Jumping Rope For Beginners

There was a really old article by John Davies back in the renegade days. Found it again, this is how I worked up in duration:

Opening my morning email I received a request from a major fitness group asking my opinion of the business’ “next big thing.” After going through a number of points including the deeply troubling world’s economy and the return to a notion of “value for service”, the conclusion was the “next big thing” was in-fact a return to tried and true methods and fun exercises that harken back to games of our youth.

While fitness professionals start to re-learn the “fun” side of exercise through the next decade, this is something that my group of training professionals embody, as we take what some consider drudgery and have turned it into a destination hobby. Although the notion of “fun” has long since been taken out of much of the industry whereby many are handcuffed to a treadmill, the newest craze is a step back in time and rope skip.

With many already embracing the fun of skipping rope and a good old fashioned school yard game of “double-dutch”, it is a signal of a major move in the exercise industry. Not only does this trend reflect the public’s interest in exercise that can be fun and relieve stress, but it incorporates a stripped-down approach that every fitness professional can make use of.

For those within Renegade Training?, including our TEAM of professional instructors, skipping rope is one of the first training methods to be used both in individual training and classes. Skipping rope is a consistent, dependable and inexpensive exercise medium. It is a perfect training medium whether you are an elite athlete or everyday person, simply trying to lose some unwanted pounds. Its many benefits include:

Foot and hand speed

Cardiovascular efficiency

Improved motor skills/muscular harmony

Reduced body fat

Strengthened soft tissues

Increased work capacity

Your choice of rope is a personal preference and should suit your budget. I personally use a very common plastic rope that you can usually find in most stores for well under $10. The rope should be long enough that when it’s looped under your feet, it will reach chest height. There is no right or wrong way to position your hands when skipping. However to enhance rope speed, pinch elbows into your ribs, with forearms reasonably close to parallel to the ground.

Naturally as you begin to skip there is a learning curve but you will find it a relatively steep one and it won’t be too long until you are confident. As you begin, make sure you take your time, where good shoes with proper arch support and make sure you stretch completely after. For those just starting I would suggest a very patient approach and urge you not to overdue it to start.

Borrowing upon my book on Snowboarding, “Sessions”; as basic technique improves I will begin to use the following movement patterns:

Basic two feet together: jump with both feet together and only high enough to clear the rope passing underneath; speed is at the maximum pace.

Crossover of Hands: as the rope starts to pass overhead, quickly cross one hand over the other in a whip like fashion.

Ali Shuffle: shuffle the feet back and forth

Double Skips: jump high while turning the rope as fast as possible so that two revolutions of rope are completed for each single time the feet contact the ground.

Side to side slalom: with the feet together, jump quickly from side to side over an imaginary line. The distance of the jump should be small (approximately six inches) with minimal clearance as the rope passes underneath.

Hip turns (feet parallel): Skipping with the feet together, quickly turn the hips back and forth, 90 degrees each turn.

Hip turns (left foot forward): With the left foot in front, akin to a boxer’s stance, quickly turn the hips from back to straight ahead to back to the starting stance.

Hip turns (right foot forward): With the right foot in front, akin to a boxer’s stance, quickly turn the hips from back to straight ahead to back to the starting stance.

High Knees: Run in place with the knees high. As technique improves with each of the above movements, athletes should utilize a three minute “round” with the following pattern for a more aggressive approach.

Once these movements are learned we can move into the following three-minute “rounds”:

Renegade Rope Skip Pattern? ?time per (in seconds)

0 to 15 basic 2 feet together

15 to 30 Crossover

30 to 45 Ali shuffle

45 to 60 double skips

60 to 75 side to side slalom

75 to 90 crossover

90 to 105 hip turn

105 to 120 Crossover

120 to 135 hip turn, to left only

135 to 150 crossover

150 to 165 hip turn, to right only

165 to 180 high knees

Rope work is performed daily after the dynamic range of motion work with three to five, 3 minute rounds, each with one minute rest intervals. From this, the next step for the fitness professional is building into full scale, high energy fitness class.

Enjoy skipping rope as all of a sudden it’s fashionable!