How to Jump Rope like a Boxer
We’ve all seen the pre-fight clips and Hollywood movies depicting boxers jumping rope like a madman and, when we do, we’d all love to learn how to jump rope like a boxer, even if the thought is fleeting. Boxers and rope jumping have gone hand-in-hand from the early days of prize fighting, because rope jumping is great for your cardiovascular endurance and lung capacity, while increasing your hand and foot coordination.
Boxers jump rope in order to increase those things, built up leg muscles and burn off calories. Though you’ll have to build up to a long rope jumping session, if you are in reasonable good shape and have good coordination, you should be able to learn how to jump rope like a boxer in a short time.
Jumping rope is about timing and rhythm, agility and endurance. To jump rope and look good going it, you’ll have to build all of these traits in yourself. Let’s start with timing.
Jump Rope Body Position
Your feet need to be in alignment with your hips and you need to be standing straight up, with good posture, to begin jumping rope. When I mention “in alignment” with your hips, I mean that your right foot should be directly under your right hip, while your left foot should be directly under your left hip.
Next, hold both ends of the rope and start with the rope behind you.
Flick Your Wrists
How to Jump Rope like a Boxer
To begin the rope moving, flick your wrists and forearms forward, so the rope loops over your head. The rope is going to move in a revolution (orbit/circle) around your body, so when that revolution reaches your feet, jump. The rope should pass harmlessly under your feet.
Repeat Many Times
Repeat this step over and over, maintaining the same rope speed and jumping every time the rope reaches your feet. Pretty soon, you should be able to anticipate the rope, as you get into a rhythm with the rate of speed it takes your rope to make a revolution.
Practice this step over and over. Sometimes, you’ll get tired, as lactic acid builds up in your lower legs. Sometimes, you’ll lose concentration and you’ll get out of rhythm, making it more likely that you mess up. If you mess up, start over again, resting to catch your breath, according to your fitness.
Jumping Rope like a Boxer
Build up your stamina jumping rope, while your leg and arm muscles build up “muscle motor memory” of how to jump rope. This means it becomes second nature eventually, and you can add new levels of challenge by jumping rope longer and faster. In time, you might even learn how to cross over the rope, by switching the position of your hand, which is something boxers often do, when they want to impress people with their rope jumping skills.
Watch out if you’re overweight, because jumping too long or too often on a body with too much weight for your build can cause shin splints. This means you shouldn’t tax yourself too much in early jump-roping sessions. As you jump rope more often, you’ll build stamina and leg muscles, as well as foot speed, so you’ll be less likely to hurt yourself when jumping rope.
In no time, you’ll figure out how to jump rope like a boxer. When you do, you can put on demonstrations like your favorite prize fighter. Don’t imagine that, because you can jump rope like the middleweight champ, you can fight like them, though. That’s a whole other lesson.