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Skipping is one of the best cardio exercises for boost physical performance and facilitating weight loss. In addition, regular skipping can help enhance multiple components of fitness such as muscle endurance and aerobic capacity. Furthermore, jumping rope can develop skill-related components like agility, balance and coordination. Collectively, these outcomes make skipping one of the most effective exercises available.
The reasons to include more skipping into your routine don't stop there. As well as promoting a broad range of fitness benefits, skipping is also super-efficient. Martial arts legend, Bruce Lee, purportedly claimed that 10-minutes of skipping was as physically taxing as 30-minutes of jogging.
If this is true, it's likely a consequence of the fact that skipping, unlike running, simultaneously engages the lower and upper body muscles in equal measures. This means you get more bank for your training buck with skipping. You also get a more balanced workout and, once you master the basics, you'll be able to include high-intensity intervals into your skipping workouts.
But enough of the benefits (because there are loads more). You're here to learn how to skip with proficiency. Below, I have outlined seven simple steps that will enable you to start jumping rope effectively.
How to skip
Perhaps one of the primary limitations of skipping is that to develop competency takes dedicated practice. Unlike most forms of cardio exercise – running, cycling and rowing – skipping is comparatively technical. Acquiring the many separate skills necessary to sustain consistent output requires persistence.
If you’ve never tried skipping before or you’ve had a go but quickly gave up because you spent more time untangling the rope than you did jumping it, you must begin (again) by acknowledging that proficiency will not come quickly.
Whereas with rowing and cycling you can start exercising immediately, few people recognise that to skip even moderately well can take months. This is why the majority of people who ever picked up a skipping rope put it down after one session. But the effort is well worth the hours of hard work. As we briefly saw above (and will review in a bit more detail below), being able to jump rope confers a bewildering number of health and fitness rewards.
And don't forget, skipping (to muddle a classic cliche) is rather like riding a bike: once you learn, you'll never forget. Ready to get going?
Getting started
You don’t have to be an aspiring boxer to skip. Anyone who exercises or is taking steps to get active can learn to skip and enjoy the many benefits it has to offer. All you'll need are three things:
1) A skipping rope (this is the best rope by far)
2) Some space and a smooth surface
3) Cushioned foot wear and suitable clothing
When you've got a rope, a slice of a space and slipped into your sweatpants, you're ready to start practicing. But before begin jumping that rope, it's recommendable to read over the following seven steps. By applying a proper training process, you will improve performance and reduce injury risk.
How to skip in 7 steps
It's important to dedicate the first five-minutes of your skipping workout to warming up. Ignoring this activity, Dr Kenneth Cooper reminds us, in his Aerobics Program For Total Well-Being, increases our risk of suffering painful and frustrating muscle pulls or strains.
Warm-up exercises could include mobility movements (ankle rotations and knee bends), jogging on the spot and double footed jumps. Other appropriate warm-up activities include walking, light jogging and low-intensity plyometric movements.
Once you are warm and ready, set a countdown timer for between five and 10 minutes. When the timer signifies the end of the practice session, you should switch focus to a different training task. But why such short bouts?
Skipping acutely targets the Achilles tendon, soleus and calves. Consequently, beginners will likely suffer chronic lower-limb muscle soreness after a workout (and the longer the workout, the more the suffering). To avoid walking with a limp for the following week, it's best to keep practice sessions brief – at least for the first month.
Seven steps to skipping perfection
Step 1: Warm-up for a minimum of five minutes. Start by spending a couple of minutes limbering up your legs and arms. Then turn up the temperature with a light jog or (better still) 50 burpees.
Step 2: While holding the rope in your hands, practice double footed jumping. To be clear, you are not trying to clear the rope yet. You're just further preparing the lower limb joints and practicing techniques specific to the exercise. Set aside a couple of minutes for Step 2.
Step 3: Holding the handles loosely, the rope at rest behind you, turn it over. Don't try and jump the rope yet. Instead, when it hits your trainers, step over it then take a brief pause. Aim for 10 to 20 steps.
Step 4: At this point, you have warmed up, mobilised the joints and practiced the basic movements. It's time to try a proper skip. You will be applying the same method outlined under Step 3. But instead of stepping over the rope, you'll attempt a jump. To improve your prospects of clearing the rope, stick to the double foot method. This time, aim for 25 to 50 single jumps ensuring to take a brief pause between each jump.
Step 5: Now with a bit of practice under your belt, you're ready to tackle multiple skips. Group single jumps into small sets comprised of 4 to 10 reps. Still applying the double foot method, perform 10 skips in succession before taking a short break. Repeat until you have completed 3 to 5 sets.
