S B Coaches College - Tip of the Month May 2005




		S B Coaches College Tip of the Month May 2005 Share \|

How would you like to own a single piece of equipment that can single-handedly improve your speed, quickness, agility, balance, coordination, explosiveness, and leg, knee, ankle, and foot strength? Amazingly enough, this piece of equipment is also very inexpensive, light, and can travel with you everywhere you go. I’ll hold off any other suspense, and let you know that this piece of equipment is the good old-fashioned jump rope.

The jump rope has been replaced in many strength and conditioning programs by more expensive and extravagant pieces of equipment. Jumping rope is a tried and true method to help increase overall athleticism and conditioning. Then why is it that we do not see many athletes jumping rope? In my opinion, the jump rope is not that flashy, and is difficult for athletes to perform. They may get easily frustrated from not being able to continue for a long time or possess the coordination to perform the movements. Just like any other skill the jump rope requires patience, time and effort.

Jumping rope can be used a warm-up, in a speed session, or as a fantastic form of anaerobic/aerobic conditioning to aid in body composition alterations. The research below shows just how effective jumping rope can be for your cardiovascular fitness.

10 MINUTES JUMPING ROPE AT 120 TURNS/MIN PRODUCES THE SAME CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS AS:

CYCLING: 2 MILES IN 6 MINUTES
SWIMMING: 12 MINUTES
TENNIS: 2 SETS
JOGGING: 30 MINUTES
RUNNING: 1 MILE IN 12 MINUTES
HANDBALL: 20 MINUTES

Cooper, K. The Aerobics Way. Evans & Company; New York, NY. 1977.

Here are some tips and guidelines to use when jumping rope:

Use surfaces that provide good absorption; these surfaces include wooden floors, tracks, and court surfaces.
Wear a pair of good cross-training shoes that will provide lateral ankle support.
Grab the handles with a comfortable but firm grip, and keep the elbows close to sides.
The movement should come from your wrists, not the entire shoulder.
Jump only high enough to clear the rope, using the balls of the feet.
Begin with 4-5 minutes of the basic jump and alternate hops before trying new techniques.
Gradually increase the amount of time week-to-week to increase the challenge of the training session
Stretch after completion of exercise; pay specific attention to the calves.
Hang your rope on a hook to ensure that the rope does not get tangled.

Hopefully, this tip has you enthused to add jumping rope back into your programs, and soon enough you will reap the amazing benefits of this exercise.