Running Jump
Hello, jump ropers!
The jump to learn this week finalizes the four basic jumps. If you dominate these four you will find that learning all the other ones will be quite easy. This new jump is the running jump.
The running jump is not complicated, but I’ve been surprised how many people struggle to do it smoothly. It is extremely essential towards expanding your list of jumps in your repertoire, so do not underestimate it.
This jump also opens a lot of fun to be enjoyed with your jump rope because it now allows you to move around and even go for a jump rope workout session around your neighborhood. Yes, I’m not joking. It’s almost like jogging, but supercharged! It gets your entire body involved, and also saves your knees from harsh impact! Your neighbors will think that you are crazy, but we jump ropers think that it's crazier to go for a dull jog or walk on a treadmill while watching TV in a basement… No thanks!
So, what's this running jump all about? If you practiced the simple two-foot jump, now you just alternate your feet and get it to a running motion in place. Once you can do this smoothly, try moving forward and backward. It may be difficult at first, but after some tries, you will see that all it takes is a simple adjustment in your movements. If you practiced the figure-8 and the side-swing, you can smoothly transition into these two resting moves without a break in your stride.
The running jump will also allow you to combine your life as an athlete with your life as a dad or a mom or as a son or daughter. What do I mean by that?
Well, as a father, it means that now you can take your 3-year old son for a tricycle ride while you get a killer workout, jumping rope and running behind him, at his pace. Or maybe your mom is in her 70s and her idea of a workout is to go for a walk around the block. Now you can join her while getting a killer workout by speeding up the jump rope pace while traveling at her walking speed.
Jumping rope while running also allows you to do a nice and easy pace, or you can push and explore your limits to become a better athlete. Heck, you can even go do a 10k race while jumping rope! Yes, I’ve done a couple of those and it’s more fun than just running.
And don’t forget to bring your favorite tunes and even sing. Let them laugh!
Who knows, mom may see you are having a blast, and she’ll want to start jumping too!
Keep practicing because the fun is just beginning!
Jump on!
You can jump.
Hello Jump Ropers!
Think about it. You can ride a bike and have a conversation at the same time. Your heart is beating, your lungs are breathing, and your legs are pedaling, yet you don’t think about which muscles to activate, or even think about balancing. You can talk about the football game or the upcoming party while you ride, yet this seemingly simple, but extremely complicated combination of movements just happens, automatically. How is that possible?
The answer is that your subconscious mind took over these tasks. After a lot of repetition and practice, you no longer need to think of how to do these things. After learning as a child, riding a bike becomes automatic and natural, while your conscious thoughts can focus on other things, like a conversation.
Kids are programmed to learn. And it’s easy for them. That’s why children that are exposed to two languages at an early age, pick up both with no effort. The same thing happens when riding a bike, or swimming. A kid thinks it must be easy once they learn, and so it becomes.
But try that with an adult. Something simple somehow becomes very difficult. Swimming is a good example. Adults can still learn to stay afloat and move around in the water, but few adults will ever develop a perfect swim stroke if they did not learn a proper swim technique as a child.
Jumping rope is also on the list of body movements that do not happen naturally, but it’s not as difficult as swimming. Like everything else, kids learn it quickly. While it’s more difficult for adults, a flawless jump rope technique only takes diligent practice and repetition, and it’s far from impossible.
Some complain that they are not coordinated, but that is not the case. They just haven’t done it enough. And for those that spend more time looking for shortcuts than putting the necessary time, I have bad news. There are no shortcuts to perfect. But this is not a problem when you are having fun and getting a good workout.
So back to the subconscious. Practice is just teaching your subconscious to take over. Once you do that, it becomes automatic, like riding a bike. And once that happens, you’re on your way to intense and fun workouts that get your whole body involved, without much conscious effort.
In previous weeks we talked about the side-swing, the figure 8 and the simple jump. For this week, try to continue alternating between these three moves, but try to string more and more simple two-foot jumps in a row. Once you can do 40 or 50 jumps with no interruption, you’re on your way to incorporating the next jump trick into your repertoire, which we will talk about next week.
