Jump Rope Tips for Beginners
Jump rope can feel hard and quite alien when first starting and can cause frustration when tripping a lot. Following some of the below advice will help you to learn the best way possible and help you get off to great start with your jump rope journey.
1) Keep bounces low off the ground / bounce in one place
Only jump high enough for the rope to pass under your feet. only about 1-2 inches off the ground max. This lowers impact and reduces the risk of injury and fatigue. Also try to keep in the same spot when your are jumping and not stray sideways or forwards!
2) Stay on the balls of your feet / slight bend in the knees
You want to keep on the balls of your feet with your heels off the ground. This is called a bound and will use the correct muscle groups for jump rope the correct way. Also you only need a very slight bend in the knees. Avoid bending your knees fully and flicking them back which many beginners have a tendency to do.
3) Hand positioning is key
You want to make sure your elbows are set back with you hands into your body next to your hips. This is called the home position. Many people jump with their arms wide and straight which makes things difficult even though it may feel natural. With the elbows set back, this engages the elbows to drive the rotation in the wrists which reduces unnecessary shoulder fatigue. This positioning also allows for as short a rope length as possible to be used meaning greater efficiency in rope movement.
4) Wrist Rotation
Make sure you are rotating those wrists and not leading the rotation with your arms.
5) Shorten your rope
Most beginners use a rope that is far too long for them because they think it's easier to jump over, this leads to poor form and hand positioning. We recommend shortening your rope as much as technique allows and continue to review and shorten with time. Shorter rope lengths lead to better rope mechanics and efficiency of rope spin leading to cleaner technique and execution of skills
6) Use the correct rope type
Avoid light cables and weighted handles which don't have the correct amount of feedback or have a weight imbalance. You want to feel the weight of the rope as it spins around you. This is why you should get a beaded rope. Alternative a 5mm PVC rope. It is also the reason why CrossFit athletes should choose a buff 3.4oz cable to start with.
Our beaded rope is perfectly balanced to give you feedback to feel the rope so you know where the rope is around you. This feel and awareness gives you the best chance to learn and execute skills and improve your form.
7) Head Straight and Shoulders back
Make sure you maintain this posture as much as possible and stay relaxed.
8) Warm up, ease yourself in but keep going
Make sure you warm up a bit before diving in and keep it fairly light to start with. Doing basic bounce for 10-15 mins maybe 3 days a week is a good amount to get started with and slowly increase session length and frequency with time. Once you get used to it, you will be able to jump for hours but don't do too much too early.
Keep going and stay consistent. The more regularly you can jump rope the more natural it will start to feel.
9) Reflect
Literally! look at yourself in a mirror or video yourself. This will help you to diagnose your form and spot things you might be doing wrong.
10) Don't hesitate to ask questions
I am here to help with your jump rope journey. So just send me an email at jump@doperopes.co.uk and I will be happy to offer advice
Thanks for reading!
Keon
Dope Ropes Founder