Skipping

[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.

[Douglas Hall]

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.

Hi Chris, thanks for the welcome!

I've found using the ropeless thing has helped me a lot with both learning new steps / jumps, but most importantly my hand position and swinging the handles. I only discovered it when skipping with ropeless handles, that my left hand was rather lazy (and also that my hand positioning was poor at times).

I suppose that had I filmed myself skipping with a normal rope, I may have been able to pick up on it, but I've found I can concentrate on ensuring that both hands are correctly positioned and swinging the rope properly -when it's wrong, you can clearly see with the ropeless handles, because the small bit of rope with the little ball on doesn't move correctly, and often hits your hand.

At retail prices, Jump Snap is pretty pricey, reall - around £30-40. I bought a couple of ebay for £10. But the principle would be easy to replicate for peanuts. Buy a £2 speed rope from a supermarket. Chop the rope about 6" from the handles. Buy a couple of small, hard rubber balls, make a hole through the middle, put the rope through and tie a knot in the end, and you've got something that does practically the same thing. Might have to experiment with the length of rope up to the ball just so it feels reasonably authentic.

You can then use it to supplement your rope skipping, either for indoors and / or for improving new drills / footwork / jumps, or for assessing that your hand position and swing is good (one of my faults before using one).

[Douglas Hall]

While we're on the subject of skipping, what sort of ropes do people prefer?

I've found the Taurus ones very good - like the design, seems to work well.

I've got a couple of Gold's gym ones (a couple of the pro leather ones - wooden handles, leather rope, the rope rotates in a similar design to the Taurus ropes), and one of their Alu Pro ones. The pro leather ones seemed a really good idea to me when buying, but the metal swivel on the end seems to have too much slop when swinging the rope. And the Alu Pro rope provides no means of shortening.

I've got one of Buddy Lee's ropes, too - the Aero Pro alu one. Seems very well made. At some point I'll get one of his normal ropes.

I tend to mainly skip with either a Reebok professional speed rope (bit of a heavy rope for a speed rope), or a Nike Speed rope - which seems to be the best made and design I've seen for a fairly inexpensive rope. Bearings in the handle, and the shortening device is well thought out.

What do others use? Generic speed ropes, or some specific brand or type?

[wesrman]

Nice post Doug and welcome to the forum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVkYjp4mqnc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD3ui...eature=channel

[Chris Nagel]

While we're on the subject of skipping, what sort of ropes do people prefer?

I've found the Taurus ones very good - like the design, seems to work well.

I've got a couple of Gold's gym ones (a couple of the pro leather ones - wooden handles, leather rope, the rope rotates in a similar design to the Taurus ropes), and one of their Alu Pro ones. The pro leather ones seemed a really good idea to me when buying, but the metal swivel on the end seems to have too much slop when swinging the rope. And the Alu Pro rope provides no means of shortening.

I've got one of Buddy Lee's ropes, too - the Aero Pro alu one. Seems very well made. At some point I'll get one of his normal ropes.

I tend to mainly skip with either a Reebok professional speed rope (bit of a heavy rope for a speed rope), or a Nike Speed rope - which seems to be the best made and design I've seen for a fairly inexpensive rope. Bearings in the handle, and the shortening device is well thought out.

What do others use? Generic speed ropes, or some specific brand or type?

I've owned a couple of leather jump ropes in the past and although they're not as quick as speed ropes, I enjoy the feel of it for leisurely skipping.

A few months ago I picked up my first speed rope, Buddy Lee's Aero Speed Hyperperformance (catchy). I can easily knock off continuous double-unders one after another because it turns so effortlessly.

[Douglas Hall]

I've owned a couple of leather jump ropes in the past and although they're not as quick as speed ropes, I enjoy the feel of it for leisurely skipping.

My leather rope is one of those Gold's gym ones, with the wooden handles, and metal rotating brackets at the end (a bit like the Taurus ropes). No matter how short I make the rope, it still feels like there's a lot of slop between me moving the handles and the rope swinging. That's not really because it's leather, I suspect, more because there's some slop / play in the metal brackets at the end of the handles.

A few months ago I picked up my first speed rope, Buddy Lee's Aero Speed Hyperperformance (catchy).

That's the one I've got - seems very similar to the Gold's Gym Alu pro one, when skipping. There seems a fair amount of give / stretch in the rope / cord when skipping with it.

Well made, pricey, though. The way the rope / cord attaches to the handles is what the (very similar) Gold's Gym Alu pro one should have, then it could be easily shortened.

[Howlin Mad Missy]

I have a couple. I prefer the plastic swivel type as I like to work on foot speed. Also have a leather one & weighted leather. Different ropes for different targets.

[Chris Nagel]

I bought the leather jump ropes at a local sporting goods store. All of my leather ropes have a nice swivel bearing that which does a decent job, although I have to oil it after long while. The last leather rope I got cost $5 because the plastic packaging was dented, and the store gave a 10% AAA member discount on top of that. The leather tends to break in, get more flexible after you've used the rope for a long time.