Jump rope
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A jump rope, rope skipping, skipping rope or skip rope is the primary tool used in the game of skipping played by children and many adults, where one or more participants jump over a spinning rope so that it passes under their feet and over their heads. This may consist of one child twirling and jumping the rope, or with a minimum of three children taking turns, two of which twirl the rope while one jumps. Sometimes the latter is played with two twirling ropes; this form of the activity is called Double Dutch and is significantly more difficult.
Children often chant jump-rope rhymes while jumping rope. These can range from pure nonsense to comments on current events. Participants may simply jump until they tire or make a mistake, they may improvise tricks, or they may have to carry out a predetermined set of tricks. People also practice solo jump-roping for exercise. There are hundreds of different tricks/techniques of skipping rope.
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[edit] Competition
Jump rope (rope skipping) is practiced on a competitive level world-wide. Athletes compete in individual and team events. In freestyle routines, jumpers have a set time limit to demonstrate a combination of skills; in many competitions these are choreographed to music. During the speed events, athletes must complete a determined amount of successful jumps within a particular amount of time. For example, the world record for 30 second speed is 188 jumps. In July 2004, Brisbane, Australia hosted the World Jump Rope Championships. Belgium, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Japan, and the United States of America each medalled. The 2006 World Jump Rope Championships is to be held in Toronto, Canada in mid-July. The 4th Asian Rope Skipping Championship is to be held on 9 February 2007 at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, India. Jump rope exhibitions are also frequently staged at events such as festivals, charity functions, and sporting half-time shows.
Though many believe jump rope is a simple, fun activity, others consider it a sport. Serious jump rope athletes train rigorously year-round. Jumping rope takes immense strength, endurance, focus, and patience, and can be much more than a simple game of chanting rhymes.
In the United States, the main organized jump rope organization is the United States Amateur Jump Rope Federation. The USAJRF is composed of hundreds of jump roping teams throughout the country. These teams perform at high school and sporting events, take part in competitions, and attend workshop training camps throughout the year. The USAJRF sponsors these camps and competitions throughout the United States.
Two competing jump rope organizations once functioned in the US: the Internation Rope Skipping Organization, and the World Rope Skipping Federation. IRSO focused more on stunt-oriented and gymnastic/athletic type jump rope moves, while the WRSF focused more on the aesthetics and form of jump roping. These two organizations have now merged into the USAJRF.
[edit] World records
- On October 12 2006 42,223 skippers (most of them children and teachers in primary schools) skipped for 30 seconds in 335 schools in The Netherlands. Videos, pictures and on-line-articles can be found here.
- On March 24 2006 a mass participation record was set in the United Kingdom and Ireland. 7,632 children skipped continuously for three minutes in 85 different locations across the country. This was part of a joint effort to re-introduce skipping into schools by the The British Rope Skipping Association and Skipping Workshops. This record has been accepted by Guinness World Records.
[edit] Jumping rope as exercise
Jumping rope is an activity not only suited for competition or recreation, but also for a cardiovascular workout, similar to jogging or bicycle riding. This aerobic exercise can achieve a "burn rate" of up to 1300 calories per hour of vigorous activity, with about 0.1 calories consumed per jump. Ten minutes of jumping rope is roughly the equivalent of running an eight-minute mile. Jumping rope can avoid the knee damage which may occur during running, since the impact of each jump or step is absorbed by both legs. Jumping rope also helps strengthen the arms and shoulders. This combination of an aerobic workout and coordination-building footwork have made jumping rope a popular form of exercise for athletes, especially boxers and wrestlers. Individuals or groups can participate in the exercise, and learning proper jump rope technique is relatively simple compared to many other athletic activities. The exercise is also appropriate for a wide range of ages and fitness levels.
[edit] Jumping rope techniques
Some of the techniques that can be used when jumping rope are:
- Basic jump
- This is where both feet are slightly apart and jump at the same time over the rope. Beginners should master this technique first before moving onto more advanced techniques.
- Alternate foot jump
- This style consists of using 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.
- 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.
- Double skip
- To perform a double skip, the participant needs to jump up a bit higher than usual while swinging the rope twice over the head. It entails jumping once for every two skips.
- Combination jumps
- There are many more difficult jump roping tricks that combine two or more of these techniques to make a single trick. These combinations can also be used in Chinese Wheel, Double Dutch, and Long Rope.
[edit] References
- Peter Skolnik (1975). Jump Rope. Workman Publishing Company. ISBN 091110447X.
- Elizabeth Loredo and Martha Cooper (1996). The Jump Rope Book. Workman Publishing Company. ISBN 0761104488.
[edit] External links
- International Rope Skipping Federation website.
- European Rope Skipping Organisation website
- Official website of Asian Rope Skipping Federation
- The Rope Skipping Federation of India is hosting the 2007 Asian Rope Skipping Championship.
- Rope skipping tutorial for double and triple jumps
- Kangaroo Kids, Jump Rope team
- Jumpin Jammers, Jump Rope team
