Gymnastics Equipment

Generally speaking if an athlete is level 5 or below the use of palm guards is recommended. Level 5 athletes and above generally use dowel grips. Your coach will want you to be at a certain skill level before proceeding to dowel grips.
Palm guards are a leather grip that is worn on the middle and ring finger to the base of the fingers, where the fingers and the palm intersect, and either Velcro or buckle around the wrist. It is always a good idea the use a quality wristbands underneath the grips to keep the grips from chafing the wrist. A Velcro closure is usually best for beginners, but most coaches prefer buckle for higher level athletes because they tend to wrap and unwrap the Velcro strap frequently.
Dowel grips are also leather and are worn on the middle and ring fingers, to the first joint down from the tip of the middle finger (approximately 3/4'' to 1" below the tip of the middle finger), and either Velcro or buckle around the wrist. Wristbands are highly recommended for this type of hand grip as well. A great entry level dowel grip is the woman's Hot Shot grip, because they are very narrow from side to side and made from a slightly thinner leather for easier break in.

The measurement needed to determine the proper size of each style of gymnastics hand grips varies. For example palm guards require a measurement from the base of the fingers (where the fingers and the palm intersect) to the base of the palm (where the palm and the wrist intersect).
For Ladies dowel grips and Mens Ring grips the measurement required is from the tip of the middle finger to the base of the palm (where the palm and the wrist intersect). For example the picture to the right shows the proper sizing for a Ladies dowel grip.
For Mens High Bar grips the measurement required is from the middle of the middle finger( between the two joints in the middle finger approximately 1.5" below the tip of the middle finger) to the base of the palm (where the palm and the wrist intersect).

At one time we were shipping eighty overnight packages a month. That is quite a few, considering the cost. At that time the cost was under $20.00, now the cost is between $35 to $45.00 per order. That is as much as a new pair of hand grips. Parents should consider whether their gymnast could train if their hand grips somehow got lost, misplaced, stolen, the dog ate them, or simply wore out through use. The answer is probably not.
This is the typical chain of events, the gymnast tells their mom or dad that something has happened to their hand grips, at the last possible moment, usually when they have bar practice the very next day. This forces the parents to expedite the shipping so their athlete can train the next day. But the parents have not factored in the time it takes to break in a new pair of hand grips. Here is a better alternative, the parents order two pairs of hand grips. Then have their athlete break in both pairs and ask for one pair back to put in a safe place at home. Now when the athlete tells the parents that their hand grips are no longer usable or lost, the parents can simply give their athlete the back up pair. Upon doing so the parents should order a back up pair again so the athlete always has a spare pair. This keeps the parents from incurring expensive shipping charges.

When most people think about gymnastics equipment, they visualize the apparatus that they swing on. One of the most important pieces of personal gymnastics equipment is their gymnastics hand grips. Hand grips help protect the gymnasts hands as well as give them the ability to do certain skills that they otherwise could not perform.

Tiger Paw wrist supports have arguably become the wrist support of choice for gymnastics and cheerleaders. Many gymnasts and other athletes have developed sore wrists or worse from overuse. The primary area of use in woman's gymnastics is floor exercise, beam, and vault, male gymnasts use them for floor exercise, and vault. They are not especially good for pommel horse because part of the wrist support covers the base of the palm area. A better alternative is the hyper wrist support.
Tiger paw wrist supports can be hand washed in Woolite and laid out flat to dry, like a fine sweater. Never machine wash or dry. Some parents have advised us that after six months to a year of use they must be replaced because the odor cannot be removed.
Whenever the issue of the cost of the product is discussed, I compare the cost to that of visiting an Orthopedic surgeon. I think this is an easy choice.

Did you know that in the early years, when I first started US Glove Inc., gymnasts developed certain products they needed by recycling old worn out hand grips? It's true. The hyper wrist support is one example. Gymnasts used to take old, worn out Velcro dowel grips, and cut the palm portion away, and use the remaining part for a wrist guard. They weren't very comfortable but they served a purpose. Athletes asked me if I could put some padding inside to make them more comfortable, and if I could extend the flange up to help block the wrist. US Glove Inc. was the first company to manufacture the hyper wrist support. It is now available in three sizes (small, medium, and large), and is a favorite among male gymnasts on the pommel horse.

I have been in the leather business since I was 12 years old. I earned all my extra spending money in Junior High and High School by selling hand tooled leather belts and other leather items. Over the years I have made many different products including belts, purses, visors, wallets, vests, and even sandals from leather. I put myself through college by selling belts at our local flea market. Shortly after college I was weight lifting at a local gym and ran into the brother of a guy I ran track with. He was wearing a pair of basic palm guards for weightlifting. My original thought was to make a fingerless weightlifting glove. Upon further examination I found that no one else was making Gymnastics hand grips in the United States, how fortunate. So I decided to form US Glove and start manufacturing grips, which we have been doing for 24 years, here in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

I started US Glove in April 1985., But have been working with leather for 38 years. The learn more about me and my talented staff go to my bio page.