How to Perform a Kip Mount in Gymnastics

In gymnastics, girls compete on the uneven bars and boys use the high bar but both learn a basic mount called the kip. In beginning gymnastics, the kip incorporates a glide but as the gymnast advances, he or she may kip from a hanging position.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Start by adjusting the bar to chest height. This is too low for competition, but it will enable you to learn the kip easier. Alternately, position sturdy mats in front of the bar on which to stand.

2. Face the bar and grasp it with both hands. Your starting position should be arm’s length from the bar. Beginning gymnasts make the mistake of starting too close to the bar, throwing off their body position in the glide.

3. Jump or take a little hop and bring both of your legs forward, keeping them straight and together as you swing. Your body will be in a relaxed “pike” position at the beginning of your swing, enabling you to clear the mats beneath the bar.

4. Stretch your body out at the ending point of your glide. When done correctly, your body will complete the swing at a 45-degree angle from the floor. Push your hips slightly upwards, not so much that you arch but enough that your body stretches out completely.

5. Pike your feet to the bar. This is a quick movement and your abdominal muscles need strength to accomplish it. The trick is to pike, bringing your insteps to the bar while your body is still at the end of your swing.

6. Pull the bar towards your hips, keeping it against your legs the entire time. After your pike, your feet will be touching the bar. Pretend the bar is a pair of pants and that you’re pulling them on. This pull must accompany your body’s return swing in order to mount the bar.

7. Push yourself up tall on the bar as your upper body completes the mount.

Tips & Warnings

• The kip mount requires strong abdominal muscles and technique. Until you get the feeling of the swing, pike and pull motion, you will likely fail to mount the bar.
• Learning the kip requires lots of practice. A gymnast may practice the move two hundred or three hundred times before being successful.
• Use gymnastic chalk on your hands when practicing on the bars to keep blisters from forming.