Fitness: Jumping Rope

Taking care of your own body gives you the strength to help care for others in the body of Christ. 

 5 Steps to Jump Rope Like a Pro

One of my favorite means of exercise is Jumping Rope.  It's fun and convenient.  I turn on a movie or one of my favorite tv shows and jump rope right in my own living room.  I hardly even realize Im exercising.  Jumping rope delivers fast, great results.

Rope skipping is one of the best cardio, fat-burning, leg-shaping, cross-training exercises there is. Almost every major sport utilizes it as an integral part of training due to its ability to enhance agility and foot speed. It's ultra portable, doesn't require any expensive equipment.

1. The Rope
   The right rope doesn't need to be expensive. There are great ropes available for as little as $2-$3. I personally like the Gold's Gym jump ropes.  I bought mine at Walmart. The main thing to look for is whether the rope turns freely inside the handle. If it gets caught up easily it will make jumping very difficult. Try to avoid cloth ropes as since they're usually too lightweight and don't rotate well. The best ropes are made of either straight plastic (commonly called a speed rope) or plastic beads. The other thing to check is the length. When you stand on the middle of the rope with both feet, the handles should reach to just under your arm pits. Jumping with a rope that is too short will trip you up faster than anything.
2. Bounce
   The most common mistakes people make when trying to jump rope are usually rooted in bad jumping form. If you're jumping properly, you should be on the balls of your feet (if you stand on your tip toes the 2-4 inch area still on the ground is the ball of the foot) and your knees should be slightly bent. While jumping, your heels should never touch the ground. Jumping flat footed is really bad on your knees and should be avoided, plus it wears you out fast. Don't lock your knees and remember to relax, jumping should become a very fluid motion in time.
3. Start Simple
   Everyone wants to jump in and impress their peers the first time out, but if you skimp on the fundamentals, you'll always look like an amateur. The most important skill to master is the single bounce. Every skill in rope skipping is built off of this. To properly execute the single bounce, you should only be jumping about 1/4 - 1/2 an inch off the ground, and you should be landing softly on the balls of your feet. Your elbows should be near your side and the rope should be turned by your wrists, not your arms.
4. Contact Zone
   What type of surface are you jumping on? Sometimes you'll be missing constantly and it's not your fault, it's the contact zone. Thick carpet will make your rope bounce, there's no way around it, you have to jump higher than normal. Each surface type has it's own characteristics and you should be aware of them.  If you have a choice in surfaces, a suspended wood floor is the best for your joints, plus it can give you some extra bounce in case you want to hit a multiple under and get up really high. Since most of us live in the real world and don't have a choice in premium surfaces, your next best bet is to find a flat surface that has some give to it. Try to avoid concrete if possible since it will wear you out faster, it's not good for your knees and it will eat your rope up. Try a few jumps out on whatever your surface is and pay attention to how the rope bounces and slides across the floor. Once you've tried out a few different places, you'll start to notice similarities and the adjustments you'll need to make for each location.  Also I like to workout barefoot, I think it is a little easier because I jump rope on a thin carpet.  Try tennis and barefoot to see what works best for you. 
5. Practice Makes Permanent
   Focus on the mechanics of each skill so that you're doing them properly from the get-go. Some skills may feel unnatural at first, but if you practice them properly, your body will input that into muscle memory and it will become second nature in no time. The longer you practice something with bad form, the longer it will take to unlearn that motion. Lots of jump rope skills will take time to master, take it slow and focus on the mechanics. If you don't know how to do something, watch/ask someone who does or pick up a video. 

Jumping rope for just 10 minutes burns up to 135 calories. So if you are looking for something that is quick-jumping rope just might be the way to go for you.