An update to the old “agility ladder”, this product called “Universal Strength Apparatus” made by BodyWeightCulture might be terrific for young gymnasts. It’s quite inexpensive at $99 in the USA.
Each Universal Strength Apparatus – (USA) – Suspention Training Ladder features:
-12 handles
-1 foot attachment
-2 hooks
-1 over-the-door attachment
When two USA ladders are attached to one another in series you get a total length of about 16 feet and 24 steps. That’s a lot of climbing fun! The USA handles are designed to rotate freely which allows for less friction on the skin, yet forcing fingers, wrists and forearms to work harder than on the stabilized bar.
… the hook over the bar attachment design allows to adjust the height of the apparatus to place the foot attachment exactly where you need it.
Can USA handle my weight?USA can support up to 300 lbs, however while testing this apparatus it was able to support 4 grown men with a total weight of over 600 lbs.
read more – Elastic Steel
Click PLAY or watch a video of the device in use on YouTube.
Thanks Celciusss who sent us a link to that video.
It may be safer to introduce climbing to preschool kids on something like this rather than a rope. And there are dozens of advanced conditioning variations for the older athletes.
related post: teaching safe rope climb to beginners
1 comment so far ↓
These look pretty neat and they popped up over in a thread on gymnasticbodies.com ( coach Sommer’s website and forum ). There are some interesting applications.
However, considering how the handles can move around, I would not reccomend them for a beginning climber. Ropes with properly placed knots tied in are an awesome tool and I’ve yet to see a child slip with these compared to the possibility of slipping on a non-knotted rope.
Actually, I would say cargo nets at the end of a pit at a slight grade are just about the most awesome climbing activity for preschoolers. Don’t let them climb too high or a coach will have to go get them, and speaking from experience, this is kind of annnoying and amusing. More so the first than the latter.
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