Long Hang Kips and Back handspring on beam!!!

[countrygymnast94]

I can never get my kip consistant. If i want to move up i have to. How do you think i can get it consistant?? I dont know what i am doing wrongn some of them times. Also i am working on back hand springs on beam. but i always miss my feet. and my arm are bent. what can i do to stop this!? Please help!

 

[LittleLady]

Kips are not easy to master. They take a lot of conditioning and practice. Do you have a good glide? Can you bring your feet to the bar fast before you begin the backward swing phase? Do lots of V-Ups for conditioning. Are you pulling with straight arms at the same time you shoot your legs to get your hips close to the bar? These are some things to think about.
For back handsprings on beam, to get rid of the habit of missing your feet, start with a simple drill. Do handstands on a line and step down onto the line. This is the second part of the back handspring. Do this drill dozens of times every day. Your arms may be bending either because you need more arm and shoulder strength or you are jumping up and not up & backwards. Back handsprings cover a bit of distance. You don't want your hands landing where your feet were on takeoff. If you need more arm strength, do handstand pushups against a wall. Start with a small bend in your arms until you get strong enough over time to bend your arms more before pushing back up. Keep on trying, working and don't give up. You will improve over time.

 

[KAQuinlan]

I agree with what littlelady said and am adding on with these thoughts. Most of the kip problems that I see are due to a glide that is cut short. Make sure that you have a nice strong glide swing and that you stretch it out until you feel the bar tugging on you. Also, when you do your V-ups, start with your arms over your head. When you sit up to the V, snap your hands down to the floor and push down. The goal is to be able to hold you bottom off the floor while holding your legs up. So many girls get the kip, but can't hold their feet up at the end. If your feet fall back too early, it puts extra weight on your arms and forces you to fight for the end of the kip. It also makes having a nice cast out of the kip difficult. When you have an open bar, work on drop kips -- start in a front support, lean back and pull your knees to the bar, the kip back up. These take lots of strength and good technique, so they will help build your muscles as well as work the kip technique.