I know skipping is a good recommended fitness exercise but am i the only person who just doesnt seem to be able to do it properly. I just cant biuld up any rhythm with it and keep having to stop cos of my poor skipping skills. So naturally i find it hard to do this for more than 2 mins let alone 10 mins as it is so start stop i end up getting bored and it doesnt feel like a proper workout the way it should when i see it being done properly. Anyone else the same or use to be like this before they got good? If so any tips on improving?
Practise, practise and practise is the main thing to do. Make sure the rope is the right length and not too short. But I found by trying to skip every chance you get and keep practising you will get better and then you will start doing the fancy stuff for a laugh.
I'm just starting to get better. I mess up when I'm tiring and lack concentration but im skipping every day so I should get better and better at it. Just keep practising.
Yes, you can...and you WILL I'm having a memory from my youth, when I started boxing. I couldn't skip worth a lick! I wasn't naturally athletic, so I was a struggler to say the least. Gosh, I'm having a good chuckle at my own expense! Hey, no worries. If I could do it, you can do it, trust me on this one! Just keep at it. It's almost like riding a bike: one day, it just kicks in and makes sense. I hated learning it. Now, it's one of my all-time favourite training methods! It's really a lot of fun (when you know what you're doing, admittedly). As was suggested to you earlier, make sure your rope is of the correct length. Too short forces you to jump sooner, all crouched-like. Too long screws up your timing because too much rope hits the ground before getting to you, breaking the rhythm. Stepping on the middle of your rope, your hands holding each end of the rope should reach to about the level of your solar plexus/armpits. Try little solo jumps just barely clearing the floor while your rope passes under your feet. Once you can do one, try two, then three, and so on. It's better to dissect your jumping at the beginning stage rather than trying to do a whole bunch of them with improper technique that will not benefit you at all (e.g. shin splints, sore heels, sore knees, aching back, prematurely fatiguing, etc.). Make sure not to jump too high. Try to push-off from your balls of feet. Do not jump the way most kids do at the playground. That's not proper, efficient jumping. Try to concentrate on moving only your forearms & wrists, not your whole arm. Get into the habit of initiating your skipping by putting your hands next to each other and figure-8'ing the rope in front of you to establish a rhythm before opening up to start jumping. It seems like a lot of info and maybe I shouldn't have written so much But, if you hang in there and observe what the successful skippers are doing, then you should be skipping pretty well, pretty soon. Before you know it, like one of the other posters mentioned, you'll be looking to do the hard stuff! Good luck in your training!
i was a rubbish skipper so just avoided it like the plague or a long time but, as the others have said, with practice you get the hang of it.
Problem with me is that I look a right dork trying to skip, and then the wife comes along and laughs at me and shows me how it's done! Still, I'm just coming back from a knee op, so this thread has prompted me to have a go again.
Nobelt, six weeks ago I almost posted exactly the same thread as I just could not skip. Now I flying and love it. Just keep trying and it will come mate.
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. When I first started I couldn't jump rope for sh*t. I am guessing you are relativley new to all this. If so, that's why you can't jump rope properly just yet. Trust me, you will get it if you just do it often. Also, try to watch someone who knows what they are doing.
my preteen stepdaughter LOVES it when I try to skip rope. Ugh. Kind of like watching an epileptic walrus, I guess
Whaddya mean you can't do it? There's no CAN'T in this sport. If a little girl can skip rope, so can you! You just have to develop some timing and rhythm. And I don't mean going to a local club. Just watch what this guy does: http://springseil.com/jumprope_springseil/jump_rope_how-to.shtml Skipping rope teaches coordination, light footwork, strengthens your cardio and burns calories and is actually quite fun. Once you get the hang of it, you can skip for 10,20,30 etc minutes. Think LIGHT on your feet. LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT. Bounce on the balls of your feet. Most people overemphasize their jumps and waste more energy than needed by jumping sky high. You're only looking to clear the rope with a slight bounce of your feet so you don't put too much strain on your feet and knees. At moderate pace, it's a steady 1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2 rhythm. Count mentally, stop focusing on the rope so much. First stand in front of a mirror without a rope with your feet together and practice jumping slightly up and down, don't go nuts and hit the ceiling. Then try alternating footwork like jogging, left, right, left, right. Your body should rock slowly from side to side at a steady rhythm if you're doing it correctly. If you can get these two rhythms down pat, the rest is easy. Also notice, you don't need to swing your arms wildly. Once your body is bouncing, the rope will naturally swing in time with your step. All you need to do is give it a slight twirling motion with the wrist. It will work the upper body as well.
Thanx for the replies. Just wondering if most of u skip with feet together or quick alternative feet, like boxer style. It seems that feet together seems easier so would be the first step. When ive tried in the past ive done it feet together but jumping way too high with too slow a tempo and no rhythm, which i know is incorrect.
I would start off with feet together and as you get better you can do alternative foots, but you got to keep practising. I decided I wanted to learn to skip backwards (the rope going behind you then forward) and it was difficult but kept practising and I'm now quite good at it. Just keep PRACTISING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
A lot of great posts...all of them, in fact! It seems as though we all went through the same crappy stage in the beginning My own suggestion is to NOT keep the feet together. Subconsciously, you're trying to keep them together so you end up being tight, not relaxed. I'd say just about shoulder-width apart or a wee bit shorter. Eventually, you'll be doing lunges, squats, jumps, one-legs, running, boxer's shuffle, Russian squat kicks, you name it! Hang in there. Someone said they were pretty crappy about 6 weeks ago (sorry for not being very PC!) but, now, he's a pro at it! Update us on your progress... Peace
you'll learn.... buddy.. you'll when I started skipping last yr.. I remember the way I used to jump.. I sometimes jump high.. n concentrating on rope.... I almost fell sometime... sometimes I jumped on heels ouch... -TkdWarrior-
Have you tried jumping on used truck tyre? It's another alternative, and you can quickly learn to skip by alternating leading foot.The bounce on your toes will give your calves a good workout.
Jump ONLY as the rope approaches your feet. You should jump just before the rope cracks against the floor. Remember you shouldn't have to look at the rope. Keep swinging it around in a steady rhythm. Try alternating your feet, left, right, left right etc.
my last memory of a skipping rope before muay thai was falling over and cutting my knee when i was younger.... it took ages for me to get the hang of it, but it comes with time, practice makes perfect.... the best advice i had was to stop concentrating so much.
I was the same. The first time I went to a proper kickboxing gym I was mortified. They made me skip and I couldn't manage more than 3 jumps!!! After 3 lessons of getting nowhere, I bought a rope and spend around 12 hours over 2 days skipping at home. Without sounding like I'm bragging, I am pretty damn good at it now. It really isn't hard. Once it comes to you it won't go away. •You don't want to do it for more than 3 minutes a pop (length of a round). It is very specific for your aims. •It will be a workout soon. You'll have to trust me on that! 1 tip - PRACTICE. We've all been there. You will become good soon
