Jumping rope is a very regular part of my routine. You’ll pretty much never find a boxer who doesn’t jump rope. It’s an exercise that’s great for everyone for many reasons, some of which are: it’s affordable, you can do it anywhere, and it’s a great cardiovascular workout.
Some people jump rope to lose weight, others try to build strength, endurance, or even to get shredded. If you’ve never jumped or you’re a beginner, there are a few tips to keep in mind when you get started.
Different Type of Ropes
Let’s start by quickly covering the different types of jump ropes that you can use. Ropes usually come in 3 types: basic, speed, weighted. If you’re a beginner, I’d recommend starting on a basic rope if you can. Once you get the hang of jumping for longer periods of time without tripping on the rope, you can try out things like increasing speed or resistance.
Let’s Get Started
- I think the most important thing about skipping rope is rhythm, so my first tip is, focus on rhythm. Being able to jump rope without stopping for a long period of time requires rhythm and coordination.
- One of things you’ll want to do is stay close to the ground when you’re jumping. Aim for 1-2 inches. Jumping too high means you’ll get tired very quickly. It’s also a lot harder to keep a constant rhythm going when you jump higher, in addition to the fact that it’ll be harder on your joints over time and thus make you prone to injury.
- Keep light on your toes or the balls of your feet. Jumping rope is a low-impact exercise. Landing fully on your feet or heels will not only put more unnecessary force and stress on your feet, it’ll also screw with your rhythm.
- Similarly, keep your hands at the sides of your hips and use your wrists, not your arms. Some common things I see beginners do is having your arms out too far away from the body or using your arms to swing the rope instead of your wrists. This usually messes up the way the rope swings, which will in turn mess up your rhythm and skipping.
- Practice practice practice. Consistent practice is the only way you’ll get better at this. If you know someone who can check your form, that helps too. Sometimes you can’t tell how high you’re jumping until you record it or have a mirror in front of you. But as long as you practice, you’ll start to get better at it!