Rope jumping is great for martial arts as it can be low impact, a great form of exercise and the fastest way to improve your footwork. Making it ideal for self defence training.
This tutorial is made by one of our students who only recently learned to skip, so we know these tips on jumping rope can work really well for your skipping progress.
Before you get started with skipping …
Choose the right jump rope for skipping.
For beginners, we recommend a relatively slow rope, that’s a fitted correctly for your size and frame. If you stand in the middle of the rope, the handles should be level with your armpit, as a rough guide.
Get the floor correct for learning to skip.
The surface your are jumping on and your shoes make a big difference. Something that gives a little extra lift is great, we use martial arts matts in the present centre. Wooden floors are also great if they have a little give in them. This makes it lower impact and a lot more comfortable on your knees.
Carpet and concrete are not ideal. Concrete will damage the rope, be tough on your frame and carpet absorbs the rope and throws off your timing.
Start with the ‘Pretend Jump’.
Start by getting your timing with a pretend jump. This helps with timing, builds confidence and generally prepares you for the real thing.
You need to coordinate a jump with the rope swing as shown in the video.
Once you feel comfortable, its time to start the real skipping experience. Start with minimal jumps i.e. 2 jumps, then 3 jumps upto 6.
Once you are consistent with 6 jumps, you can set the clock and try skipping for 30s.
Practise makes progress, so keep at it.
Typical Skipping Mistakes
You’re swinging your arms too much, when the tension should be mostly in your wrists.
You are jumping way to high. Trying too hard. You need to relax as your feet should only be a few milimetres of the floor, between 5 to 10mm typically. Remember, it’s supposed to be low impact.
Some other great resources on learning to skip are:
step by step tutorial on skipping – includes good skipping form
skipping tricks – nicely shot videos with music of some fun tricks to try
