The clean is a pure bit of functionality. The clean is simply pulling a load from the ground to the shoulders, where frequently the object is being readied for lifting overhead. With the clean, we take ourselves from standing over an object and pulling it to moving under it and supporting it.

This “cheat” derives from a powerful and athletic reversal of hip direction—like that of the clean and the snatch—and expands the primary movers from just the back and arms down through the torso and hip to include the power zone. Far from being a cheat, kipping is a gateway skill with functional utility on the rings, parallel bars, high bar, and floor (the quickest way to get to your feet). Where most athletic communities avoid the kip, we go to great lengths to teach and learn it.