How Can Gymnastics Athletes Improve with a Bagjump Airbag?
Better progression, easier landings, and more confidence—these are some of the key improvements athletes experience when they start training with a Bagjump airbag.
A complete training program in gymnastics comes with its fair share of challenges. Athletes need to push their bodies every day, develop the mental resilience to stay comfortable in discomfort, and, at the same time, prevent serious injuries at all costs.
With so many risks and requirements, training with the right equipment can make the difference between success and failure. We spoke with Rebecca McKevitt, a former gymnast with over 15 years of experience as both an athlete and a coach. She shared her insights on how airbags are changing the game for gymnasts worldwide and what improvements she has seen in athletes training with them.
Faster Progression and Skill Development
One of the biggest concerns for a gymnast is developing their skills at the right pace without risking injuries that could hinder their progress or end their career. Transitioning from trampolines to mats to vaults is always a tough challenge. According to Rebecca, transitioning too quickly to harder surfaces can cause athletes to take a step back or increase their risk of injury.
While working at her gymnastics facility, Rebecca noticed that using a Bagjump airbag was the ideal intermediate step between starting on a trampoline and moving to a hard floor. Athletes were able to build their skills and progress in a safer environment before being pushed to perform on the vault.
Better Protection from Injuries
Gymnastics is known for being extremely tough on the body. The constant repetition of highly demanding routines takes a serious toll on an athlete’s physical condition. Many gymnasts suffer from overuse injuries even before their professional careers begin.
Rebecca knows this firsthand and shared her opinion:
“When athletes are in season, it can be brutal on the body. If they get to practice on our Airpit Gymnastics airbags or Airpit Standalone airbags once or twice a week, it can help eliminate overuse injuries, which are one of the biggest issues gymnasts face. This is how my back injury started, and it eventually forced me to medically retire from gymnastics.”
Currently, traditional foam pits do not provide the level of safety that athletes need. With a Bagjump Standalone airbag, the impact is distributed more evenly, significantly reducing the risk of injury.
Increased Confidence
When an athlete is learning a new skill, confidence is just as important as technique. Rebecca saw many athletes hesitate when trying something for the first time, fearing the consequences of a bad landing. Mistakes can happen quickly and unexpectedly.
With a Bagjump Standalone airbag, athletes can focus on refining their technique without the fear of injury.
Rebecca explains: “I think the increase in confidence is a big one—at least with the kids I coached. They all felt much more comfortable trying new skills (vaults) onto the airbag. They knew they would be safe, and they could train more efficiently (take more turns) because of the reduced impact on the body.”
She also shared her students’ first impressions of a Bagjump airbag:
“They described it as fluffy compared to what they had before. A lot of mats have harsher material on top, but airbags have a soft sheet that makes the landing more comfortable.”
Improved Hygiene and Maintenance
Right now, one of the biggest drawbacks of foam pits is hygiene. Rebecca was very clear about this issue: “A pit can never really be cleaned properly. The only way is either spraying it down or removing every single block to get rid of the dust. It’s nasty to think about, but people have bled, peed, and even snot-rocketed into the pit, and we were just supposed to land in it every day.”
As gymnasts get older and more experienced, they start avoiding foam pits because of how unclean they are. Airbags, on the other hand, can be easily sanitized.
“The fact that the Gymanstics airbag can be cleaned makes it so much more sanitary. The older you get as an athlete, the more you try to avoid the pit because it’s disgusting,” Rebecca adds.
Easier Landings and Faster Training Sessions
From an athlete’s perspective, one of the most frustrating parts of foam pits is how difficult they are to climb out of. Rebecca mentioned several situations where she had to help kids get out, which not only exhausted the athletes and their coaches but also slowed down training sessions.
According to Rebecca, the problem worsens in the summer. Foam cubes absorb moisture, making them sticky and uncomfortable to move through.
“Getting out of the pit in summer is disgusting and annoying because the cubes get wet and stick to the person,” she says.
On the other hand, athletes using a Bagjump airbag can get up quickly and move to the next turn without wasting time.
We frequently talk about the benefits of airbags, and it’s great to see firsthand how athletes experience improvements in their training routines because of them. From preventing injuries to boosting confidence and improving hygiene, the advantages of a Bagjump Gymnastics airbag are undeniable.
At the end of the day, gymnastics is a sport that demands both physical and mental strength. Giving athletes the right tools ensures they can train smarter, stay safer, and push their limits without fear.
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