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Kip is one of basic gymnastics element and it looks so natural and easy that you don't need to learn it. Here is how gymnastics coaches teach that simple element:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vhhkhB4S0E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCnuXaGmMJ4&feature=related
That gymnastics training looks impressive, right? Attention on every detail, every move and position, and composing all that simple parts to complete movement. How it looks like learning something really complicated like Tkachev or Delchev? Maybe is time for pole vaulting coaches to ask help from gymnastics coaches?

I am in the process of learning to kip at my college right now. luckily my vault coach has his Ph.d in biomechanics and taught gymnastics for some time. I think its a very important drill to be able to do and very relevant to vault except for one major point. In a kip, once your shins reach the bar, you must wait until your hips pass under the bar before pulling (pulling your pants on), otherwise you will stall out. In the vault, hopefully as soon as your shins hit the bar (over even earlier) you begin the "kip" action.

Im a big advocate of kips and hip circles done in a split position if possible. I just started them 2 weeks ago and i already feel the relationship on 2-step stiff vault inversions.

There's lots of threads where we've discussed the kip. Here's a couple ...

http://www.polevaultpower.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=17546&p=125616
http://www.polevaultpower.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=18390&p=131236

Kirk

vault3rb0y wrote:Im a big advocate of kips and hip circles done in a split position if possible.

For what reason would you do either movement in a split position as opposed to legs-together?

To simulate the vault more realistically. It's important to feel the difference in the stretch when you have one knee driven as opposed to both. We learn to do them with one leg but once we are comfortable we are trying to do it in split position. Just like in the vault, though, both legs come together before the actual kip.

I don't really see the point of kipping or hip-circling in the split position.

To me, the kip is just a good gymnastic movement to learn ... not something to simulate a vault at all ... so why try to turn it into something that it's not?

The hip-circle-to-handstand is a GREAT drill to simulate WHAT YOUR ARMS AND TORSO DO when inverting/shooting off the pole. But to stretch that to say that you should also get your LEGS simulating a real vault during the drill is ... to me ... a bit of a stretch.

These 2 drills will never give you a true feeling for what the lead knee / lead leg should be doing during a real vault, so actually TRYING to make it something that it's not might actually be counter-productive.

I think it's EXTREMELY important to have the strength to keep your lead knee up during the swing on a REAL vault. So there's a ton of STRENGTH AND COORDINATION excercises that you should do to ensure that you have adequate strength and coordination to do this. However, I think it's fine to keep these excercises distinct from drills such as a kip and a hip-circle.

I might add that a kip is an elegant gymnastic movement that is difficult enough on its own for someone to do SMOOTHLY. So why complicate it? Ditto with the hip-circle-to-handstand. I've seen very few people that can accomplish this WELL with BOTH LEGS TOGETHER ... so why complicate it with a split position ... which is going to make the movement far less "correct" or "elegant"?

I would only say that it MIGHT be worth your while to expirement with the split position in these 2 drills once you've PERFECTED them with both legs together.

Just my personal opinion ... from my own personal experience.

Kirk

Club record for consecutive free hip to handstand is 11 held by Mallory Ramsey. Becky Holliday held it for a time at 6. All the better vaulters here can do a few in a row.
Once you can move above the bar try this: for one minute you continuously move above the bar (exa. kip, cast to free hip handstand 2 front giants, back uprise to free hip handstand, etc) continuous for a minute. 3 minutes off then do it again for 3 times. hahaha

Rick Baggett
WSTC