1. Get the basics right
Dalton Wong, founder of TwentyTwo Training, says that skipping is a great time-efficient cardio workout that also boosts balance, flexibility and bone and muscle strength in the shoulders, arms and legs. But you need to get the basics right to reap the benefit. Make sure the rope is the correct length — standing on the middle of the rope, the hands should come up to armpit level. If it is too long you risk tripping or poor technique. “A lot of people have problems with the co-ordination, so start by holding both ends of the rope in one hand and jumping as you rotate it on one side,” Wong says. “That will help you get used to the rhythm of the skipping movement.” Keep your torso straight and turn the rope from the wrists and forearms, keeping arms by your sides and shoulders tucked in to avoid straining them. “Bending your knees and ankles when jumping is important, and try landing on the balls of your feet before lowering the heels to absorb impact,” Wong says. “Start with a couple of minutes at a time and build up to five to ten minutes daily.”
2. Increase your skipping speed
Skipping involves fast movement of the feet and arms, and requires muscles to exert maximum force in brief intervals of effort that boost muscle power. In a meta-analysis last year involving 21 studies and 511 participants Dr Jason Moran, lecturer at the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences at the University of Essex, found that regular skipping produced faster times for endurance runners as it helped to reduce the ground-contact time of feet and boost forward propulsion, both of which enhance speed. Wong says that it will also help to improve walking speed and all-round fitness for other activities. “Spend money on a good rope, either opting for a lightweight speed rope made of plastic if technique is sound, or a slightly heavier beaded rope if you are a beginner,” Wong says. “Focus on fast, light landings and on increasing your rotations per minute as your style improves.”
3. Add intervals
There will come a time when you need to add some intensity to your skipping routine to progress your fitness. “Try forward and backward skipping, double jumps — where the rope passes under your body twice with each rotation — single hops and skipping with high knees,” Wong says. “As you get stronger you can skip with a weighted vest, provided there are no existing lower limb or back injuries, or with a weighted rope for added resistance and calorie burning.” For advanced skippers, the American Council on Exercise suggests wide to narrow jumps in which you jump the feet out to shoulder-width apart, then directly beneath the hips with each rotation, and split jumps, in which you start with your right foot forward and left foot back, switching foot position as you jump. “Try these more challenging moves for 15 seconds with a 30-second recovery and repeat several times,” Wong says.
