{"id":700,"date":"2021-07-29T12:03:51","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T12:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ultimatehealthreport.com\/how-to-jump-rope-like-a-boxer\/"},"modified":"2021-07-29T12:03:51","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T12:03:51","slug":"how-to-jump-rope-like-a-boxer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ultimatehealthreport.com\/how-to-jump-rope-like-a-boxer\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Jump Rope Like a Boxer"},"content":{"rendered":"


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With our archives now 3,500+ articles deep, we\u2019ve decided to republish a classic piece each Sunday to help our newer readers discover some of the best, evergreen gems from the past. This article was originally published in January 2019.\u00a0<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

When you think about boxers\u2019 workouts \u2014 when you mentally run through all the real life preparation they put in before a fight, as well as all the cinematic training montages you can remember\u00a0\u2014 one exercise probably comes most readily to mind: jumping rope.\n<\/p>\n

Boxers, from bare-knuckle brawlers like John L. Sullivan to modern champs like Manny Pacquiao, have indeed made jumping rope a big part of their training regimens throughout the long history of the sweet science. And with good reason: the benefits of this exercise abound.\n<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not planning on climbing into a ring anytime soon, you probably don\u2019t think of jump roping very often; to get in your cardio or HIIT workouts, you\u2019re more likely to mount some machine at the gym. Maybe that\u2019s because you associate jumping rope with elementary school, think you\u2019re too clumsy to do it effectively, remember it being overly monotonous, or feel like it\u2019s too high impact an exercise for your older or heavier body.\n<\/p>\n

Today we\u2019ll show you how those objections can be overcome, and why you ought to train like a fighter by incorporating the jump rope into your workout routine.\n<\/p>\n

The Benefits of Jumping Rope<\/u><\/h3>\n

Jumping rope builds your fitness, athletic skills, and even your mindset in ways few other exercises can match. When you look at the list of benefits below, it\u2019s easy to see why boxers are particularly keen on this form of training, but these are advantages the average guy surely wants to develop as well:\n<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Serves as a whole body workout that incorporates all the muscle groups<\/li>\n
  • Works the body\u2019s anaerobic and aerobic systems and efficiently burns calories<\/li>\n
  • Builds speed and quickness<\/li>\n
  • Develops overall balance, coordination, timing, and rhythm<\/li>\n
  • Intensifies power and explosiveness<\/li>\n
  • Increases reaction time and reflexes<\/li>\n
  • Gets an athlete comfortable with being in the \u201creadiness position\u201d \u2014 on the balls of the feet<\/li>\n
  • Enhances agility and nimbleness \u2014 lightness on the feet<\/li>\n
  • Offers practice in moving through all planes of space \u2014 up, down, backward, forward, and side-to-side<\/li>\n
  • Enhances ability to accelerate and decelerate while keeping one\u2019s balance<\/li>\n
  • Develops body control and awareness<\/li>\n
  • Cultivates greater ability to synchronize the lower and upper body<\/li>\n
  • Increases hand-eye coordination<\/li>\n
  • Strengthens mental discipline and mindfulness (in calling upon one\u2019s powers of concentration)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Beyond these physiological benefits, jumping rope is a super cheap and portable exercise \u2014 you can do it almost anywhere \u2014 and incredibly versatile to boot; with hundreds of variations in techniques, patterns, and progressions, it\u2019s a workout you can keep perennially fresh.\n<\/p>\n

    How to Choose a Jump Rope<\/span><\/h3>\n

    The first step in getting into jumping rope is to choose a rope to use. There are two big considerations in making this decision:\n<\/p>\n

    Type\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    <\/p>\n

    Jack Dempsey shared his old school DIY method of making a boxer\u2019s jump rope in his book, Championship Fighting<\/em>: \u201cyou can make a rope by soaking a piece of clothesline overnight in a can of light lubricating oil. Hang up the rope and let it dry for a day. Then, fold the ends of the rope back and tape them into \u2018handles\u2019 with bicycle tape.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    There are many different types of jump ropes made from different kinds of materials. The main categories here are \u201cspeed ropes\u201d and \u201cheavy ropes.\u201d Speed ropes are lightweight, made for fast turning, and, as the name implies, built for speed. Heavy ropes are weighted in the rope and\/or handles, turn more slowly, and are designed to strengthen the upper body.\n<\/p>\n

