How To Jump Rope For Beginners – A Quick & Simple Guide

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The first time I tried to learn how to jump rope I was around 10 years old.

I was down the local boxing gym with my dad and older brother (a complete jump rope beginner at the time) watching all the big boys and girls smoothly swinging the rope.

Anyway…

And after watching everyone else for a few minutes, I nervously wandered over to the corner of the room…

…Picked up a rope

…Gave it a quick spin. 

And found myself tasting the sweaty gym floor moments later.

That very second, I vowed to never jump rope again.

Fast forward 20 years and things have changed a bit. And while I’m still far from being an expert, I can safely say I’ve now got a pretty good grasp on how to jump rope effectively.

Why am I telling you this?

Because I honestly believe that jumping rope is one of the best things you can do for your body.

Also, it beats the shit out of running any day. (at least for me)

The problem, however, is that learning how to jump rope for beginners is frustrating. And because of this, lots of wannabe jump rope artists tend to give up before they’ve learned the basics.

It’s a shame because it means lots of people are missing out on the huge benefits of jumping rope.

So, in today’s post, I’m gonna walk you through how to jump rope like a badass ninja warrior.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner, a seasoned expert, or even capable of throwing the rope around like Bruce Lee’s nunchucks on steroids.

Let’s get started…

Choosing The Right Jump Rope For Beginners

So first things first, you need a rope that best suits your needs.

Personally, I prefer a lightweight rope such as the magic speed jump rope or the supersonic jump rope because it allows me to perform certain jump rope tricks and transitions that I find too difficult with a heavy rope. 

So if you’re looking for a fast-paced workout that not only looks good… 

…But also melts calories like butter on a pan.

Get a speed rope.

Rope Length

The other thing you need to take into consideration is the length of the rope your using. 

There are a few variables to consider but the general specifications based on an individual’s height are as follows…

• If you’re over 4 feet, 9 inches, but under 5 feet, 3 inches tall, an 8-foot rope is ideal.
• If you’re between 5 feet, 4 inches and 5 feet, 8 inches tall get a 9-foot rope.
• And if you’re over 5 feet, 9 inches, but shorter than 6 feet, 6 inches tall, then a 10-foot rope should be your weapon of choice.

How To Jump Rope For Beginners

Learning how to jump rope (in my experience) comes down to three things…

1. Timing
2. Coordination
3. And Rhythm

And if you master these basic skills first then you’ll get to a point where you’ll be able to jump rope without even thinking about it.

It’ll just be instinctive.

So, before you start jumping, put the rope to one side for a second and all I want you to do is work on your rhythm.

Find a little space, get on your toes, and for now, just mimic the movement of jumping rope.

There are two ways you can do this…

…A single bounce 

…A double bounce.

What I mean by this is you can bounce from one foot to the other with every bounce…

…Or

…You can bounce on the same foot two times before switching to the opposite foot.

See a lot of people when they start learning how to jump rope tend to bounce on both feet at the same time.

There’s nothing wrong with this. 

But when you’re just finding your feet (no pun intended). It’s possible to develop issues further down the line because you lack rhythm and timing.

This could end up stalling your progress as you improve.

Side Swing Transition

Once you get the hang of the single and double bounce without a rope.

You can then start adding the side swing or transition into the mix.

It looks like this…

Notice how I used the side swing to transition into the double bounce when I started.

This is what you need to work towards.

Here’s how to do it…

…Get a little space (preferably outdoors) and hold the handles of the rope in front of you.

…Swing the rope to one side and as you do, turn your wrists over so they’re facing each other.

As you turn your wrists, the rope should naturally start to spin.

When this happens, all you have to do then is turn your wrists over to the other side of your body to gain momentum.

Then just keep repeating the process over and over again.

It’s a little tricky to get the hang of at first. But like anything, a little practice goes a long way.

Basic Jump Rope Skills

By now you should be able to comfortably perform a single, and double bounce step without a rope.

And you should also be able to perform a side swing.

If you can, then now it’s time to add the rope.

So here’s what you need to do…

Holding the handles with the rope training behind you. Swing the rope over your head.

As the rope descends, perform a single bounce with one foot and jump over the rope. 

Giving yourself 1-2 inches of clearance between the bottom of your foot and the floor.

Now after the first successful spin you can either transition over to your other foot using the single bounce we discussed earlier in this post…

…Or you can do a double bounce before transitioning over your other foot.

The choice is yours.

At this point, it’s all about timing.

When you first start jumping don’t be surprised if you can only turn the rope a few times before the rope catches your feet.

