Teaching a kip series

[BeamPrincess]

I am at the stage of getting my gymnasts to learn a kip series of for example 3 kips in a row - ready to put a kip after a clear hip circle.

Any help would be greatly appreciated please. From how it should be done and positions to drills to get it right etc...

Many thanks

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

One thing that is important when learning kips in a row is to make sure that the single kip is strong before connecting - straight arms, can make easily, can cast out of it (doesn't have to be high). Strong abdominal muscles and shoulder/arm muscles, like those trained for the kip, are good, though once they learn to do several kips they will quickly build up endurance in these muscles.

One thing our coaches did with us was they trained LOTS of straddle leg lifts, and straddle leg lifts from horizontal to make sure we would be able to keep our feet up on the kip, since lots of girls had trouble with this. We also did straddle holds, hanging from a bar, lifing our legs as high as we could.

I learned my kips in a row without drills. I merely wanted to be able to do them, since I already had all my level 5 skills and wanted to uptrain. It took me a little bit to figure out the correct swing that would give me momentum and put me in the right place to kip and keep my legs up. This was trial and error. When I watched the optionals to clear hip-HS-kip, I noticed that they lifted their legs really high in a straddle when they went under the bar, so I tried that too. I tried to just drop beneath the bar, not push far away from it, and to lift my legs so they were in a really high straddle.

 

[gymdog]

I do this the whole time they are learning kip, but it also helps here too. You can put a block behind the low bar, where they start the kip. Close enough so that the hips are lifted, but enough room to do straight arms. They will start holding the bar with the feet on the block (i.e. no jump to the bar) and then just kind of "slide" off the block into the glide, cast back to stand, slide off, etc. This helps to just build some muscle and endurance to do them in a row before they're really "ready" to do kips. Usually I spot this.

Then I take the block away and spot. I lift them to a low clear support and we stop there (for like two seconds) to have some control. Like you would lift a kid out for a low cast. They need to keep good body tension. Just a very low "cast", feet are pointing down to the floor. Then I drop them towards the floor and quickly move a hand under the legs to make sure they do a hollow/pike (no long hang kip). I always start it from a pike because of ease of spotting.

Then they are ready to just try it by myself, in my opinion, they have to just try it like the kip. They aren't going to get it immediately. However I always want to see the toes in front, not arching or legs bent behind. Make sure they are doing good glides always.

 

[triptwister]

Put the uneven bars close to one another. Or use the set that the recreational classes use if that set is close together. Front support on the high bar facing the lower bar...underswing using straight arms bringing the ankles up to the upper bar aimed between your hands as you swing down...you pass through a momentary pike hanging from your hands...open to a stretched sit on the low bar while you are still holding on to the high bar...kip back up to the high bar...repeat...repeat...may be spotted if necessary.

This is the good ole fashioned way to condition your kips before you develop a long hang swinging kip on a single upper bar.

Don't have uneven bars that can come close together? Use the lower bar and swing down to a sit on built up mats or other device. Its good if you can put something there to lock your hips against so you pop back up when you kip.

This type of drill allows for some leverage (impetus) off the hips and creates momentum that makes the kip easier to complete. It also reinforces a nice shoulder and hip stretch before kipping up.

Do this in rhythm. Kip up, kip down, kip up, kip down...

 

[MissBear]

Shiny bar kips from support-cast-kip-cast. They may be doing this already for long hang kips. If there is difficulty you can stop and shape correctly at the top of the cast. From there, add a second kip.
Then move to the chalk bar. Kip cast float, again with stop and shaping on the cast. Once they can do this well without you, you can guide through a kip after the float, just as you did when they were first learning kips. This makes sure nobody gets into the habit of bad form on the second kip.

I also use gymdag's drill a lot.

 

[guppiegirl]

For a clearhip/freehip: At our gym, we put a blue block close to the bar, far enough so the girls' heads don't touch. The girls stand with their feet on the block, and their hands on the low bar. They shoot their feet under to freehip and end up with their feet landing on the block, to let them get the feel, have them do one or two backhip circles instead of a freehip. I hope this helps!