Buzz
Are you participating in the jump rope fitness challenge? If you're unsure what to do with your rope besides jumping and counting your progress before you trip up, you're on the right track!
If you're struggling to make it that far, check out this helpful video from Punk Rope on common mistakes beginners make. If the rope keeps hitting your ankles or feels like it's shortening as you jump, they can pinpoint where you're going wrong:
When jumping correctly, keep your elbows close to your body, use only your wrists to turn the rope, and make small jumps—just enough to clear the rope (around an inch). The trainer in the video demonstrates this on concrete, but if you can jump on a softer surface like a gym mat, it will be gentler on your joints.
Advanced Tricks
Here are a few simple actions that might feel surprisingly fancy the first time you try them:
Jump side to side. This is just like regular jumping rope—nothing changes—except now your feet land slightly to the side of where they take off from.
Jump forward and back. It's the same jumping technique, but this time, adjust your foot placement a tiny bit with each jump.
Foot to foot. Keep the same rhythm, but alternate putting one foot down at a time. I’m personally stuck on this one: even though it’s just like jogging in place, the rope is confusing my brain.
Try out these moves and share with us in the comments how your jumping rope experience is progressing so far!
