If you’re not jumping rope during workouts or at least for a warm-up, well it’s time to start! Jumping rope is THE BEST! It improves coordination, burns calories, improves bone density, and it can even help improve brain function! But if you’re like most of America out there, you probably haven’t jumped rope since elementary school. I remember LOVING Jump Rope for Heart in elementary school when we would jump rope all day long. But I quickly gave that up as I became a teenager and thought everything was stupid. So when I picked up a jump rope once again in 2009, it was like starting from square one. I felt uncoordinated, awkward, and I had constant slashes on my arms from the rope. It was hella frustrating, So you know what I did? I started practicing. Every.Single.Day. I would finish my workout then turn up my music and jump rope was 15-20 minutes. And slowly, I got better. Who woulda thought?!
If you’re just getting started with jumping rope OR you’re looking to get better at double unders, I’m here to help! Be sure to check out the video above first! Then we can go through all the tips in more detail!
- First – GET YOUR OWN JUMP ROPE!! Stop trying to use other people’s jump ropes or the ones that are already at the gym. They weren’t cut to your height and that means they will be harder to work with. Jump ropes are cheap AF, so just buy one. You’re an adult, you can do.
- I can’t tell you what jump rope is going to be best for you, but I can tell you that they are all pretty affordable, ranging from $6-$30. When I first started jumping rope, I liked a heavier rope because it moved a little slower and it was louder, so it was easier to hear and get comfortable with. Nowadays I use a skinny speed rope because it’s super light and quick!
- Once you buy one, you can cut it to your length. You will want to stand in the middle of the rope and the end of the handles should hit right around your armpits. Be sure to leave a little excess rope at the end in case you need to lengthen it a bit.
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- Second – Practice often. Now that you’ve become a real adult by purchasing a $12 rope, you gotta use it. You can’t expect to be good at jumping rope or doing double unders if you don’t do them all the time. You gotta work for it!!
- If you haven’t jumped rope in years, start slow. Start with single unders for only a couple minutes to make sure you don’t put too much strain on the calves.
- Once you are comfortable with doing 200-300 consecutive single unders without much strain on the calves, you’re ready to move on to single unders
- Third – Kick off your double under practice! Now that you’re comfortable with single unders and your calves have strengthened a bit, it’s time to give those double unders a go!
- Remove any music as your start your double unders. This can help with hearing the rope, how it sounds when it moves, when it hits the ground, and when you should jump. Later on you may not need to do this, but it definitely helps at first!
- Relax to shoulders and remember to breathe. It’s pretty easy to tense up and hold your breath when you start doing double unders. Don’t do that. Breathing is important.
- Start with 5 single unders followed by 1 double under. Once that becomes easy, reduce the number of single unders down to 3 then 1 double under. Then down to 1 single under and 1 double under.
- Before you know it, you’ll be doing consecutive double under. Try to get 5 in a row, then 10, and so on! Set goals and crush them!!
When you are jumping rope for the first time, you may not be fully aware of what your body is doing, but it’s good to think about a few things to help improve your form with time. Here are some things to avoid:
- Bringing your knees high when you jump.
- Jumping excessively high.
- Bending over at the waist and creating a hunched position.
- Sending feet behind you with each jump.
- Arms moving away from the body as you jump aka tensing up
Remember, a double under is not very different from a single under. The only real thing that is changing is the speed of your wrist. Jumping higher won’t get the rope underneath you twice, your wrist speed will. It’s all in the flick of the wrist!
Hopefully all these little tips get you closer to mastering double unders!! Remember the only way to get out there
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This post contains some affiliate links and I may be compensated, but all opinions are my own. This compensation helps with expenses to keep this blog up and running! Thank you for all your support!
I love this post! What a great idea 🙂 Thanks for the fitspo!
thanks Serena!
You’ve convinced me! Just ordered two, one for me and one for my husband since he will inevitably try to steal mine!
awesome!!!
This is so fucking helpful! I have never taken the time to really learn the technique for DUs, but I legit feel like I can do it with these tips. Thanks!!
awesome!!!
Thanks for sharing your tips on double unders! Anything helps!