Go hit 20 -30 minutes of side swing, figure 8 and jump, jump, jump. Remember to stay away from exhaustion by going back to resting moves, but don’t let up! The more you practice these three, the easier it becomes to learn the next set of tricks. So, play your favorite music and go for it!
Jump on!
What if your workout doesn’t have to be a drag?
Hello Jump Ropers!
What’s normal to us wasn’t normal just a few years ago. Physical activity used to be a part of life. And I’m not talking about manually tilling soil and growing food, which is quite extreme. I’m talking about day-to-day manual jobs that were part of everyone’s life less than 50 years ago. Like fixing things around the house without power tools, hand-mixing ingredients or shredding cheese when cooking, hauling suitcases without wheels (even I lived that), climbing stairs, washing clothes by hand, cutting grass with a non-powered mower, and even washing your car with no more than a bucket and a rag.
No one does these things anymore. Life has become more convenient and easier for all of us, and our brains have conveniently adapted, to the point that we’re bothered if the electric stairs at the airport are out of service.
Our brains are programmed for survival first and foremost. This means we unconsciously seek to conserve energy and avoid danger. Back then, this allowed us to be ready to escape or even fight a dangerous encounter with a predator. But in the absence of predators wanting to eat us, we have become a society of sedentary, overweight, inactive, and unhealthy humans.
So, what do we do? Many go to the gym to get a workout to try to feel good. Good solution, but the thought of going to the gym to get a workout requires motivation or willpower. For most of us, these two often hide or disappear altogether. But do you know what our brain is always ready to do? Having fun. We are wired to play. Everyone likes it. Animals do it, babies do it and even people in jail do it. You may even have trouble sleeping if you’re doing something fun and exciting tomorrow morning.
What does that have to do with being in shape? Well, if it’s fun, we do it. If it’s a struggle or if it’s painful, we may make the effort for a while, but eventually give up.
Jumping rope is playing. Some see it as dancing, which almost everyone likes. So get a good pair of wireless headphones, download some fun music and keep practicing what we’ve learned so far. Side-swing, figure 8, and jump with two feet, alternating between all three. Hit music, Dominican merengue, heavy metal, new age, disco… it all works. It just has to have a fast, fun beat, and nothing will stop you.
No, we don’t want to get into more complicated jumps until you can string many simple two feet jumps. Shoot for 30 minutes of alternating between these three moves and try to string together 20 jumps before resting again with Figure 8 and Side Swing. Remember, there is no reason to give up in less time because you can always go to these two resting moves you already practiced.
So keep practicing. Pretty soon we move on to bigger and better jump moves for more fun during your full-body workout.
Check out our rope here!
Why your knees will LOVE jump roping
You kneed to read this one
Hello Jump Ropers!
Last week we talked a little about the benefits of jumping rope, but in discussing with some friends, I again got the common ‘I can’t because my knees are bad’ excuse. Wanna know a secret? My beat up knees are precisely why I got into jump roping some time ago.
The years are starting to pile up. In the early 80’s I had a bad injury on my right knee from wiping out on a dirt bike. In the late 80’s I busted my right knee again, this time playing college rugby. And in the late 90’s I messed up again on a dirt bike and busted… you guessed it - my right knee, along with my collarbone and three ribs.
I sometimes joke that my knee is dead inside, and that’s why it doesn’t hurt, but it’s not good. Fast forward several years and some buddies that were into marathons and triathlons insisted I should join and at least finish a marathon. I had done a couple half-marathons, and they were not exactly pleasant, but I was confident that I could do a full marathon, just for bragging rights. After weeks of training and building up some good running mileage, my right knee started complaining.
I visited a doctor, and after looking at an MRI of my knee, he gave me the choice of either replacing the knee, or quit long distance running and racquetball, which I occasionally enjoyed. Cycling, swimming and jumping roping were good for my knees, so I was given the thumb up.
