How to build a Free Hip swing harness
Channel: KeithMukai
Date: 2013-01-09

0:00 - Building the swing harness
3:28 - slo-mo replay of the clove hitch
4:00 - How to train with the swing harness
6:24 - slo-mo replay of a fairly decent free hip

BUILDING THE SWING HARNESS:
Materials:
14' of one-inch tubular webbing (sold by the foot and custom-cut in the store)
1' of one-inch tubular webbing
2 caribiners

Total cost: $18.86 from REI

Product links:
http://www.rei.com/product/783605/1-military-spec-tubular-webbing
http://www.rei.com/product/471041/black-diamond-oval-carabiner

You'll also need a pad for the back of the swing. I use a small spotting belt in the video. A bar pad for working casts works well. Or you could probably just wrap a towel around it, too.

How to tie a water knot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REvz4jv1YZQ#t=39s

The clove hitch will take some trial-and-error. The clove hitches I tie in the video are kind of sloppy with the line bending and folding over itself in places, but we don't need perfection here. Even when you've mastered the clove hitch, you'll still need to make adjustments so that the resulting swing harness length isn't too long or too short when it's clipped onto the bar. The only way to adjust the swing harness length is to re-tie one of the clove hitches higher or lower along the line.

The tubular webbing is ridiculously strong; it's rated for 4000lbs of tension. The knots weaken it and eventually the wear-and-tear around the bar will begin to fray the line. The great thing about the webbing is that it's so cheap that you can just toss it when it gets old and buy some more for $5. The caribiners are the most expensive part of the setup and they'll basically last forever under these modest loads.


TRAINING YOUR GYMNASTS:
The second half of this vid (starting at 4:00) shows the progressions I use to acclimate kids to the fast turnover action of a good free hip. I emphasize aiming to get their legs to the bar just above their kneecaps. This would seem to encourage too much of a pike (as you can see in some of the reps in the video) but as they get more aggressive with their shoulder drive, it all moves too fast to get into too deep of a pike. 

The swing harness is really all about giving them the feel of the aggressive back shoulder drive without fear getting in the way. Having the spotter throw their shoulders to speed up the action is especially effective at conveying the speed and whip of the trick.

You'll also notice at times that the gymnast's head brushes the spotting block. Obviously adjust the height accordingly, but it's also a good reminder for them to not throw their head during the turnover (which will lead to whiplash and sore necks!).


RESULTS
The gymnast in the video never worked free hips before we shot this and this was his first time in the swing harness. As you can see by the end of the video he already seems to understand the basic turnover and shoot mechanics of a free hip, especially in the slo-mo replay at 6:24. 

Pretty amazing progress for just five minutes of work!

With a little practice the gymnasts can take a bigger jump into it and focus on getting their shoulders over the bar before engaging their shoulders back. See this earlier vid to see that final step:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1KkGuNthE4

From that point we'd move to a low strap bar and try them for real in the straps. We've seen some remarkable successes with one kid hitting the handstand on his second try!