teaching REGRASP on a gymnastics bar

Most gyms spend far too little time teaching the skill of regrasp on a bar. (I’ve posted on this in the past.) Here are some more advanced examples:

Watch closely. How gymnasts “catch” a bar is far more complicated than gymnasts realize.

Those with hand guards often contact the bar first with the wrist then slide or bounce down the bar until the hands are in the correct position. (This is one of the main reasons I prefer female gymnasts to delay starting to use hand guards as long as possible.)

Many gymnasts catch “close” with bent arms to be sure they do not miss the regrasp. (It’s impressive to see a release move caught with straight arms!)

The natural deflection of the bar (especially Horizontal Bar) complicates matters.

Hoshi Yosuke of Japan – original photo – flickr

One of the girls at Funtastics, Idaho learned a Jaeger salto very quickly. But was frustrated by repeatedly getting her hands on the bar — and “pinging”. She couldn’t hang on.

What to do?

SUGGESTED DRILLS (asking the gymnast to watch the bar closely):

Jump from a distance and “slap” the bar.

Jump from a distance and “regrasp” the bar. Then push away.

Jump from a distance and “regrasp” the bar.

Jump from standing on the bar and “regrasp”. Then push away.

Jump from standing on the bar and “regrasp” to swing out.

REPEAT DRILLS increasing distance or adding a challenge. (Clapping the hands. With twist. etc.)

Of course either “missing” the bar or “catching and then slipping” is very dangerous. Coaches must prepare athletes for “crashing” safely after a miss. Spotting and sufficient matting is essential.

(AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Italian Vanessa Ferrari is about to miss the grip during the women’s uneven bars final at the Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart, southern Germany, Saturday, Sept. 8, 2007.

ESPN