing you. Wrap the leather around the dowel and roll the grip down to the cuff. Follow the same procedure with the dowel facing away from you. You should notice a difference in the softening of the leather. Perform this step several times on each grip and on the wrist cuffs as well. Never pinch the leather sharply as this could be detrimental the leather.

When it comes to the finger holes, shown is an example of what not to do to adjust the finger holes. Stretching the opening by hooking it on something and pulling or cutting the holes with a knife or another sharp object can weaken or damage the leather beyond repair or use. (grips with finger holes that are damaged or ripped because of this can NOT be replaced under warranty!)

The proper way to adjust the finger holes is to use a small piece of sandpaper and a pencil. Wrap the sandpaper around the pencil and slowly and carefully sand around the inside of the holes until you have the desired fit.

Once you have desired feel it is ok to start using your grips with basic swings and skills until the grips feel comfortable enough for full giant swings and more advanced skills. Remember it is always a good idea to have a broken-in back up pair of grips at all times. To order new gymnastics grips, go to http://wwww.american-gymnast.com/shop/Gymnastics-Grips-C3.aspx

Train Smart. Compete Hard!

Jay Thornton
American Gymnast

The post How to break-in gymnastics grips appeared first on American Gymnast and Ninja.

The next few clips are examples of the grip being too long. With these grips the gymnast can fully extend her hand and fingers. The grip may also be so long that the grip slides off the fingers. Here we see the grip laying off to the side of the gymnasts palm instead of the center. This can cause the dowel to slide to the side while the gymnast is hanging and swinging on the bar. These examples can cause the grip to lock around the bar, increasing the chance for injury.

As you can see with these next two examples, the stitching between the grip and strap or at the dowel can come loose over time due to the pulling and stretching of the grips during use. Tears in the Velcro can also occur from the pulling and tightening of the straps. The Velcro on the straps can become layered with fuzz and foam, decreasing the binding and effectiveness of the Velcro.

Regularly check your grips for signs of weakness and make sure you always have a back up pair of grips. To order new grips, go to http://wwww.american-gymnast.com/shop/Gymnastics-Grips-C3.aspx.

Train Smart. Compete Hard!

Jay Thornton
American Gymnast

The post When to replace gymnastics grips appeared first on American Gymnast and Ninja.

I can certainly empathize with Sho on this … it definitely is a scary situation any time a grip breaks since the gymnast usually flies off the apparatus without any warning or chance to prepare for the landing.  I have had my high bar and ring grips break a few times myself.  My ring grips broke one time while coming out of a Guzoghy just as I was kicking for my dismount. The worst part was that it was 3 days before I was getting married and I ended up with 3 or 4 stitches and 2 black eyes to show off during my wedding!  I’m not sure if my wife was more upset about me getting hurt, or that I ruined our wedding pictures!  So, I can personally attest to how dangerous it can be when a gymnast’s grips break.

As Sho stated, there were some other instances of men’s gymnastics grips breaking across the country, but it seemed to be fairly isolated to the more elite level men.  Of course this makes sense considering that these are the bigger gymnasts doing the most advanced skills.  Even though out of the thousands and thousands of grips Reisport sells each year it was an extremely low percentage of grips that broke, Reisport manufacturing did take notice and set out to solve the issues.  About a month or so ago, Reisport introduced a new leather for all of the men’s high bar grips and men’s ring grips.  This leather is now a brown or chocolate color.  All of the Reisport men’s high bar and ring grips will now be manufactured with this new leather.  These started shipping out just a few weeks ago, and so far, the feedback we have received has been positive about them.  I spoke with the Stanford men’s coach, Thom Gilemi, to get his early feedback on the new Reisport chocolate leather some of his guys have had for just a couple of weeks now, and he stated that they “haven’t had any tears yet” with these new grips.

I would also like to take a minute to talk about the importance of breaking in your grips properly.  A lot of times a gymnast will put on a brand new pair of grips and think that they feel great their first turn up on the apparatus.  They will then go ahead and do some of their biggest skills their first couple of turns on these brand new grips.  Though the grips feel great those first few turns, this is the exact wrong way to break the grips in and can drastically shorten the life of the grips.  Doing this causes the leather to stretch out too quickly, instead of allowing the leather to stretch gradually over time.  Think about it this way … you wouldn’t walk into a gym completely cold and jump right down into a straddle split, would you?  You’d be likely to tear a muscle.  You would want to warm-up a bit and then gradually stretch down into your split.  The same is true for your grips.  Take your time doing basic swings and giants on them, ideally for several practices, before you really start tapping hard on them for your bigger skills.

We will continue to monitor the feedback on the new Reisport chocolate leather grips and keep you updated.  If you’ve received some of these new grips recently and had a chance to use them, post your feedback about them in the comments section below.

Train Smart. Compete Hard!

Jay Thornton
American Gymnast

The post Reisport Gymnastics Grips – New Leather appeared first on American Gymnast and Ninja.

