Back Hip Circle

1. 1

   Start in a front support

   Show position 1

   Start in a front support, the body resting on the bar. The circle is usually done with a cast, so you first cast away from the bar.^{1back hip circleAmerican Gymnast (amgym), a gymnastics training-information site; no author named · 25 Jan 2011; r…3Back hip circleWikipedia · article written by volunteers; read 18 Oct 2026; used only for the definition, where i…}

2. 2

   Lean the shoulders back off support

   Show position 2

   From the cast, lean the shoulders back off support. The figure starts here with the body already leaning back; it does not draw the cast.^{1back hip circleAmerican Gymnast (amgym), a gymnastics training-information site; no author named · 25 Jan 2011; r…}

3. 3

   Let the body come round as one unit

   Show position 3

   Let the body return towards the bar and aim for a straight or hollow body that moves as one unit through the circle. Keep piking to a minimum.^{1back hip circleAmerican Gymnast (amgym), a gymnastics training-information site; no author named · 25 Jan 2011; r…}

   CueKeep polishing the hollow body shape.^{1back hip circleAmerican Gymnast (amgym), a gymnastics training-information site; no author named · 25 Jan 2011; r…}

4. 4

   Circle on to the front support

   Show position 4

   Keep circling round the bar and finish back in a front support.^{3Back hip circleWikipedia · article written by volunteers; read 18 Oct 2026; used only for the definition, where i…}

These steps let you record the version you do now. They are not compulsory unlocks or a repetition programme.

• Piking during the circle

  Piking while circling is the one fault American Gymnast names; it asks you to keep polishing the hollow body shape and to pike as little as possible.^{1back hip circleAmerican Gymnast (amgym), a gymnastics training-information site; no author named · 25 Jan 2011; r…}

• Not moving as one unit

  Not a fault the article names, but the opposite of its aim, a straight or hollow body that moves as one unit.^{1back hip circleAmerican Gymnast (amgym), a gymnastics training-information site; no author named · 25 Jan 2011; r…}

• Reaching the bar without a straight or hollow body

  Not a fault the article names, but the opposite of its aim for the return towards the bar, a straight or hollow body before contact.^{1back hip circleAmerican Gymnast (amgym), a gymnastics training-information site; no author named · 25 Jan 2011; r…}

• Cast to an arched shape

  McCharles has beginners cast to an arched position as well as a hollow one, because the late drop is easier to time from the arch. The figure does not draw the cast.^{2introducing backward hip circleRick McCharles (site editor) · GymnasticsCoaching.com, a gymnastics coaching blog · 1 Jun 2026; re…}

• Backward uprise to a back hip circle on a strap bar

  Equipment

  McCharles says it would be ideal for the gymnast to be learning the backward uprise to a back hip circle on a strap bar. A strap bar is a gym apparatus; the post does not describe it.^{2introducing backward hip circleRick McCharles (site editor) · GymnasticsCoaching.com, a gymnastics coaching blog · 1 Jun 2026; re…}

• Clear hip circle

  Wikipedia names a more advanced version, the clear hip, which circles backwards without returning to the front support. This page does not draw it.^{3Back hip circleWikipedia · article written by volunteers; read 18 Oct 2026; used only for the definition, where i…}

Related skillsPulloverKip

On Calisthenics Balkan

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What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.

The small numbers in the text point to the entries below

1. 1back hip circleAmerican Gymnast (amgym), a gymnastics training-information site; no author named · 25 Jan 2011; read 18 Oct 2026; gives the starting point, a few steps and one fault; it has no spotting or safety text and names no apparatus, mats or age group (research S-0119)
2. 2introducing backward hip circleRick McCharles (site editor) · GymnasticsCoaching.com, a gymnastics coaching blog · 1 Jun 2026; read 18 Oct 2026; a short post about teaching beginners for a level-5 routine; it gives drills and spotting advice and names a strap bar (research S-0120)
3. 3Back hip circleWikipedia · article written by volunteers; read 18 Oct 2026; used only for the definition, where it is usually learned and the clear-hip version; its own references (two gymnastics web pages and amgym) add nothing further here (research S-0189)
4. 4WSWCF Calisthenics Freestyle National Qualification Championship: Official Competition RulesWorld Street Workout and Calisthenics Federation (WSWCF) · PDF, 15 pages; read 18 Oct 2026; lists 'skill elements without releasing the bar, such as hip circles or giants' (section 7.6) and defines nothing (research S-0132)
5. 5Freestyle Elements Code of Points (sheet CE26-Szarka)WSWCF · spreadsheet uploaded May 2026 (from its web address); read 18 Oct 2026; the file carries no title (the title here is this page's name for it) and does not state who approved it; lists 'support circle backwards' and 'hand, or elbow support hip circles' (0.1 points each) in the column 'motion without release'; names only, no description or picture (research S-0092)

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