skipping

Its merely practice. I was awful.

 

Other than practice? It can be a few things:

Rope - The best rope (indoor) is a heavy pvc rope or (outdoor) a beaded rope with bearings in the handles. Weight is key to get a good fast turn and burn. Speed ropes are nice, but most are cheap and you will shred through them before you get good.

Length - Guys use ropes that are way too long to get a good skip. The rope should be between your arm pit and nipple. No longer. Any longer and you lose centrifugal force > speed > timing and fail.

Surface - The surface should either be hard (with good shoes) or smooth with EVEN give (hard mat or ring) for minimal drag. Skipping on grass, carpet, etc... is hard for a newbie.

Jump height - Less is more. Focus on timing not jumping over the rope. Your conscious mind isn't fast enough to jump the rope so don't rely on it. FEEL where the rope will be. If you are skipping right? You can't see the rope to jump it anyway. The pop/vibration/timing of the rope skimming the ground is your guide NOT your eyes. Try to practice looking straight with no mirror (or looking yourself in the eye) to break the visual dependency.

The rest is just practice. You will find your groove. Just keep trying. Also try "visualizing" skipping without a rope (shadow skipping?). It conditions the brain for the event.

Good luck.

 

Jumping rope is a very fluid thing when done right. Not knowing how you're doing it as far as how you get the rope going, how high you are coming off the ground on your jumps etc. kind of limit what can be said to help you. Perhaps your jump rope is not sized properly for you.

When I was younger and did a good bit of rope jumping, I'd slightly bend my elbows and angle my forearms out from my body at a slight angle. I'd use just my wrists to keep the rope spinning once I got started. My feet would probably come no more than 1" to 1 1/2" of the ground. Most times I'd alter the foot almost every skip and only when doing multiple rope spins on one hop would I jump both feet at a time.

Once you get the hang of it, you can walk forward, sideways, backwards to add some degree of difficulty to it.

I remember going to the Superdome when Duran fought Leonard for the infamous "No Mas" fight. I watched Duran work out and that guy did things with a jump rope that had me in awe. I've not seen anyone till that time that could duck walk while jumping rope----------and doing so at a 90 beat per minute clip. Amazing stuff.

 

Great advice here Slick. Spot on and more informative than my post.

 

We all start awful at skipping. Except for girls who are bloody naturals. Just keep practicing mate. Eventually you'll actually enjoy it.

If I could add one thing to what's already been written above, it would be to focus on something in the distance at about eye height as you skip and you'll see the rope cross what you are looking at and it'll trigger the timing for your feet.

 

It gets much easier, when your legs get used to it.

Just keep doing it for 5 minutes even if you had to stop for couple of seconds, every 20 second or so.

 

yeah, this is good advice. but honestly, the funny thing is I'm a decent skipper who ignores all of it:

I like light ropes, I jump really high, and I prefer the rope way too long.
go to about 15 seconds in here, the beginning kind of sucks and is mostly fooling around.
http://youtu.be/h-pIV0YeGjM

You have to do foot coordination drills: one foot stepping up a bench, the other following, back down one at a time, faster and faster. Crossing your feet in jumping jacks, jumping to the left and right over a bench, etc. all stuff to work on your foot coordination.

 

practice ....practice
i couldn't skip for **** but i maade gradual progress and now a year later
i can do this
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ1zB6xVMcc&feature=related[/ame]

 

i like heavier ropes for some reason

 

find a rhythm and practice. Only about a month ago I got a bit adventurous (instead of my usual jump up and down) and since then I can confidently go to small alternate between feet, one legged to high knees and running on the spot. Now I enjoy it, will do about twenty minutes easy and the only thing that stops me going longer is the ened to do other training!

As I said, find a rhythm and practice.

 

Try skipping without the rope first to get the motion down. Keep your hands in one place and let your wrists do the work.

 

Yes. I use a 9 footer and I'm 6"1.

 

Woo Brother... watching you skip? All the fitness is there, but whoo! Do you go full rounds? If you were to throw the rope, scream, and punch someone in the face I don't think it would be out of place at all! :yep

I guess it comes down to what you skip for. I skip for coordination and timing. Watching you skip? I see the cardiovascular. Hell it even looks a bit anaerobic. :good Coordination and timing? :think