The Hardest Skill on the Planet

The kip:

Ask people what a kip is, and their answers will range from, "A unit of weight," to, "I have no idea," and even the occasional, "Isn't that some sort of fish?" Ask any gymnast though, and they'll immediately respond with, "One of the hardest skills to learn."

Purportedly, It took Shawn Johnson  2 years to get her kip.  She said it was the most difficult skill she ever learned, according to Rick McCharles (In this interview she says it took her 2 months to master the kip and 3+ years to acquire a round-off backhandspring- someone want to ask Shawn what the real scoop is?).  This isn't me bragging- not by a longshot (Johnson's an Olympic hero, I'm not)- but I believe I got my kip pretty much right away; maybe even the first time I tried.  I don't quite remember, because it wasn't a significant event or accomplishment to me.  Just easy.  And I think this is actually not an uncommon occurrence amongst boys.  I got a late start in gymnastics and was already developing (physically).  And I've heard of pole vaulters, wrestlers, and other well-conditioned athletes who were able to acquire kips fairly quickly.  Even though a lot has to do with a timing issue in regards to technique, really, the overriding factor appears to be physical preparation:  If you are strong enough, you can kip in no time.

Coach Rick:

 The kip in men’s gymnastics is not much more important than a dozen other skills. But for young female gymnasts, it’s often the most frustrating skill of all. Shawn Johnson said that she really struggled to learn a kip.

How long did it take you to get your kip?  Or when did your Susie start kipping? 


Here are some nice tutorials on the glide kip:




This one is by Nathan Comes:


Jason Mortimer's popular 3-part tutorial:

The Kipping Process part 1
The Kipping Process part 2 & 3


 Further aides:
Glide Swing (very well done!)
Forster-Resnick Bar Boot Camp The Glide Swing
070 examining jump to glide.MP4
Glide Kip
Teaching Extension in Glide Kip 
Some Glide Kip Mistakes 
Some Glide Kip Mistakes #2
Bar Basics (Steven Miller)
Kip Drills - Tony Retrosi
More Kip Drills - Tony Retrosi
kip drills 2:  Stem rises and short kips 
Kipping and Casting drills
Learning the Glide Kip - Dan Connelly
How to Do a Kip Drill | Gymnastics
093 stem rise kipping.MP4
094 stem rise kips.MP4
095 brushing the roller.MP4
096 Single leg jump kip.MP4
single leg jam
097 Inside stalder kip.MP4
098 double leg jam into inside stalder kip.MP4
099 Jason shows kipping drill.MP4
00 trying the double leg jam Neil with drill.MP4
101 swing support for circling elements & kip.MP4
102 spotting straight arm pulls.MP4
103 looking for proper alignment.MP4
Technique Tuesday:  The Glide Kip 
There is no kick in a kip (Dan Connelly)