This is completely normal.

The important thing (and I can’t stress this enough) is that your patient.

It will come, you’ve just got to give it time.

More Jump Rope Skills

As you start getting better, you can start having a little play around with a few jump rope basics.

When I’m warming up, I like to alternate between both single and double bounces while throwing in few side swings to transition between the two.

Also, it would be wise to use this time (provided you have enough space) to practice moving around the floor as you jump.

You can start inching forward…

…Backward.

…Side to side.

If you’re feeling confident you can even slowly rotate as you’re jumping until you’ve done a complete 360-degree turn.

It’s all about getting comfortable with different movement patterns at this point.

And it’s also where jumping rope becomes a lot more fun.

Jump Rope For Beginners – Tricks Of The Trade

Once you get comfortable with the rope.

And you can happily skip for hours on end without tripping and introducing your face to the floor.

You can now start to take things to the next level.

Now, there’s a huge list of jump rope tricks you can learn that will add all sorts of variety to your workout.

Some are good, some are bad. And some are even damn right impressive.

But here’s a few to get you started…

Sprint In Place

Nothing too fancy with this one.

It’s more about increasing your work capacity thing than anything else.

All you gonna do is jump rope at a lightning-fast pace to kick your heart rate up a few beats.

On the surface, it’s quite simple. You’ve just got to spin the rope a lot faster than usual.

The problem though is it requires a whole new degree of coordination and timing.

Because if you’re timings off by even a fraction of a second.

You’ll end up whipping the back of your legs with the rope at full speed.

A few tips…

When you’re turning the rope, you need to remember that the speed of the rope comes from the power in your wrists.

If you can, try to create slightly larger circles with your both wrists while picking your feet up at a faster pace.

Because the rope turns so quickly, I also recommend doing only a single bounce step with every single spin.

Anything else, and you won’t have time to get your feet out of the way before the rope comes flying round.

Criss Cross

This is a little more complex. But if you can master the criss-cross, it’ll add a whole new dimension to your jump rope workout.

Here’s how it’s done…

Jump rope as you normally would using a single step bounce.

Then, as the rope descends from over your head, quickly cross your arms until both the handles are on opposite sides of your body.

The actual jumping phase of the criss-cross is performed while your hands are crossed. 

Hold the position for a split second until the rope has passed completely underneath your feet before uncrossing your arms.

Rinse and repeat for as long as you want.

Quick tip…

As your arms cross, it needs to be done in a smooth and controlled manner.

Try to keep your wrist nice and loose because if you jerk your arms across to quickly… 

…you’ll lose momentum and catch the rope on your feet after a few spins.

Again, it’s all about practice, timing, and rhythm so be patient.

Double Unders

Last but not least we’ve got double unders.

This is another difficult, but not impossible move to master.

It just requires a different approach because you’re gonna be jumping over the rope with both feet at the same time.

Here’s how to do it…

Jump rope like you normally would using either a single or double-bounce step.

Then, right before you transition into the double under. Land on the floor with both feet right after you perform your last rope turn.

As you land, jump a fraction higher than you normally would while simultaneously increasing the speed of the rope.

If your timings on point, you should spin the rope underneath your feet twice before landing.

Here’s a quick demo…

In the video, you’ll notice my legs kick forward slightly at the top of the jump.

All this does is increase my hangtime in the air. Which lets me spin the rope beneath my feet twice with ease.

It looks effortless, but I’ve met a lot of guys (even boxers) who struggle to do more than a few turns of the rope before whacks them in the shins.

Which is why I’ve got a little something extra to help you out.

It’s called Buddy Lee’s 3 Step System To Jump Rope Mastery.

It’s a $19.99 downloadable eBook that will get you up to speed with every single aspect of the jump rope in the shortest time possible.

Check it out…

I don’t want to oversell anything here because it’s not really my style. But for less than $20 you could be reading the holy grail of jump rope mastery guides from (in my opinion) probably one of the best jump rope technicians on the entire planet.

And just to prove a point, here’s a quick clip of Buddy in action so you can see exactly what I mean…

Putting It All Together

So before I wrap things up let me just leave you with this…

Learning how to jump rope is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make when it comes to increasing your fitness and coordination.

It torches major calories… 

…You can do it anywhere.

And what’s more, you’ll never have another boring workout for as long as you live.

Anyway…

…Here’s a last little snippet me in action so you can see what it looks like when you put everything together…

Enjoy!

PS. If you have any thoughts about this post. Drop a comment in the section below…