SKIPPING ROPE
Jump rope (American English) or skipping rope (British English)
is the primary tool used in the game of skipping played by
children and many young adults, where one or more
participants jump over a rope swung so that it passes under
their feet and over their heads. This may consist of one
participant turning and jumping the rope, or a minimum of three
participants taking turns, two of whom turn the rope while one
or more jumps. This is called long rope. Sometimes the latter is
played with two turning ropes; this form of the activity is
called Double Dutch and is more difficult. Jump-rope rhymes
are often chanted beginning when the skipper jumps in and
ending when the skipper messes up.
Jumping rope techniques
Basic jump or easy jump
The jumper keeps both feet slightly apart and jumps at the same
time over the rope. Beginners usually master this technique
first before moving onto more advanced techniques.
Alternate foot jump (speed step)
The jumper uses alternate feet to jump off the ground. This
technique can be used to effectively double the number of
skips per minute as compared to the above technique.
This step is used for speed events.
Criss-cross
This method is similar to the basic jump with the only
difference being that while jumping, the left hand goes to the
right part of the body and vice versa for the right hand,
with arms crossing in front of the body.
Side Swing
This is a basic technique where the rope passes the side of
the skipper's body, without jumping it. Usually the skipper
performs a basic jump after a side swing, or a criss-cross.
EB(front-back cross)
This is similar to the criss-cross except one arm crosses
behind the back.
Double under
The participant jumps higher than usual while swinging the
rope twice under his feet. It is possible to have the rope
swing three times under the feet (triple under). In competitive
jump rope, triples, quadruples ("quads"), and quintuples ("quins")
are performed.
Double Dutch
In Double Dutch skipping, two long jump ropes turning in
opposite directions are jumped by one or more players.
Toad
This is more complicated. The jumper performs the "Cross"
manoeuvre with one arm crossing under the opposite
leg from the inside.
Leg Over
The jumper skips in a normal open jump, but with one arm
hooked under the same leg.
Awesome Annie
The jumper alternates between a Leg Over and a toad without
a jump in between.
Inverse toad
This is similar to the toad, except the arm crosses the
same leg from the outside (rather than the opposite leg
from the inside).
Elephant
A cross between the inverse toad and the toad, where
both arms cross under one leg, rather than one.
Frog/Donkey kick
This is a variation of a handstand, with a beginner version and
an advanced version. In the beginner version, the jumper
does a handstand, comes down and then pulls the rope
under. In the advanced, the jumper pulls the rope while
coming down from the handstand.
Combination jumps
There are many more difficult jump roping techniques that
combine two or more of these techniques to make a single
trick. These combinations can also be used in Chinese
Wheel, Double Dutch, Egg Beater, triangle and Long Rope.
The James Hirst
This requires a more complicated technique. The jumper
performs a backflip into a split and then back to a skip
in the upright position.
Other
Other variations are possible. These include: "skier", a
side-to-side jump keeping the feet together; "bell", a front-
and-back jump keeping the feet together; "scissors", a jump
putting one foot forward and the other back, then switching
back-and-forth; "jumping jack", a jump putting the feet apart
and then together; and "can-can" a jump with one leg up and
bent, followed by a jump with both feet on ground, followed by
a jump kicking the foot out. The possibilities are endless, and
many Grand National champions have routines consisting of
tricks they made up.
In competitive jump rope, competitors are required to have
three elements in their routine[citation needed]: Multiple unders
(when the rope passes under the feet multiple times in
the air), strength or inversion/displacement, which consists
of tricks utilizing a jumper's strength such as the frog/donkey
kick, and rope manipulations, when one or both of the handles
are released and caught, when jumpers cross the rope over
their body, or when they wrap it around one of their limbs.
Crosses, side swings, EB jumps, toads, and inverse toads
are all examples of rope manipulations.