Step 6: Assuming you have successfully surmounted Step 5, it’s time to start racking up personal bests. The objective here is to try to count as many un-broken double foot skips as possible before stalling. Every time you clip the rope stop, make a note of your score, then take a short break. It can be helpful to walk about a little before resuming your practice. When you're ready, attempt to exceed your previous score.
Step 7: The final step is the continuation of your practice. To reiterate the advice above, acquiring the basic skipping techniques takes time, perseverance and regular practice. Without these three ingredients, the previous six steps will be a waste.
Steps 1 through to 6 should span about 10-minutes. For the reasons alluded to above, I would advise against exceeding this duration. Concluding each 10-minute practice session, put the rope away and continue on with the rest of your workout. (In an effort to reduce the severity of the DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness), give the Achilles and calves a good stretch.)
How to advance your skipping technique
You now have the formula to learn how to skip. The next phase of the process is to schedule regular practice into your weekly routine. This is critical because long layoffs between practice sessions will slow skills acquisition.
Throughout the first month, factor in a minimum of three sessions per week. If possible, space them a day or two apart as this will allow time for your muscles to recover. When you notice improvements in your performance, it’s time to take your technique to the next level.
Five steps to skip like a pro
Step 1: Warm-up.
Step 2: From double foot jumping, the focus shifts to practicing the single foot technique. Again, applying the same strategy outlined previously, begin by making one successful single foot jump. After each rep, change sides. Aim for 20 reps.
Step 3: When you are comfortably with single jump, have a go at successive jumps on one foot before changing.
Step 4: You’re going to work through a descending pyramid: 5 jumps on the right foot followed immediately and without stopping with five on the left. Repeat this method as you descend the pyramid. (Another variation is to progress up the pyramid. The objective is to see how high you can climb before stopping.) When you can alternate single jumps right to left you are skipping!
Step 5: Practice, practice, practice!
Benefits of skipping
Skipping, or ‘jumping rope’, is a staple of the boxer’s daily training diet. Primarily used as a warm-up and cool-down exercise, skipping confers many physical benefits. Bruce Lee purportedly said that ‘10 minutes of skipping rope is like 30 minutes of jogging.’
Though I’ve yet to encounter research that supports the above statement, anyone who’s vigorously skipped for ten minutes will probably confirm the claim. Skipping is more physically taxing than many other aerobic exercises. But why is such a seemingly simple and, excuse the term, old fashioned exercise so stimulating?
Skipping is an excellent conditioning exercise
This probably has something to do with the way skipping works the body. When performing this exercise multiple minor and major muscle groups are simultaneously recruited; such as the calves, quads, back, shoulders, biceps, forearms and of course the heart and lungs (diaphragm).
In addition, a plethora of ‘synergist’, or stabilising, muscles are engaged to, well, stabilise the body during the movement. I suppose, in short, I could have just said that skipping in some way activates every muscle in your body. It’s no wonder then that ten minutes of jumping rope gets the blood pumping and the sweat pouring.
But of the benefits conferred by skipping the buck doesn’t stop at enhanced physicality.
Why do boxers skip?
Skipping helps to sharpen the boxer’s coordination and agility. Both extremely important pugilistic attributes. Furthermore, unlike an exercise such as running, as good as it is, you can’t ‘switch-off’ when skipping.
The moment your mind wanders you’ll miss-time a jump and consequently find yourself untangling the rope – which is highly irritating – or whipping you’re legs – which is painful. Thus this is one of the few exercises that gives your mind a workout as well as your body.
Some other health and fitness benefits of skipping
As exercise equipment goes, skipping, relative to the many benefits reaped, has to be one of the single most inexpensive available. For less than the price of a cinema ticket and small popcorn you could be the proud owner of a skipping rope – and a good one will last years.
Moreover, not only are they dirt cheap but they are eminently portable (something that can’t be said of a Concept2 Rowing Machine – brilliant though they are) and require little space to use.
Six reasons to learn how to skip
Improved cardiovascular and respiratory performance
Enhanced muscular endurance across a range of muscle groups
Sharpened coordination and agility
Cognitive stimulation
Improves muscle definition and tonality
Improved body composition by reducing fat mass
About the author –
A former Royal Marines Commando, Adam Priest is a content writer, college lecturer, and health and fitness coach. He is also a fitness author and contributor to other websites. Connect with Adam at info@hungry4fitness.co.uk.
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