Jumping rope is a great exercise for cardio and agility, and it works a wide range of muscle groups as well. Though there are many ways to use a jumprope, for purposes of todays technical Tuesday we will cover the single jump. All of these concepts will apply to the more complex variations like the double under, high knee skip, jacks, crossovers, boxers single foot…etc.
The quality of the jumprope itself will definitely be a factor in your experience. Some jump ropes are better for some techniques. If you would like to invest in a jumprope, comment below and we can talk about which kind is best for your goals.
Note: Before starting to jumprope, perform a few warm up exercises for the legs such as calf raises, side steps with a band on thighs/ankles, windmills. If its been a while since you jumped rope, start by pretending you have the rope in your hands, and work this technique through first before adding in the rope.
- Start with your feet hip width apart and the rope behind you with a soft bend in your knees. Have your weight equally distributed between your feet. Make sure your knees are over your ankles, about at hip width.
- Jumping off the balls of the feet, spring off the ground as you whip the rope forward. It’s important to whip the rope from the wrist joint, keeping the elbow joint as quiet as possible. Definitely avoid swinging from the shoulder as this will shorten the rope and make the movement much less efficient.
- Land with weight distributed into the balls of the feet. Check that the knees remain over the ankles as there is a tendency for the knees to cave together upon landing.
- If possible, watch your reflection to check for knee stability and whipping from the wrists.
- As you progress with your jumprope skills you can start landing feet one at a time, and then work to high knees and from there on to more agility.
- A great complimentary mobility for jumprope is soleus release!
Awesome jumping skills from the Walnut Creek Boot Camp!
Gumsaba Fitness Class schedule Wednesday 8/24/16
5:30AM Sunrise Danville Womens only class – Coach Karen – Cardio Core Mash Up
6AM Sunup Moraga Womens only Class – Coach Briana – Cardio Core Mash Up
8AM Sunshine Orinda Sleepy Hollow Co Ed PRIVATE Class – Coach James – Cardio Core Mash Up
8:15AM Sunshine Moraga Womens only Class – Coach Briana & Coach Kristin – Cardio Core Mash Up
9AM Sunshine Walnut Creek Womens only class – Coach Jentry – Cardio Core Mash Up