    Your best bet is to go with a speed rope.<\/strong>\u00a0As Olympic wrestler and conditioning coach, former Marine, and all-around rope jumping expert Buddy Lee explains: \u201cA jump rope training program is best used for developing speed, quickness, agility, and explosiveness, and a lightweight speed rope enables you to maximize these and other benefits of jump rope training.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

    As for material, you want your rope to be made out of plastic.<\/strong>\u00a0Plastic ropes are durable and cut down on air resistance for greater speed. Cotton and leather ones drag in the air and don\u2019t turn quickly enough, and will wear out sooner as well.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

    They make jump ropes these days that track your skipping data and connect to an app and all that jazz, but you don\u2019t need those bells and whistles. When we asked Jay Deas, trainer\/manager of heavyweight champ Deontay \u201cthe Bronze Bomber\u201d Wilder and owner of Skyy Boxing Gym in Alabama for some rope jumping tips, he said: \u201cI don\u2019t need the weighted jump rope or the one that gives you your cholesterol or tells you about your love lines. I like a good basic jump rope.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

    Length<\/h3>\n

    Jump ropes come in different sizes. The right length for you depends both on your height and rope jumping ability.\n<\/p>\n

    A rope that\u2019s too long is going to be less aerodynamic, and create more tangles and snags. If you hear the rope smacking the ground a lot, it\u2019s probably too long. At the same time, you don\u2019t want it too short, or you\u2019ll be, as Deas puts it, \u201call hunched up like an old man trying to jump rope.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

    \"Man<\/p>\n

    To find the correct jump rope length for you, step on the middle of the rope with one foot, and then pull both handles up along the side of your body, so the rope is straight and taut.\n<\/p>\n

    For the beginner, the handles should reach to the shoulder. When jumping you should have about a foot of clearance between your head and the rope, and the rope should just graze the ground as it goes under your feet.\n<\/p>\n

    If you get more advanced with your jumping, you can shorten the rope so that it reaches your underarm or even upper chest (with 2-6 fewer inches of clearance above your head). As Lee explains, shortening the rope can enhance the benefits you get from jumping: \u201cWhen you use a shorter rope, you have less room for error and are forced to move your hands and feet faster, which dramatically increases rotational speed. This process increases your whole-body awareness, helps you develop lightning-fast reflexes, and improves your reaction time.\u201d<\/p>\n

    A rope that rises to somewhere between the shoulder and armpit will work for most people, however, and it\u2019s better to have a jump rope that\u2019s longer rather than shorter. You can adjust a rope that\u2019s too long to be shorter, but you can\u2019t make a short rope longer.\n<\/p>\n

    Setting Up for Success<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Effective, efficient, injury-free jumping begins with how you set up to perform this exercise, both in where you choose to do your jumping, and your body\u2019s position\/posture while you do so.\n<\/p>\n

    Choosing a Location<\/h3>\n

    A lot of guys shy away from jumping rope because they think it\u2019s too hard on their body. But you can reduce the impact by choosing a jumping surface that offers a little more rebound (for when you take off), and absorbs a little more force (for when you land). Avoid very hard surfaces like asphalt or concrete when you can, instead choosing surfaces that have a little more give, while still being firm. This includes wood floors, firm rubberized floors or mats, artificial turf, thin carpet, short grass, and solid, level dirt.\n<\/p>\n

    When you choose a spot, make sure there\u2019s enough clearance all around you, that you won\u2019t whack an object or a person with your rope.\n<\/p>\n

    Body Posture<\/h3>\n

    \"Man<\/p>\n

    Your posture will greatly affect your jumping performance and risk for injury. Follow the guidelines above to set yourself up for effectiveness and efficiency.\n<\/p>\n

    A couple mistakes that jumping rookies often make are worth emphasizing:\n<\/p>\n

    The first mistake is using your arms too much. Deas says, \u201cThe main thing is you want to use your wrists \u2014 you don\u2019t want your arms going in big windmill motions. You want to let your wrists do the action.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

    The second mistake to avoid is jumping too high, which creates excess impact on your body; you only need to jump 1\/2-3\/4\u201d off the ground \u2014 just high enough to clear the rope. Watch how little Pacquiao\u2019s feet come off the ground as he jumps:\n<\/p>\n