Skipping

[Chris Nagel]

There's a couple of good dvd's out that can can show you how to jump rope as well as how to do many of the tricks out there . RopeSport is well done, I was able to check it out at my library for free. Anything by Buddy Lee is worth looking at, he has a good jump rope book and video that also tells you how to put a good routine together. There's a video by Buddy Lee that you can download off of demonoid.com via bittorrent. I can send you a demonoid invite if you're not already member there.

[beds]

yea i'll ave an invite, wanted 1 for ages!!!

cheers

[Chris Nagel]

You're welcome.

[beds]

downloaded that

hes unreal with a rope, you could probably have someones eye out doing it like he does in a boxing gym, gotta try though

[Chris Nagel]

You gotta get a speed rope if you want to hear the rope whistle like his.

Also make sure that the rope is the right length for you.

[Douglas Hall]

I think the fundementals, if you're new to skipping:-

1. Make sure the rope is the right length. Normally they come with some kind of guide as to the right length, but too long a rope will definitely cause you issues - especially when learning.

2. Keep your elbows close to your body and your hands reasonably low. Most times, people flair out their elbows and start using their upper arms to compensate for the rope being too long. Moving your elbows out, or using your upper arms will tire out your shoulders before your cardio system gets any workout.

3. Don't jump too high - a few inches, no more.

4. Concentrate on swinging the rope, make sure both your hands are involved, and work on your timing - so one swing, one small hop with both feet. Get that down, so you can do over a 100 turns without a break, then it's time to move on to some other steps / footwork.

5. Good absorbing footwear is important, and the surface, too. Something with some give - so a sprung gym floor, or some rubber matting if you're skipping on a solid floor.

6. Some people find music helps them with timing and rhythm.

Also, like others have suggested, I found books on the subject very helpful - they helped me correct fundamental issues. I bought the Ropesport book, and Buddy Lee's book - both are good.

And this is just a bit of an odd suggestion, and I suspect one that some people will find odd, but I've found them very useful - there's a ropeless skpping rope thingmy called the Jump Snap. Basically, two biggish plastic handles, one has a kinda computery thing in, and a small bit of rope, with a rubber ball on the end of each one. The idea being some fitness device for the infomercial TV channels. Their rationale being that skipping is really good at burning calories, but many don't / won't / can't skip because of the skill involved.

Now I'm not suggesting using one as a substitute for skipping, but as somebody who's already skipped for years, I do find mine useful - it's good for learning new steps or drills, when you'd likely get many misses when trying with a rope. So you can get the learning down without a rope, then when you try it with a real rope, the movement and coordination isn't alien. I've found mine very useful for that. Plus you can use 'em easily inside, when travelling (say in a hotel), or when the weather is truly awful outside (I skip outside, and the wind seems to make the biggest difference to me).

[Chris Nagel]

And this is just a bit of an odd suggestion, and I suspect one that some people will find odd, but I've found them very useful - there's a ropeless skpping rope thingmy called the Jump Snap. Basically, two biggish plastic handles, one has a kinda computery thing in, and a small bit of rope, with a rubber ball on the end of each one. The idea being some fitness device for the infomercial TV channels. Their rationale being that skipping is really good at burning calories, but many don't / won't / can't skip because of the skill involved.

Now I'm not suggesting using one as a substitute for skipping, but as somebody who's already skipped for years, I do find mine useful - it's good for learning new steps or drills, when you'd likely get many misses when trying with a rope. So you can get the learning down without a rope, then when you try it with a real rope, the movement and coordination isn't alien. I've found mine very useful for that. Plus you can use 'em easily inside, when travelling (say in a hotel), or when the weather is truly awful outside (I skip outside, and the wind seems to make the biggest difference to me).

Good Post Doug, welcome to the forum.

Skipping without the rope can be very helpful to beginners, and even when rehearsing more complicated routines. When I was starting out, I had problems with my calves/shins feeling very tight, so I put the rope down and practiced skipping the air. Once I got the landing phase right, I could jump longer without being hindered by leg cramps.

Another way that you can do it is hold both handles in one hand and swing the rope around vertically. This allows you to work on the timing of getting your jumps in sync with the rope hitting the ground without any snags.

[wesrman]

There's a couple of good dvd's out that can can show you how to jump rope as well as how to do many of the tricks out there . RopeSport is well done, I was able to check it out at my library for free. Anything by Buddy Lee is worth looking at, he has a good jump rope book and video that also tells you how to put a good routine together. There's a video by Buddy Lee that you can download off of demonoid.com via bittorrent. I can send you a demonoid invite if you're not already member there.

Thanks for letting us know about this vid Chris. Im DLing it right now.