Gymnastics Pit: Dos and Don’ts

DO NOT…

Do not land head first into the pit

Do not bury yourself under the pit blocks.

Do not attempt skills you cannot do by yourself safely

Do not land on your knees in the pit

Do not dig holes in the pit blocks

Do not throw foam out of the pit

Do not pick the foam pit blocks apart

Do not throw foam blocks at anyone’s face

MAKE SURE…

Make sure you land in the pit!

Make sure you take turns going into the pit

Make sure only one gymnast at a time is in the pit

Make sure no one is in the pit before you use it

Make sure to land in a pike position if dropping from rope

Make sure the foam pit is fluffed regularly

*Make sure to clean out the foam pit every once in-awhile

*It is very important to take time and clean out the gymnastics pit a few times a year. Over time and with a lot of wear and tear the blocks start to flake apart. This causes a lot o dust and small foam pit pieces to be in the pit that often get into the gymnast’s eyes. When you clean out foam pits you may never know what you may find in the bottom. Some of the common things are hair clips, headbands, ponytail holders, stud earrings, jewelry, socks (even though they aren’t suppose to wear them), Band-Aids, etc. And you may even find a few crazy things; we have found glasses, retainers, hand grips, and a dead mouse.

Cleaning a foam pit out can be a very dirty job. Make sure you wear masks and even safety glasses to keep all the dust and flakes out of your mouth, nose, and eyes!

One of our gymnasts always got foam pieces in her eyes, so one day she came to class wearing swimming goggles! She wore the goggles the whole time she did pit tumbling…Needless to say she didn’t get any foam in her eyes!