HOW TO: kip?

[amberdezi]

hey guys, i havent done a kip in several years, and i cant even remember any tips my coach used to give me on how to do one. do you guys have any good tips at all? the more detailed, the better

 

[fishchimes]

For the kip, it's important to be able to do at least a few leg lifts. You can do that, start by doing glide extends.

Make sure that you jump into the glide the correct way- lift your hips, NOT YOUR SHOULDERS, too often I have seen people attempting a glide by a jumping straight up with their arms in front of them. This results in a jolting sensation and short, stunted glide. You should have your arms by your ears during the jump so that you can do a long, smooth glide. If you want, you can jump off of a block; this is helpful for shorter gymnasts but detrimental to tall ones. Practice jumping a few times.

For the glide, you can either separate your legs into a straddle, or keep them straight in a pike. Whichever you choose, they should remain straight throughout the skill (tough isn't it!!). Try doing a few glides, extending your body as far as you can and keeping your body tight. If they feel smooth, try lifting your ankles (not your toes or your knees or, God forbid, your thighs- shins are alright) to the bar at the end of the glide and keeping them there as you swing back and forth.

Now for the actual kip. It is imperative that you keep your legs along the bar at all times. Allowing them to drop, even just a little, will make the kip much more difficult (take it from someone who has let them drop many times!). You should think of "riding" the bar/your legs. Some coaches will tell you to "pull up your pants". It is possible to make a keep with your legs too far away, but it is difficult and impossible to make connections out of (say, a clear hip circle). BE SURE THAT YOU ARE NOT LIFTING YOUR LEGS TOO HIGH AT THE START OF THE KIPPING MOTION. By this, I mean lift the bar to your ankles or shins, but never to knees or thighs. Why? This will give less time to get your shoulders in position to lean over and make kipping with straight arms extremely difficult. While it is acceptable to bend your arms when first learning the kip, eventually straightening them out should be your goal from the beginning.

Here is some basic conditioning for the kip:
V-ups (sets of 10)
Leg lifts
Tuck holds (progression for L-holds)
L-holds
Stand a spring board with hands on bar (the bar should be AT LEAST as high as your shoulders), jump to front support and cast out of it, repeat.
Stemme rises
Drop kips with spot
Hang on bar with toes to the bar
Hollow holds
Pike stretch (if you are inflexible like me)

 

[AerialGirl]

Something that one of my teammates told me that actually really works:

When you're going for your kip, say this in your head while you do it; SWING, LIFT, SHOVE, SHIFT (Swing your body, lift your legs, shove as hard as you can, and shift your wrists)