If you’re a beginner, I highly recommend that you don’t use cheap plastic rope (from Target) and instead start with a (slightly) weighted rope.
Let me explain why…
The problem with lightweight plastic ropes is that they are too light. This means that you do not feel how they revolve around your body. The best beginner jump rope guide in this blog we will discuss.
This is what causes confusion and frustration. This is a beginner’s worst nightmare.
On the other hand, a weighted rope allows you to feel how the rope rotates. Resistance allows you to always feel where the rope is.
With a weighted rope, you can better time your jumping times. You can slow down your pace and get a nice consistent rhythm.
It sounds counterintuitive, of course, but you should see the faces of the newcomers we worked with within live workshops. After countless mistakes with shoddy ropes, we put a weighted rope in their hands and watched the magic happen. They go from trip-up to trip-up almost instantaneously and suddenly make successive jumps.
WHAT ABOUT JUMP ROPE SIZING?
So you’ve decided to get yourself a well-weighted rope.
It’s time to find the right size.
One of the most common mistakes beginners make is choosing a rope that is not the ideal length for their body.
Using a rope that is not the right size for YOU will make your workouts even more tiring. I can practically guarantee that.
JUMP ROPE TECHNIQUE FOR BEGINNERS
You have a rope. This is weighed. This is the correct size. What the hell are you doing with this? That’s where the fun is…
I’m going to show you a few basic beginner techniques that you need to practice and develop to learn how to jump rope.
When it comes to jumping rope technique, there are simple yet important things you should know about. Let’s break them down one at a time.
HAND POSITIONING
It is very important where you place your hands when jumping rope. You want to focus on two things, specifically:
- Symmetry: you want both hands to be almost an equal distance from the centerline of your body and that your hands are positioned.
- Movement: you want to make sure that the elbows and shoulders move as little as possible. The rotation of the rope should be done with your wrists.
BOUNDING
Jumping rope is a constant jump. You want to reduce the space you build between yourself and the ground. Your borders should be about 1 to 2 inches off the ground.
You also don’t want to swing your legs back or pull your knees. You have to keep your toes down.
Another important note is to make sure that your knees are always slightly bent and that you land gently on the balls of your feet each time you jump. This will provide a good dissipation of stress from jumping around your body.