There you go! Jump rope. Something you can do anywhere and get an excellent workout, safely! And that means, without hurting your knees!
Jumping rope does NOT stress your knees because your heels do not touch the ground, so there is no shock transmitted through the knee. In fact, if you watch people from ancient cultures running barefoot, you can see that their heels do not contact the ground. They literally run barefoot, on their tippy toes, which is how nature intended us to run. And that is how you jump rope. Watch this interesting video!
What’s next?
This week, let’s get into the next step in learning to jump rope. You now start jumping by transforming the side swing to a Figure 8 (side swing on both sides), and throw in some jump and transition back to side-swing, shown here!
These moves are still simple, but extremely important to practice because now you can go exercise for half an hour. You won’t be jumping for the full half an hour, but you can do side-swing to jump to figure 8 and back to side-swing. After some time, you may want to try string a few jumps in a row and go back to side-swing.
Shoot for 15 or 20 minutes of practice and you’ll soon be ready for more. And if you still haven’t purchased a good jump rope, click here!
Jump on!
The Side Swing
Hello Jump Ropers!
We know that jump roping will make you better as a person and as an athlete, so what do you need to get started? Many think that you just need a jump rope and go out and try some double-unders, like that boxer you saw on TV!
Wrong!
Of course, you need a good pair of athletic shoes and a place to jump, but I’m not talking about those obvious things. I’m talking about proper step by step progress. Remember, we’re looking to incorporate jump roping into your lifestyle, not just try it for five minutes one day, figure it’s too hard, and then set it aside… often forever. Believe me, I’ve seen many, many people make that mistake, and justify it with the typical ‘it’s too hard!’ or ‘I’m just not coordinated!’ excuses.
Sure, if I just go out and try to fly an airplane today, by myself and with no training, whatever coordination I have in me would soon be over, along with everything else. So take your time, follow the steps, and gradually get better.
First things first, and in the Jump Roping world, this means the Side Swing.
The Side Swing is not jumping, so it won’t kill your lungs and muscles on your first day. You may say it’s way too easy and that you’re hardly getting a workout, but don’t get ahead of yourself. It may be easy to do, but not so easy to do it right. And by right, I mean that the rope is fully extended, making perfect circles. Practice it rotating both forward and backward without stopping. How? You keep rotating the rope in the same direction and switch your body from one side to the next. You will also want to change hands and get it right with both hands and in both directions. Here’s an example!
The challenge for this week is to do this right. Go for a jog or do some push-ups if you want a more intense workout, but for now, don’t try to jump ahead. Also, do not underestimate the importance of the Side Swing, because it’s part of any advanced jump rope routine. It is used as part of active resting during a workout, as well as a transition move from one jump move to the next.
Now, an obvious step that we didn’t cover is that you need a jump rope. But not all jump ropes are created equal. Sure, you can get one for $5 at Walmart, but poor jump rope performance makes it much harder to jump, and that includes making it harder to learn to jump rope well, which makes it easier to quit.
And the Side Swing move is a perfect example. A cheap jump rope will end up looking like twisted licorice in no time. Not a big deal if the Side Swing is all you will do, but as you will soon see, the side swing transitions will transition into other jumps, and twisted licorice is not what you want.
So practice your Side Swing this week, get good at it and you will soon graduate to awesomeness!
Jump On!
Let's make Jump Rope mainstream
Unless you go to a boxing gym, you just don’t see too many people jumping rope. Our mission is to change that. Whether you are looking to live a healthier lifestyle, or you want to become a better athlete in any sport, you’ve come to the right place.
This is the first of a series of blogs to get the word out about jumping rope. Every week will explore fun facts, some history, and some knowledge about jumping rope, and share tips so you can start jumping, step by step. If you stick with it, you will become hooked, and on your way to excellent shape.
So, let’s start with a question: What is the best workout?
