By Pippa Teague NASM CPT, WS
Infinite Potential Personal Trainer, Orangetheory coach, Professional Figure Skating Coach
I love double unders and jump rope in general but I know dubs don’t come easy to everyone and there are some tricks and tips that can help!
In general, jump rope is a great conditioning tool. As a competitive figure skater I would use it frequently to warm up in the rink and before competitions. It is light and easy to bring to smaller spaces and gets that heart rate up fast!
Being effiecent in jump rope and getting those dubs will help to improve the following:
-Speed
-Coordination
-Endurance
-Body control
-Strength
-Power
-Reaction speed
Here is my guide to achieving your first double under.
First make sure you are efficient with your single unders. Be able to quickly manage about 20 in a row unbroken. A big mistake I see very often is trying to make large circles with the arms in order to bring the rope through. Try to keep your wrists and arms close to your side. A trick to help is to squeeze a rolled up towel under each arm. As you jump the wrists actually flick down. So think about your thumb turning a tight circle towards the ground as you jump upwards. Timing should be even and smooth. Focus on one point in front of you.
Double under timing.
Penguin taps:
Without the rope jump up and tap your legs twice. This is how fast you need to be doing the flick motion with your wrists. The jump itself should not change, you want to jump higher for the double under but legs should look the same. Often times people will bend the knees up in a tuck fashion. Try to avoid this. Toes should still leave the ground last and legs stay straight.
Once you feel like you have the singles down you should start trying a couple of doubles mixed in. Use the timing of the singles to help flow you into a double so it might be something like single-single-single -double-single
When you can manage this, try to get two in a row. The hardest part is the timing and jumping straight into the next one.
Good luck and tag me in your double under journey !
by Pippa Teague
Infinite Potential Personal Trainer, Orangetheory coach, Professional figure skating coach
NASM CPT, WS