While everyone has skipped or watched kids jump rope, few realize that skipping or jump rope is also practiced at a competitive level. Serious jump rope athletes train rigorously year-round. Jumping rope takes immense strength, endurance, focus, and patience, and can be much more than a schoolyard game of chanting rhymes.
Athletes compete in individual and team events using single or double ropes ("Double-Dutch") in speed, endurance and freestyle events. In freestyle events, athletes have a set time limit to demonstrate a combination of skills which are choreographed to music. During the speed events, athletes try to complete as many jumps as possible within a particular amount of time. For example, the world record for 30 second speed is 194 jumps, an amazing 388 revolutions per minute. At that speed, the rope moves at 130 km/hr, fast enough to pass most cars on our highways. Jump rope exhibitions are also frequently staged at events such as festivals, charity functions, and sporting half-time shows.
Competitive jump rope teams attend workshops, training camps, perform for the public, and compete against each other throughout the year. Competing teams consist of athletes of all ages, but are most commonly elementary to high school-aged individuals.
In Canada, the governing jump rope organization is the Canadian Rope Skipping Federation, with assistance from its provincial counterparts such as the Ontario Rope Skipping Organization. With 41 Jump Rope teams and almost 1400 competitive jump rope athletes, Canada makes up about 10% of the world-wide jump rope community of 400 teams and 13,000 athletes.
Last Updated on Saturday, 10 January 2009 13:31
Do you know what Rope Skipping is?
Do you know what Rope Skipping is?! Take a look here first!!! A brief video from the IRSF website (irsf.org). This will tell you all about our sport.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 09 March 2010 15:55
A Little History
Skipping literally started as jump rope. Many historians believe that when ancient Egyptian and Chinese rope makers were twisting long strands of hemp into ropes, they needed to jump over them to retrieve strands. They developed this skill and their children began to imitate and invent games with small pieces of rope. Traveling sailors having seen the fun the children were having, and took the ideas and games back to their own land and children.
As a competitive jump rope team, the Brampton Acro Ropers compete in both individual (Masters) and Team events, according to the rules administered by the Canadian Rope Skipping Federation - www.crsf.net.
As individuals, the althetes compete in 4 events. Competitors are split up according to date of birth.
As a competitive jump rope team, the Brampton Acro Ropers compete in both individual (Masters) and Team events, according to the rules administered by the Canadian Rope Skipping Federation - www.crsf.net.
A team consist of four or five competitors and will compete in the oldest member's age category. There are eight events in which the team will compete. A team must maintain the same composition throughout the eight events. Here are the eight events:
Caboose, Donkey Kick, EB, CL, AS, TJ, Toad, Push Up, Can-Can, Octopus, Crab....What do all these have in common?
These are all names for jump rope skills! The Freestyle component of the Sport of Jump Rope has led to the creation of an incredible number of skills and combination of skills. These range from the basic single step to amazing gymnastic moves.
The Donkey Kick (AKA the Frog) is one of the core power skills that many skippers learn in their 2nd or 3rd year. In this skill, the skipper performs handstand and then jumps over the rope when he/she comes out of the handstand.
Here's Erin performing her Donkey Kick. For more jump rope skills, have a look at the following website. Be ready to be amazed by what these athletes can do.
The Donkey Kick (AKA the Frog) is one of the core power skills that many skippers learn in their 2nd or 3rd year. In this skill, the skipper performs handstand and then jumps over the rope when he/she comes out of the handstand. 
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