The beautiful thing about jump rope is how much creativity there is in all skills and styles. It’s truly endless. However, for someone trying to learn to jump rope, this can be intimidating and leave them feeling overwhelmed. Rest assured. Skills can be in eight simple categories. These categories help us make sense of the vast universe of possibilities in jump rope. Let’s look at them.

CROSSES

Crosses are skills where the jumper’s hands are crossed over their body (onto opposite sides) allowing the jumper to jump through the loop of the rope. A jumper can place their hands in 9 unique positions around their body from behind their back to under each leg to behind their head to 50+ crossing skills. These skills can be subdivided into body, leg and ground crosses depending on where around the jumper’s body they cross their arms. 

SWINGS

Swings are skills where the jumper’s hands are both placed on the same side, thereby allowing the loop of the rope to swing past their feet. Like the crossing skills, there are 50+ possible swings. Swings function much like conjunctions in sentences, allowing us to connect many skills into cohesive sequences which we call combos. 

FOOTWORK

Footwork skills are where the jumper moves their feet into different positions around their body in between each jump of the rope. There are over 30 unique footwork which may be combined to form nearly a million possible 4-count footwork combos. 

RELEASES

Releases are skills where the jumper lets go of one or both handles. These can be subdivided into floaters, mics and passes depending on how the handle is released and how this affects the rope.

MULTIPLES

Multiples are skills where the ropes pass by or under the jumper’s feet more than once per jump. This can result in double, triple or even quadruple unders. Any combination of swings, crosses and more is possible in multiple unders. 

DIRECTION CHANGE

Direction change skills are where the jumper transitions from jumping forward to jumping backwards. This can be achieved in two ways, either by stalling and reversing the direction of the rope or by turning around and facing the opposite way to the rope’s path. 

WRAPS

Wraps are skills where the jumper blocks a swing or crossing skills and allows the rope to wrap around a body part. The jumper must then unwrap the rope on the other side of their body. Wraps can be subdivided into arm, thigh and leg wraps depending on which body part blocks the rope. 

POWER

Power skills are gymnastic movements with a rope, such as push-ups, handstands, back tucks and more. Jump rope and gymnastic teams have a shared history, so, unsurprisingly, many of these movements have made their way into the sport of jump rope. 

WHERE TO GET STARTED?

If you’re just getting started, dive into Tricktionary+ which has a huge catalogue of 500+ skills in slow-motion. Use it to take part in daily challenges, track your progress, and be challenged at your own pace. Tricktionary+ also has a dedicated beginner-friendly section with over 50 easy-to-learn tricks.

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