Hop to It: Tips for Learning to Skip
Skipping isn't just for school-kids: it's also a seriously amazing way to increase your cardiovascular health as well as your total body strength, agility and coordination. However, for anyone who's tried skipping lately and found it decidedly easier to do when they were kids, you're not alone. Learning to skip, like anything, takes practice, so if you find you can't do it as well as you used to (if you ever did it at all), you're not alone. But you're also in luck! Whether you're new to skipping or trying to get back into it after a decades-long break, read on. Here are tips for learning to skip that will have you skipping like a pro in no time — or at least less time.
Tip 1: Get a GOOD Rope
Toss the cheap plastic rope from Target and invest in a weighted rope, like our weighted speed rope. Two interchangeable ropes in different lengths and weighted handle inserts (not to mention a cool AF carry case) to prevent tangles by keeping the movement and momentum more controlled. You will be able to feel where the rope is as you skip, which will help you time your jumps.
Tip 2: Size Matters
Next up, size your jump rope for your body. The general rule of rope is that the tips of the rope should reach your armpits when you stand on the middle of the jump rope. If it is too short, it won't hit the ground as you skip and if it is too long, it will likely tangle.
Tip 3: Aim for Symmetry
Ensure your hands are about equal distance away from the centre line of your body. This will facilitate easier jumping since the rope will follow a more balanced rotation.
Tip 4: Keep the Action in Your Wrists
Your wrists are where the rope rotation is instigated, so there should be very little action in your shoulders and elbows.
Tip 5: Get Bound
Unless you're into trick skipping (in which case, you wouldn't be reading this), your jumps -- or bounds — should be limited to an inch or two above the floor. Save the height for your tuck jumps, fit friends.
Tip 6: Jump on the Balls
Don't jump up from your heels; keep the bounce in your toes and your toes pointed down during the jump.
Tip 7: Protect Your Joints
Keep a soft bend in your knees as you jump to keep the stress of the movement in your muscles and not your joints.
Tip 8: Ban the Double Hop
The double hop (two bounds per rope rotation) is a common practice with beginners. The problem with this move is it reinforces poor timing, which can inhibit you from (eventually) speeding up your skip and really maxing out your workout. To ban the double hop, simply slow down your rotation until you work your way up to being able to hop with every rotation.
You still with us? Of course you are, cause you're a freakin' warrior ready to take on the rope. So do it! Grab your weighted rope, and hop to it! A more fun workout — and more fit you — awaits! Shop our Spring Break Sale & start skipping for less!