Grips were originally developed to protect the hands from the high levels of friction when swinging on the bars.  They were simple flat leather strips.

However, as time passed the skills became more difficult and demanding on the hands.  The hands needed to be able to handle more pressure to simply hang on to the bars. So the grips with dowels were developed, which allow the athlete to handle higher pressures when doing higher level skills.  Ultimately grips help hold on to the bar better in addition to taking some of the friction away.  However, it does take some time to break them in and get used to them.

The dowel grips are different when used on different apparatus.  Men use different shape grips for high bar versus the rings.  Women have one set of grips. 

Dowels are an essential part of what makes gymnastics grips effective for high forces placed on hands. They are the tube part of the grip that allow the leather to fold over the bar.  Dowels (when used correctly) elongate the fingers and allow for a higher grip strength.  It is estimated that a male gymnast experiences about 5 times their body weight when passing through the bottom of the high bar.  for an average gymnast of 150lbs weight that would be about 750lbs of weight they have to hold on to when passing through the bottom.  Obviously without the dowels that would not be possible and the gymnast would slip away.

Many young athletes rush into getting grips and there are a few considerations that must be made prior to spending the money on a new pair of grips.
Looks cool - Many think that having grips is a sign of great gymnastics.  Although many great gymnasts wear them, there are numerous international gymnasts competing at the world level without grips on the women's side.  Difficult but not impossible.  Only get them when necessary.

Preventing Rips - If your reasoning is to not get any more rips on your hand then you will be surprised that with grips you will also get additional rips due to leather rubbing against your wrist and fingers. So that should not be the deciding factor.

Small Hands - When you have small hands and you put grips on, it will actually make it harder to grasp the bar and have a good solid grip.  In turn, a pair of grips would hinder your gymnastics ability since now the bar seems bigger in your hands.   We do not recommend them for smaller gymnasts.

Increased gymnastics capability - When you are getting better and performing harder skills, that might be an indication to get grips.  When swinging bigger it would prevent slipping away from the bars.  Our general rule for our students is: If you swing below the bar then no grips are required.  If you swing above the bar, then grips are warranted.

As mentioned above, grips will not prevent rips from happening.  What prevents rips from happening is understanding how to grip the bar and when to squeeze. Beginner gymnasts squeeze the bar 100% of the time, but professional gymnasts only squeeze the bar at certain times and relax the hand to decrease friction and heat generation.  That is mainly the reason why you experience getting more rips at the beginning of your gymnastics career than when you are a seasoned one.
On the other hand grips can cause additional rips and blisters due to the leather rubbing against your wrist and fingers. 

Gymnastics grips need to fold in a S-shape to hug the bars.  Many gymnast use their grips the wrong way and it is very surprising when we see coaches not pay attention to this important factor.  A gymnasts ability to perform dynamically and with confidence is 100% related to how confident they are with the grasp on the bars.  If they feel uncomfortable they will not swing with full swing and will hold back to prevent a slip.  Therefore it is very important that the grips are fitted correctly and most importantly broken in correctly.  Since they are made out of leather, they will form and shape to the way you fold them and use them. Consult with your coach about the correct folding and gripping the bar.

Depending on the brand you are getting the sizing might be numbered from 00, 0, 1, 2, 3 or sized by XS, S, M, L.  Below you will see a list of a few vendors that sell the different brands of grips with a recommended sizing.  Remember the size of the grips must be the perfect fit for your hands.  Also as you use them they will stretch (like leather shoes) and will get longer.  So definitely do not go bigger than recommended.

Your safety and ability to perform with confidence are related to how your grips fit around the bar and how secure you feel while performing.  The grips should not be misformed and skewed to the side. 

The most popular gymnastics grips are:

 - Reisport
 - Gibson
 - ReichelSport
 - DGS
 - Bailie
 - English Bulldog
 - Nastia Liukin
 - Super Grips
 - TruGrip
 - US Glove 

The choice on getting a velcro grip or a buckle grip is pure preference.  One is not better or superior over the other.  Some gymnasts enjoy one versus the other.  There are some inherent differences and benefits of one versos the other.  You just have to choose what is more important to you.

The two main dangers of grips are:

Grip Snapping - This occurs when the grips are too dry or stretched unnaturally. When you use water on the grips the grips become dry and stiff, which makes them more prone to creating cracks and weakness.

Sometimes the grips also spontaneously snap due to the weakness of a knot in the leather.  This is obviously not preventable or foreseeable.

Grip Locking - This is a very traumatic event both for the athletes and those who witness it happening.  When the grips are stretched and oversized there comes a moment when the tip of the folded dowel will touch the bottom of the grip going around the bar.  That will cause an immediate locking of the leather and tightening, which will stop the affected hand from moving.  If the gymnast is going high-velocity skills and giants, they will continue moving around the bar while their hand is stuck in the same position causing multiple fractures at the wrist and arm level.  Needless to say, the grips should NEVER be oversized and stretched out due to overuse.

Alway check your grips prior to usage for any cracks dry areas and make sure the grips are not to long.  This is an important safety check that must be done and must be taught to the athletes to learn to to take responsibility for their own safety and health.

This is something that has been abused and it makes me cringe when I see athletes completely wet their grips with water spray.  As mentioned above wetting your leather grips will cause them to dry up and become unsafe for use, as they will potentially snap.
The concept of water usage is to slightly mist your grip and only a few drops.  

Gymnastics World and the author do not endorse any of the following vendors, nor have any affiliation with any of these vendors.  The following list is for your convenience and quick search for grips.  You can always search the web for appropriate grips and the pricing as they do vary based on vendors.

Author:   Coach Freddy Behin

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