Kip in Gymnastics: How to Do a Glide Kip on Bars

A kip brings a gymnast from below the bar to above it. In the most common version, the glide kip, she jumps into a long swing under the low bar, extends her body at the end of the swing, brings her ankles up to the bar, and slides the bar up her legs to finish in front support with straight arms. USA Gymnastics’ glossary defines a kip simply as a movement from a position below the equipment to a position above it.

Contents

The Glide Kip at a Glance
Glide Kip, Long Hang Kip and Pullover
How to Do a Glide Kip, Step by Step
Drills That Build a Kip
How Judges Score a Glide Kip
Common Kip Mistakes
Bar Height and Safety
Common Questions
Final Takeaway
Main Sources

The kip is a timing skill more than a strength skill. A gymnast who can do pull-ups and leg lifts may still struggle until the glide, the pike and the rise happen in the right order. It is the mount of the USAG Level 4 compulsory bars routine, and a Special Requirement on bars in Xcel Platinum.

The Glide Kip at a Glance

Phase	What happens	What to aim for
Jump and glide	Jump from both feet, grab the bar and swing forward under it with the feet leading	Feet skim forward, close to the floor
Extension	At the end of the glide the body straightens	Fully stretched, hips open
Pike	On the swing back, the ankles come up to the bar	Quick, tight pike, arms straight
Rise	The bar slides up the legs to the hips as the gymnast pushes down on it	Arms straight, shoulders over the bar
Finish	Front support on the bar	Body straight, ready to cast

Glide Kip, Long Hang Kip and Pullover

The glide kip starts with a glide under the low bar. A long hang kip starts from a swing in long hang, usually on the high bar; both are kips, but success on one doesn’t automatically transfer to the other. A pullover also reaches front support, but the legs travel over and around the bar while the arms pull; most gymnasts learn it first. Our guide to the pullover covers that step.

How to Do a Glide Kip, Step by Step

Learn the kip with a coach who sets the bar height and spots the first attempts.

Jump to the bar. Stand a short way behind the low bar, jump from both feet and grab it with an overgrip, arms straight.
Glide. Swing forward under the bar with the feet leading, just above the floor, in a slight pike. Don’t run; the feet glide.
Extend. At the front of the glide, straighten the body completely, hips open, toes pointed.
Pike, ankles to the bar. As you swing back, quickly bring your ankles up to the bar, keeping the arms straight.
Slide the bar up the legs. Keep the ankles close to the bar and slide it up the shins and thighs to the hips, like pulling on a pair of trousers, while pressing down on the bar with straight arms.
Arrive in support. Finish in front support with the arms straight, shoulders over the bar and body straight.

Drills That Build a Kip

Each drill trains one part of the kip; the coach chooses which, and sets up the bar and mats.

Glide swings: glide out and back, finishing fully extended, to build a long, controlled glide.
Glide to ankles at the bar: glide, extend, then pike the ankles to the bar and hold, without trying the rise.
Bar slides from hang: from a hang with the ankles at the bar, practice sliding the bar up the legs to the hips, often with a spot.
Hanging leg lifts and hollow holds: build the strength to bring the feet to the bar quickly and keep the body tight.
Spotted kips: the full skill with the coach helping at the hips and back, reduced as the timing improves.

How Judges Score a Glide Kip

In the current USAG compulsory routines, the Level 4 bars routine starts with a straddle or pike glide kip mount worth 0.60, and later includes a long hang kip on the high bar, also 0.60. The glide kip mount’s listed faults include:

Fault	Deduction
Running out the glide instead of gliding	0.30
Not fully extended at the end of the glide	Up to 0.20
Not leading with the feet in the glide (a long hang swing instead)	Up to 0.10
Taking off from one foot	0.10
Legs not closed at the end of a straddle glide	0.10

For the long hang kip, failing to swing to near horizontal costs up to 0.20. Our Level 4 requirements guide covers the rest of the routine.

Common Kip Mistakes

Mistake	What it looks like	Usual fix
Short or bent glide	The body never straightens at the front of the swing	Glide swings until the extension is automatic
Late pike	The ankles reach the bar after the swing has stalled	Bring the ankles up as soon as the swing starts back
Pulling with the arms	The elbows bend and the gymnast tries to chin up	Keep the arms straight and press the bar down the legs
Bar slips away from the legs	The feet drift away and the gymnast drops back to hang	Keep the ankles close and slide the bar up
Finishing below the bar	Hips arrive at the bar but the shoulders stay low	Push down and lean the shoulders over the bar

One missed kip doesn’t show which phase went wrong; the coach looks at the glide and the timing before blaming strength. A small 2019 study comparing an elite gymnast with four university students on a low bar found differences in how the knees and legs moved, even when the overall rhythm looked similar, a reminder that the details of the timing matter.

Bar Height and Safety

The bar height, the space underneath and the landing mats all change the task, which is why coaches adjust the bar for each gymnast; see why coaches change uneven-bar settings. USA Gymnastics’ safety education covers apparatus setup, progressions and spotting. A written guide can describe a kip, but it can’t teach a parent how to spot one.

Common Questions

What is a kip in gymnastics?

A skill that brings a gymnast from below the bar to support above it. The glide kip starts with a swing under the low bar; the long hang kip starts from a hanging swing.

What level is a kip in gymnastics?

In USA Gymnastics compulsories, the glide kip is the mount of the Level 4 bars routine, which also includes a long hang kip. In Xcel, a kip is a Special Requirement on bars at Platinum.

Is a kip hard?

For many gymnasts, yes, because it depends on timing more than strength. Many need a lot of practice before the glide, pike and rise come together.

What is the difference between a kip and a pullover?

Both finish in front support. In a pullover the legs travel over the bar while the arms pull; in a kip the gymnast glides, pikes and slides the bar up her legs, with straight arms.

Final Takeaway

A glide kip is a glide under the bar, a full extension, a quick pike of the ankles to the bar and a slide of the bar up the legs to front support, with straight arms throughout. It is a timing skill, built with glide swings, ankles-to-bar drills and spotted kips.

It is the Level 4 bars mount in the USAG compulsory program and a Special Requirement at Xcel Platinum. Judges look for a true glide with the feet leading, full extension at the front and a clean rise to support.