Learning to kip
More than you probably cared to know about the kipping pull-up.
We teach the active pull-up to all our athletes. Not only is it a prime indicator of athletic development (or lack thereof) in terms of how someone can move and/or coordinate movement, but it is a gateway to many things functional that involve the hip. Drive is initiated with the hip, stabilized by the midline, and transferred through (like a hand-off) to the shoulders and arms. The action moves from core to extremity.
It's functionality that kids seem to naturally possess. When we are born we strive for it. When we get older we strive to remember what having it was like.
While athletes are developing this fundamental movement, they are also chasing flexibility, coordination, power, stamina, agility, accuracy, balance, speed, cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, and strength--everything required to dominate athletics.
The active pull-up carries a signature--everyone has their own unique style.