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Teaching Jump Rope Skills
Here are some hints for teaching complete beginners:
Beginning jumpers do better with beaded ropes, which tend to keep their shape well when turned. Very lightweight cloth and plastic/vinyl ropes are harder to control because they do not keep a consistent loop.
Individual ropes are sized by holding the handles, one in each hand, and stepping on the rope. The handles should come up to the armpits for beginners. A jumper may elect to use a shorter jumprope as he/she becomes more efficient.
GROUP READINESS GAMES
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JUMP A STATIONARY ROPE – The rope is stretched out across the floor. The jumpers line up and jump the rope one at a time on your signal. As the jumper approaches the rope he plants both feet together and broadjumps across the rope. Cue: take off on 2 feet and land on 2 feet.
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JUMP THE SNAKE – Turners crouch or kneel and wiggle the rope from side to side, no more than 12 inches. Jumpers take off and land as with a stationary rope. The goal is to avoid touching the rope.
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FRONT DOOR – Turners turn the rope from the top towards the jumper. Jumper stands next to a turner watching the rope as it passes over towards the jumper. Jumper follows it into the middle between the turners, faces one of the turners and jumps 4 jumps then exits to the other side. Cues of “ready”, “set” and “go” can be given for timing the turns of the rope before entry. Jumpers should be aware that the rope touches the ground in the middle. They will have difficulty jumping it if they enter too close to the turners.
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CHAIN JUMPING – The turners turn the rope Front Door fashion and the jumpers will enter and exit one after the other. The goal is to reduce the number of jumps done by each jumper until each jumper enters one after the other without any turns in between. This is known as “Rapid Fire”. You will probably start with each jumper doing 4 jumps and exiting, then 3 jumps, then 2 jumps and then 1.
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JUMP ROPE RHYMES - Rhymes or chants work well with small or large group activities. Here are a few choices for everyone to join in and keep the whole group interested and on task.
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(To see how long you can jump)
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I was born in a frying pan
Can you guess how old I am?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on, until jumper misses |
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I had a little sister dressed in pink
She washed all the dishes in the kitchen sink
How many dishes did she break?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on, until jumper misses |
JUMP BY YOURSELF!
Hold rope with one handle in each hand. Swing rope away from feet and back towards feet. Observe the rope as it comes towards you. Say “ready” when rope swings out to furthest point, “set” as you repeat the swing out for a second time and “go” on the third swing out to furthest point. Jump once over it with both feet together as it comes towards you. Add more jumps as you succeed with one complete rotation.
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