What is the key to moving side to side while jumping rope? I’m trying to do it but my coordination just is not lining up! I know I just have to practice but do you have any tips for me? I’m referring to the jump rope videos you have on ShapeFit.
The key to jumping side to side is to go very slow starting out to make sure you get the movement down. Work from the inside of your feet and it should feel like you are skiing. Start out without the jump rope and just jump side to side while standing in the same spot. Then, pickup a jump rope and go very slow to make sure you jump over it. Then, speed it up a little. Also, make sure to pickup your feet high enough to clear the jump rope or you will trip on it.
If you want to jump rope side to side laterally over a distance, then this is a little more complicated and will take more coordination to perform it properly. You can accomplish this in a few different ways. The easiest easy is to use both feet at the same time and hop to the side just a few inches at a time. It will take longer but you can cover 10-15 feet in a few minutes. Just make sure to keep your feet closely together and go slow while hopping at very small increments to be safe.
Another option is to hop with one foot at a time while using your other foot as a support anchor. Start by pushing off with one foot so you hop sideways about 6-12 inches to one side. This is a bit harder since the coordination and overall synchronization with your feet need to be spot-on or the rope will get caught up and you might even trip up and fall, so be very careful.
The last option is to jump rope using both feet but you will be hopping on one foot and then the other while starting to slowly move laterally as you move from side to side. As you can see in this jump rope video, this is the technique I’m using during this workout. You want to slightly push off with your inner foot and transfer your weight to the other foot while covering about 6-12 inches as you move your body laterally.
All of these techniques to move laterally while jumping rope are considered advanced methods of training so it’s always best to get the basic technique down where you’re jumping rope in one place before moving from side-to-side. Once you’re comfortable with the basic movement, then give it a shot but be careful and always go very slow to avoid injury. Jumping rope is one of the best whole body cardio exercises you can do since you’re using lots of different muscle groups (arms, legs, core) and you will be burning major calories which will help in reducing body fat. It’s great that you’re implementing this type of workout into your cardio routine and I hope you can quickly get any one of these jump rope techniques down.