Simple question, but very difficult answer! Everyone has their favorite. A cyclist will insist that the best workout involves a bicycle, while a swimmer will answer that swimming is the best workout. (Or maybe the opposite…)
There is no wrong answer, as it depends on who you ask. But if we clarify the question a little, we can narrow down the list. What does ‘best workout’ mean?
For one, it should exercise your whole body, not just parts of it. Running, playing soccer and cycling are full-body exercises but have a clear focus on the legs. Boxing is also intense, but it has more of an upper-body focus.
Many other activities can claim the use of your whole body, but most have a major disadvantage: you can’t ‘just do it’, no pun intended.
To explain this, let’s recall an old quote from the late Steve Jobs when he said that the best camera is the one that you have on you.
So, no matter how good your camera may be, it is worthless if you don’t have it handy when you want to capture the moment. Likewise, many workouts require fancy or expensive equipment, other require a team, or an opponent or a special court, or a gym, or a field. And this can be a great obstacle when you want to just do it.
That’s where jumping rope separates itself from practically everything else. It’s a full-body workout that you can enjoy alone, anywhere!
Let’s bring in 2021 with a journey to a better year and a better you with this great sport.
Jump On!
-Luis
5 Fitness Goals for your 2021
let’s do it
They come every year, those New Year’s resolutions. You stick to them for a bit, but after a while it gets old and you forget about it.
I’m willing to bet the reason you give up is because it’s not fun or it doesn’t really benefit you. Your fitness goals aren’t just boring, they’re expensive. You have to pay that gym membership, and you’re surrounded by sweaty strangers who also don’t want to be there.
CHANGE THAT.
Jump roping is the epitome of benefitting your body AND having fun at the same time. It’s not expensive, and you’re getting in better shape than those gym people could ever wish for. Don’t waste your time taking pictures of yourself in the mirror after a rep. GET THOSE RESULTS. Jumping rope is the key to your fitness goals in 2021. Get to it.
That is of course... if you’re up for it.
1) DOUBLES & TRIPLES
A fun challenge we have for you is to learn how to jump your double-unders. If that’s too easy for you, get on the triple train. The more you practice, the easier it gets.
2) CHOREOGRAPH YOUR MUSIC
By following us on social media, you can learn new tips and tricks so that you can customize your workout. Soon, you will think it’s a dance party too.
3) SET UP A NON-STOP GOAL TIME
It’s important to create a rhythm for yourself. Once you pick up the pace, it’s harder to make a mistake. Pick up your rope and try to go through a whole song without stopping. Next, get to five minutes. Then, try and get to make it through a fifteen minutes. Keep increasing as you go, and let us know how you do!
4) LEARN NEW TRICKS
Through our jump rope school and social media we will be posting new tricks, so keep up, and tag us for a repost!
5) FIND A WORKOUT BUDDY
This is our favorite. Once you get that workout buddy to hold you accountable, there’s no stopping you. Pick someone that challenges you and makes sure you don’t slack off on a Monday.
Motivation Nation
new rope new you.
We all know that motivation is the key to getting things done. We know that with a good playlist or with someone who challenges us, we can accomplish so much.
So much… but not enough.
Discipline is what makes the difference.
As a senior in high school, a normal week for me was to wake up at 4:52 (I liked weird numbers), go to practice at 5:30, go to school at 7:30, go back to practice at 3:30, have dinner, do homework, repeat. Other days it was school, practice, lift, teach kids how to swim, homework, dinner, repeat.
It wasn’t motivation that got me through that. It was discipline. It was commitment. It was sometimes telling yourself that you need to get comfortable being uncomfortable, putting your brain on silent, and going. Getting out of your comfortable and cozy bed at 4:52 to get in a cold pool before a full day of hard work isn’t easy, and could not be done with motivation alone.
Here at Jump Rope Now, we won’t promise results the easy way. You gotta put in the work. If you cheat it, it cheats you.
I hope that motivates you! ; )
Angie