Today I read this post this by Sho Nakamori, while he was training on bars and dismounting, his grip snapped and left his hand to go loose. It’s never happened to me but it’s a scary thought – especially when Sho only had them 2 days. I completely agree with him that this is unacceptable, how dangerous! Why do you think this is so? Have the companies who make hand grips not kept up with todays current moves and haven’t been developing new durable grips, strong enough to support the moves currently being performed by gymnasts worldwide?
It made me think, I’ve never seen a pair of grips break – although I’m extremely cautious of the loops that we use for the metal loop bar in our club. They’re recommended to be replaced 1 year from purchase. Often the girls forget their own so they are sharing which means some gymnasts loops will get used more than others and are being used double the amount that they normally would.
So, how many of you have had or have seen hand grips break? Are there some hand grips you would recommend over others? Leave a comment and share your views on hand grips.
NOT unheard of. Our friend, Mario West, had the exact same thing happen at the Winter Cup a year and a half ago — High Bar was his first event, and it happened during warmups. It didn’t injure him badly, but it affected the whole meet.
Since then, he’s been going to a gentleman in Gaithersburg, MD named “Tien” (not sure of the spelling), who handcrafts his grips. Apparently, the Japanese and Chinese national teams both buy from this craftsman as well, and Mario seems to have more confidence in his grips.
Thanks for your comment Dave, I’ve not seen it myself as I wouldn’t be teaching a top standard of gymnastics but good to know that it does happen often enough. I’d imagine having your grips hand crafted would be expensive? But well worth it for the fit and confidence in the grips.