Everyone watched Rocky movies. What’s that one thing that you remember that happens in all of them, literally all of them? Hmm, well, yes, Rocky does get his ass handed to him and in every single movie he can barely see after the fight, however, that’s not the answer I was looking for.
Jumping rope! Yup, Rocky is jumping rope in every single movie. Now this isn’t just something that only happens in the movies. They have put it in the movies because professional boxers do this all the time! From Muhammad Ali to Anthony Joshua, Klitschko, Mayweather. This means that jumping rope isn’t something you should overlook and skip in your training. Below, we will show you why this is important and why you should implement it in your training.
First of all … WHY?
You might be wondering – why are boxers doing this? They must have something better to do, right?
Well, this is one of those “Can’t go without” parts of training. Here is why.
Jumping rope improves:
- Footwork
– Some people believe that weight lifting and running is everything you need for your legs conditioning. It isn’t true! In the ring, it’s not all about how strong your legs are, it’s more about your footwork. Footwork will help you in both offense and defense. It will help you in moving and controlling space in the ring in general. Weights won’t cut it for that one. Plus, your legs are getting pretty strong while doing this exercise. Many people forget about proper form while running, but here, you can’t – you will get tangled.
- Endurance and Stamina
– No machine can help you with endurance and stamina as much as jumping rope can. This exercise will definitely help you with your moves and techniques. After jumping rope for a while each and every day, you will build monster stamina which will make you fly in the ring. Your moves won’t feel as difficult as before, you won’t start breathing heavily after hard combinations, and you will be more efficient.
- Breathing efficiency
– This one doesn’t need any special explanations. When you get used to jumping rope, in the same time you will get used to using the proper breathing technique.
- Hand-eye coordination
– This is extremely useful for every sport, especially boxing.
All of this combined will help you last longer in your combinations. Outlasting your opponent is a tactic many boxers use. Jumping rope will help you with that.
You should be doing this exercise always! Whenever you are getting ready for battle or just getting your body and senses sharp, think of this. When you get that elegant, fast and pretty hop, that almost every professional fighter has, it will only be more fun to do it.
NOTE: If you want to make your workout tougher, increase your time and speed of the exercise. Don’t add unnecessary weight.
Like you already know, there are many variations that you can do.
Jumping Rope Variations
Basic Jump
– This is your starting point as a beginner. It’s pretty simple, just a two feet jump. The only thing that you should be careful about is landing at the same spot each and every time.
Side to Side
– You should start normal, both of your feet parallel, and then jump from side to side. Do small jumps and when you feel comfy, increase the length.
One Foot Jump
– Jump over the rope three times using only your left foot, and then switch on to your right one.
Front to Back
– This is literally the same thing as side to side jumps, only you will go forwards and backwards.
Side Swing
– When you get tired you can use this. You will still be jumping, however, not over the rope. The rope will pass you by as you are jumping.
How to Jump Rope Like a Pro?
And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for. We will give you some tips on jumping the rope like a professional boxer.
Jump as low as possible
– You aren’t practicing to increase your vertical jump. Stay as low to the ground as possible. If you jump high every time, you will waste all that precious energy. That will only wear you down and decrease your jumping time.
Time the jump right
– While jumping, you should connect your hands with your feet. Time it all right. Jumping rope is all about that! Once you get the hang of it, it will go automatic.
Jump only on the balls of the feet
– Don’t let your heels touch the ground, that’s one way to ruin your form. Also, if you are jumping on your heels, your whole body will feel the consequence. In many cases, after jumping like that for a long period of time, people got hernia.
Find the rhythm
– This will make things interesting. When you find your rhythm and follow it, you won’t get tangled in your rope. This also helps you get your mind from the fact that you are getting more tired with each bounce.
One rope rotation, one jump
– Some people tend to do two jumps with each rotation. That is a beginner’s mistake. Do only one for each rotation and maintain that perfect form.
Watch out on the surface
– Don’t use concrete often! Or at all if you can. The best surface is wood. Jumping on hard surfaces will have the same effect on your body as jumping on your heels does.
Breathe through your nose
– This will help you with the “breathing form”, and it will teach you how to save your breath.
Use your arms to spin that rope
– Some people spin the rope using their shoulders and strength. This isn’t an exercise that requires brute strength from you!
If you follow these tips you will have a perfect jumping rope form in no time!
Look for the Best Boxing Shoes to jump rope comfortably
HOW TO IMPLEMENT JUMPING ROPE TO YOUR TRAINING
There are two ways you can use this in your training. One way would be to jump rope as a warm-up, the other would be to jump rope as a way of cooling down.
Either way, professional boxers usually jump rope for 12 to 15 minutes. They do that for usually 3 or 4 sets without breaks!
Of course, it is completely normal if you can’t hit those numbers right away. Just start with less and each and every day try to break your previous record. That will eventually lead to numbers close or better than theirs.
When you get used to jumping rope, make it more challenging. You can speed up the pace, do different variations, mix them, whatever. Just be creative and have fun. That way it will be fun to get better and better, you won’t feel tired after a workout, you will be happy.
And that’s it. Practice this as much as you can and enjoy its perks later.
