The best book that I've read on the subject is "Jump rope Training" by Buddy Lee. His programs are very progressive and result orientated. It contains different exercises/moves that can be put together so your skipping rope isn't some monotonous ordeal. I'll go over some jumprope exercises later. Anyways here's an excerpt on explosiveness from Buddy Lee's book:

"Explosiveness is generated by forceful contractions of fast-twitch muscle fibers that can generate and sustain speed. It can be described as force plus quickness. My power jump rope training programs will show how to generate and project explosiveness into critical movements of different sports.

For example, a high vertical jump has its merits, but a competitive edge normally comes from advantages in vertical acceleration: how quickly athletes jump from a standing position or how fast they react from a position of readiness. My power jump rope programs reduce the gap between the height of the jump and the subsequent takeoff phase by minimizing surface contact time.

Rope jumping has often been referred to as an effective warm-up to plyometrics exercises, but it is itself a low-intensity plyometrics exercise that produces significant training benefits that can trigger superior athletic performance.

Combining rope jumping with strengthening exercises during the season’s training cycles can significantly improve explosiveness and power in sports performance. That’s because rope jumping is an exercise that forces the neuromuscular system to respond more quickly and forcefully.

Plyometrics exercises can be traced back to the former Eastern bloc countries. Over the past years, more American coaches and athletes have learned how to use these exercises to improve overall athletic performance. Still, many coaches have little experience in how to effectively implement a seasonal plyometrics program for athletes of different ages, levels, and abilities. Rope jumping, on the other hand, is very effective and safe for both young and mature athletes, because jumps can be repeated hundreds of times in one session without risk of injury.

Plyometrics is designed not only to increase speed and explosiveness but also jumping ability. The principle is simple: The more a muscle is stretched, the more powerful its subsequent contraction. The goal of plyometrics is to shorten the interval between a stretched muscle and its contraction.
Plyometrics uses gravity to force the stretching of a muscle while the athlete propels in the opposite direction to train the muscle to contract with power. For example, stepping or leaping off a raised surface will force the leg muscles to stretch as the knees bend to absorb the impact of the landing. The athlete then contracts the quadriceps and hamstrings in a burst of propulsion during a leap or step forward. It’s the stretching of the muscle that stores the energy for the subsequent explosive takeoff phase. This is how repeated plyometrics training builds explosive power in the legs.

The same principle is at work in jump rope training. Energy is stored in the legs on the landing phase of each jump and is released on each successive jump. Unlike most other plyometrics exercises, rope jumping allows this activity to be repeated hundreds of times per session. Because of the number of repetitions and the various levels of intensity possible during each rope jumping session, it can also produce aerobic and anaerobic training effects. This is the principle at work in my jump rope training system.

This system’s emphasis on repeated jumps also underscores a plyometrics principle that emphasizes the force production of eccentric (stretched) contractions over concentric (shortened) contractions. In jumping rope, the concentric contraction takes place during the landing phase of each jump. This landing phase progresses into the subsequent takeoff phase (eccentric) contraction of each jump. The gravity-assisted landing phase (concentric) contraction provides the force necessary for the explosiveness executed on each subsequent jump. By jumping less than an inch from the surface and landing lightly on the balls of the feet, the neuromuscular system becomes thoroughly trained in and adapts to this key principle of plyometrics.

High-speed eccentric contractions draw on fast-twitch muscle fibers while also producing more force per motor unit. This neuromuscular process explains how jump rope training produces a reduced stretch-shortening cycle that allows the athlete to derive the greatest benefits from a plyometrics program.

As the athlete develops greater rope jumping proficiency, the reduced gap between eccentric and concentric contractions offers a greater potential for improved athletic performance. For example, rope jumping will enhance an athlete’s capacity to rapidly execute successive jumps or extended sequences of vertical acceleration while also improving reaction time."

I'll talk about it later.