In artistic gymnastics, a kip is a technique that involves flexing or piking at the hips, and then rapidly extending the hip joints to impart momentum. It may be performed in some form on all apparatuses, but is most commonly performed on the women's uneven bars and on the men's rings, parallel bars, and horizontal bar. The kip is an important technique that is used as both a mount and an element or connecting technique in a bar routine. The kip allows the gymnast to swing below the bar to arrive in a front support on the bar. From the front support, the gymnast may then perform any number of skills. The glide kip is the most commonly used mount on the women's uneven bars. The kip has been used since the early days of modern gymnastics. Currently, in the US, the kip first appears in the women's USAG Level 4.

Variations

Variations of the kip include the long hang kip, glide kip, drop kip, kip with stoop through and kip with jump turn.