We have talked about the huge value that a simple jump rope adds to an athlete’s strength and conditioning program. Like any other exercise program, it’s important to be able to provide variety to help the athlete stay engaged and improve. Today we’re going to talk about the first few moves after the baseline move.
In an earlier post we talked about baseline moves (i.e. jumping up and down efficiently) with the jump rope. Athletes will quickly be able to move past this. Once the athlete has mastered the baseline move, it’s time to start thinking about what is next in terms of jump rope skills.
All jump rope sessions should begin with the baseline move. In other words, the athlete begins by jumping rope and moving up and down over the rope for a good 20-30 foot contacts. This helps with their focus.
Once they have successfully executed 20-30 foot contacts using the baseline move, it’s time to advance to the first movement. The first movement is moving side to side. To perform this movement, begin on the balls of the feet. Feet should be close together and movement should come from the ankles, not any other part of the body – in other words, keep the movement efficient! From here, instead of just jumping up and down the athlete is jumping from one side to the other while jumping rope.
If any mistakes are made, reset with the baseline move for 5-10 foot contacts and then attempt again. Always use the baseline move to reset after mistakes!
