Can. NOT. Get. Kip...

[gymgirly]

Ill skip all the history but basically i CANNOT GET MY KIP!! it is the most frustrating thing ever. everyone for probablly the last 2 months has told me that it looks like the kip of a girl who has it just misses that time. aparently im lacking the very final part of getting ontop of the bar. me and my coaches have been searching for solutions for awhile now.

im about to enter major meet season and i need this skill to compete aau optional novice. on days out of the gym i have tripled my normal conditioning to try to help it. also, i have done one kip of my own. one! but no more then that. oh and another thing is i get a spot and my coach tells me all it was a "chalk mark" spot and that i would have made it if they didn't touch me. we have run out of ideas. input/tips/similar experiences ANYTHING HELPS!! thanks to all

 

[wallinbl]

on days out of the gym i have tripled my normal conditioning to try to help it.

Have you tried taking a few days off to rest? You might simply be pushing too hard. Sometimes a break can do wonders (gymnastics or otherwise).

 

[Aussie_coach]

First off be aware that this is very normal. The kip is not easy, I have seen some kids try for a kip for years and years and still not get it. I have seen kids be at the stage you are at for a good year or so and not get it. As the above poster stated you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself to get it, feeling you are so close and must have it by a certain date. This can actually affect your ability to get the skill. You mind is often convinced it will just get to the last point and not make it and your body is doing what your mind is telling it too do.

Being able to almost get it but not get it right at the end does not necessarily mean that there is a problem with the end of the skill. It can mean there is a problem somewhere else in the skill and its stopping your from getting the momentum you need to finish it. There are so many things that could be going wrong that no coach could fix it without seeing it. If you posted a video we would be able to help you more.

 

[nicci1999]

Take a step back from it for a couple of days, sometimes that really is all that you need. Also, see yourself doing it. Visualization has helped me a lot. And I don't believe you need a kip for aau optional novice....I'm doing ladies aau optional novice and it is not required, so maybe that will take a little pressure off of you for the time being. Never try to get a skill by a certain time, it will come when it comes, and I promise, it will come. Sorry I couldn't give you any advice on how to get it! BTW, remember you have done a kip by yourself...which means you can and WILL do it by yourself again!

 

[sophgymnast]

I understand how you feel, a kip can be a frustrating skill. My advice would be to stop conditioning so hard for a bit. Sometimes all you need is a break. When you're trying to get on top of the bar, try to think of doing a front hipcircle right after it. This will at least maybe try to help you lean over the bar. Also, make sure you have a long glide and keep your hands so that your hips can fit. A kip is like a riding a bike with no training wheels - once you get it, you'll always have it even if some days you can't get it up. It's a large process. You'll get it soon, don't worry! Just keep a positive mine and keep trying


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[mimi]

Try to take the pressure off. My dd was in the same situation and started basically muscling it up right before meet season so she could compete. Now she has had to spend a lot of time "fixing" the kip, and it is beginning to hold her back.

 

[marie83]

I had a gymnast who could not get her kip - she wasn't even close after 3 years of trying! I know that sounds hard to believe but she wasn't - she just couldn't get the timing, and didn't seem strong enough, despite doing a lot of conditioning!
All the other gymnasts were getting their kips - some of them 2 years younger than her and had only been learning it for a few months, but she was so determined she wouldn't let it beat her.

One day I had a brainwave and asked her to try it on the strap bar. It was more like a long hang kip as she started in front support, cast away from the bar and then swung forwards and back before attempting the kip.
After a good week of practicing these she got it! I got her to continue practicing on the strap bar for a good month before returning to the wooden bar.
When we went back to the wooden bar she could not do it straight away but she was actually close! (like you describe in your post) I asked her to try a long hang kip on the high bar and she did it!
At the very end of that session she got her glide kip too! It wasn't pretty, but she did it!

In all it took my gymnast 4 years to get it - she had to miss 1 year of competition because she couldn't do it. She has had it for just under a year now, and it still isn't pretty, but she gets up and can at least compete!

I wonder if doing some on strap bar, or working on long hang kips would help you? It sounds like it is a timing thing rather than strength!

Good luck!

 

[pattymello]

Kips can be a really hard skill to get and for a lot of people they seem to get stuck in the so close but so far area just before they make it to support. I have go a couple of level 4 boys who have recently been trying to learn kip. One of them came across the same problem you have described. As a solution i had him trying to do a kip and immediately do a forward roll at the top of it. obviously i started by spotting him through it but within a week he was able to do a kip half the time he tried. After a month he can do them quite easily.

Rolling forward over the bar after the kip will get you moving your shoulders forward at the top of the kip and into support. If you are really close to getting the kip you should definitely give this a try.

 

[BlairBob]

Generally I have a few basic requirements for kips such as 10 Hanging Leg Lifts, a 10 second V-hang, 20 second L-hang and 5 pullups and dips.

But in all honesty, I've had gymnasts who couldn't do any of these and could still kip because they learn the timing. Granted, their kips might not be pretty with locked out arms but it's passable.

Boy's L5 kip is generally easier since it's a long hang kip versus a glide kip. For the gals, most get their glide kip before their long hang kip since they have to work on the different time and the jump and catch to the high bar.

 

[pattymello]

Hey blairbob. What specific drills do you use to develope the timing for the kip?