Skipping - The Benefits of Jumping Rope

Skipping is something I've done for many years.

Like running at times can be calming, it can take your mind off things & be a stress relief.

Skipping is a quick & highly effective way to get your heart rate up.

Rotating a rope at speed over & under your body whilst moving your feet either simultaneously or one at a time will be a physical challenge; especially when new to it.

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A standard requirement for amateur & professional boxers & mixed martial artists, skipping can be applied for prolonged periods to drop weight or for short periods as a warmup.

They can cost as little as £5, are usually pretty durable (when on a smooth studio floor) & headroom aside, you don’t need a lot of space.

Some brands have either weighted handles or the rope itself may be designed to be heavier for the same effect.

I believe that a standard rope is sufficient & has proven to be in the aforementioned sports for many years.

Following a brief jog around the studio I always insisted upon skipping as a secondary warm up of the ligaments of the feet, achilles tendons & shoulders of the participants of my fortnightly boxing class I used to run.

After this, everything was ready to go.

We all have preferences, but regardless of them I am a strong believer in varying training as much as possible; so why not add skipping to your repertoire.

A rhythmic exercise which can be easily intensified with varying movements & speeds the key rule when starting is to keep it simple & get used to moving the rope first.

Movements requiring this unfamiliar coordination & timing is often tricky at the start so take your time.

One thing to understand is that skipping is ALL on the balls of the feet which should not be any higher than 2-3 inches of the ground if doing standard jump roping.

Impact should be absorbed gradually & the only sound you should hear is that of the rope cutting through the air.

Although the resulting impact of jumping a rope can have positive effects on bone density & strength very few exercises are right for everyone & some should seek safer alternatives if suffering with lower back pain, bad ankles, hips & especially knees.

But if all of the above are good, then give it a try.