Step 1: Decide if you need Palm Grips or Dowel Grips.  (If you need help in determining this, please see our Video on Choosing Palm Grips versus Dowel Grips)

Step 2: Using a ruler or tape measure, measure your hand in inches according to the following:

• Step 2a: If purchasing Beginner Palm Gymnastics Grips

– Measure from the BASE of the palm to the BASE of the fingers.  Palm grips are worn at the base of the fingers, so you only need to measure the palm of the hand that is being covered by the grips.

• Step 2b: If purchasing Dowel Gymnastics Grips

– Measure from the BASE of the palm (where the wrist and palm meet) to the TIP of the middle finger.  Dowel Grips are worn between the last two knuckles on your fingers

Step 3: Refer to the Sizing Chart listed on the product page for the particular style and brand of grips you are purchasing.  Each grip manufacturer uses a slightly different sizing chart, so be sure to look at the sizing chart for that pair of grips you are purchasing.  Choose the size that corresponds to your measurement in inches.

• For Girls or Boys Beginner Palm Gymnastics Grips
• For Girls Gymnastics Grips for Uneven Bars
• For Boys Gymnastics Grips for High Bar
• For Boys Gymnastics Grips for Rings

If your measurement falls right in-between two sizes, we generally recommend you select the smaller size.  Because the grips are made of leather, they will stretch over time with use.  When the grips become too long it becomes more difficult for the gymnast to hang on the bar or rings as tightly, and the leather will also get thinner with more and more use.  Therefore, it is extremely important to immediately replace worn or over-stretched grips when you first notice it.

Disclaimer: Each manufacturer’s sizing chart is an approximate guide and does not guarantee a safe or perfect fit. The gymnast and his/her coach must decide on the appropriate size by evaluating the actual grip once it is on the gymnast’s hand. There are dimensions to the hand that cannot be taken into account with a flat measurement, such as the position on the wrist where the gymnast might decide to wear the wristband. Only the gymnast and his/her coach can make the proper judgment as to the correct size for any gymnast. American Gymnast will not be held liable for failure and/or injury due to the use of an incorrectly sized grip. The coach and the gymnast must take final responsibility as to the fitness of a particular size. Improper fitting grips that have not been used may be exchanged for proper size.

The post 3-Step Approach to Sizing Gymnastics Grips appeared first on American Gymnast and Ninja.

Step 1: Decide if you need Palm Grips or Dowel Grips.  (If you need help in determining this, please see our Video on Choosing Palm Grips versus Dowel Grips)

Step 2: Using a ruler or tape measure, measure your hand in inches according to the following:

Step 2a: If purchasing Beginner Palm Gymnastics Grips

–       Measure from the BASE of the palm to the BASE of the fingers.  Palm grips are worn at the base of the fingers, so you only need to measure the palm of the hand that is being covered by the grips.

Step 2b: If purchasing Dowel Gymnastics Grips

–       Measure from the BASE of the palm (where the wrist and palm meet) to the TIP of the middle finger.  Dowel Grips are worn between the last two knuckles on your fingers

Step 3: Refer to the Sizing Chart listed on the product page for the particular style and brand of grips you are purchasing.  Each grip manufacturer uses a slightly different sizing chart, so be sure to look at the sizing chart for that pair of grips you are purchasing.  Choose the size that corresponds to your measurement in inches.

• • For Girls or Boys Beginner Palm Gymnastics Grips
  • For Girls Gymnastics Grips for Uneven Bars
  • For Boys Gymnastics Grips for High Bar
  • For Boys Gymnastics Grips for Rings

If your measurement falls right in-between two sizes, we generally recommend you select the smaller size.  Because the grips are made of leather, they will stretch over time with use.  When the grips become too long it becomes more difficult for the gymnast to hang on the bar or rings as tightly, and the leather will also get thinner with more and more use.  Therefore, it is extremely important to immediately replace worn or over-stretched grips when you first notice it.

Disclaimer: Each manufacturer’s sizing chart is an approximate guide and does not guarantee a safe or perfect fit. The gymnast and his/her coach must decide on the appropriate size by evaluating the actual grip once it is on the gymnast’s hand. There are dimensions to the hand that cannot be taken into account with a flat measurement, such as the position on the wrist where the gymnast might decide to wear the wristband. Only the gymnast and his/her coach can make the proper judgment as to the correct size for any gymnast. American Gymnast will not be held liable for failure and/or injury due to the use of an incorrectly sized grip. The coach and the gymnast must take final responsibility as to the fitness of a particular size. Improper fitting grips that have not been used may be exchanged for proper size.

The post 3-Step Approach to Sizing Gymnastics Grips appeared first on American Gymnast and Ninja.

Palm Grips primarily provide basic protection for the palm of the hand. They are intended for beginner (mostly non-competitive) gymnasts or for athletes just training pull-ups and/or basic swings.

Dowel Grips are typically for competitive gymnasts that are swinging at least bar height (horizontal). If you need gymnastics grips with a dowel, choose either Uneven Bar Grips (for girls), High Bar Grips (for guys), or Ring Grips (for guys).

The post Selecting the Correct Gymnastics Grips – Palm versus Dowel Grips appeared first on American Gymnast and Ninja.