too slowly and also hit you really hard when you get knocked down. One workout with a leather jump rope and your back will look like you've been whipped with whips, like in the Middle Ages.

Other jump ropes to watch out for

Expensive jump ropes - yes, $40 jump ropes spin fast, but it's overkill for boxing. These ropes are designed to perform quadruple spins and really spectacular tricks.

Beaded ropes are normal ropes, but they require too much energy to spin in my opinion. They are good for outdoor use because the plastic protects the cable.

Steel (or metal) ropes - My gripe with metal ropes is that they spin too easily. They are too easy to spin and too fast for beginners. With such jump ropes, it is more difficult for beginners to learn the rhythm. Another downside is that metal ropes don't stretch like plastic ones, so they don't provide enough stress to the arms. Such jump ropes are more suitable for rets who do tricks, who like to do triple or quadruple jumps. You will need to compare to understand what I mean.

Thick ropes - by and large, thick ropes will always take longer to spin, because they require more energy. You may not notice this with single jumps, but double jumps will be much more difficult if not impossible for beginners. Use thinner ropes so you can develop better coordination through faster spins.

Thick handles - I avoid jump ropes with thick handles because you end up focusing more on the handle than on the rope itself. Lightweight plastic handles allow you to hold the rope confidently and comfortably with your relaxed hand, so you don't have to focus on "holding" the handles. (It's better for learning tricks.) It's also better when the resistance comes from the cable than from the weight of the handles. (This makes it easier for you to feel the rope and develop a jumping rhythm.)

Weighted Ropes - A lot of guys try to add weight thinking it will increase hand speed, but I disagree. Weighted ropes take you away from the best qualities of the rope—coordination and rhythm. Adding weight turns this exercise into a basic conditioning exercise and prevents you from developing high-level coordination.

If you want a harder rope workout,
increase the speed and difficulty of the tricks, not the weight.

Correct length for a jump rope

If you step with one foot in the middle of the rope, its handles should reach your armpits. If you have long arms, you may want to make it a little shorter. Beginners tend to start with a slightly longer rope so they don't stumble so easily. As you get better, you can make the cable shorter so it spins faster, allowing you to do more advanced tricks and jump at a faster pace. With time and experience, you will find for yourself the ideal length of the rope, with which it is easy and effortless for you to maintain a constant rhythm.

You should also find a good surface to jump on. The floor should be strong, but slightly springy. Softer than concrete, harder than ring canvas. The hard rubber surfaces that are commonly found in gyms should be fine. A hardwood floor would work too. You will get pain in the periosteum around your lower leg if you jump on a surface that is too hard (concrete) or too soft (carpet). Don't jump rope outdoors because the hard ground will tear jump rope.

Now that we're energized, excited, and ready to go... let's get to the jumps!
How to Jump Rope for Boxing
The best way to learn how to jump rope is to jump rope for 30 minutes every day of the week. (I even jumped for 2 hours, but that's okay...everyone doesn't have to be me.) When you get tired and stumble, just calmly stop, put your feet up, and start again. It is important to keep breathing in a constant calm rhythm, as if you never stumbled at all. Don't sigh and don't panic.

It's okay if you get so tired that you constantly hit your legs. Just keep jumping until the 30 minutes are up. 30 minutes will seem very long to you, but BELIEVE ME, BELIEVE ME, BELIEVE ME! Your body is ADAPTING to this initial rush. The more tired you are, the better—your body will LEARN to work more energy-efficiently. After the first such week, you will be able to jump rope forever.

I learned to jump rope by simply forcing myself to do nothing but jump rope for a whole week. I locked myself in the hall and jumped rope for 2 hours. I quickly got tired in the first 2 minutes, but after that I calmed my breathing and stopped panicking. All I had to do was admit that I was "sucks".

I put on my favorite music and just kept jumping. Sometimes I did 15 jumps without fail, sometimes I reached hundreds. I stumbled 4-5 times in a row, but I didn't worry about failure. Every time I stumbled, I calmly stepped over the rope and started jumping again. By the next month, I was jumping rope as comfortably as everyone else in the gym. Real story.

Jump Rope Tips

Some useful jumping rope tips for beginners:

Breathe only through your nose (this calms your breathing and increases stamina).
Land on your toes and knees slightly bent.
Jump straight without twisting into a ball shape in the air (this helps balance).
Shorter, faster jumps are easier than high, slow jumps (it's also better for rhythm development).
Rotate the cable using your arms, not your shoulders (this way your shoulders and traps stay relaxed).
Let the cable hit the floor gently so that you have a distinct rhythm that you stick to.
Don't stop while resting (or try not to).
Stop jumping if you're in pain caviar (you risk getting inflammation of the periosteum).
The goal is to jump as short as possible (the higher you jump, the more energy you use).
Jump as low as possible to the ground.
The higher you jump
the more energy is used.
The trick is to relax when jumping
rather than pushing yourself through the jump.

Simple Rope Tricks for Boxing

I'm sure some of you have an incredible desire to jump like Roberto Duran, but you'll have to master these basic rope rhythms or basic rope "tricks". Alternate tricks while jumping rope and keep changing rhythms to give yourself a good dynamic workout.

1. Simple Jumps (simple jump on 2 legs)

jump with your feet together
land on your toes
This is the easiest jump and is the basis for all other jumps. Beginners will often stumble and whip themselves with a rope. You may even get upset and cry. Whatever you do, just start jumping again.

Try to jump 10 times without stuttering. Then try to jump 20 times. Eventually, you'll be able to jump 100 times without falling off and think it was the hardest thing in the world. (The basic jump will eventually become as easy as breathing. Trust me, you'll get there!)

2. Running in Place

jump over the rope, landing on your left leg, bent at the knee
jump over the rope, landing on your right leg, bent at the knee
keep jumping rope while running in place
lift your knees high to make the job harder
Running in place while jumping rope can be technically easier for some, but physically harder, especially when you're doing it fast. The load will be better if you raise your knees higher (so that your hips rise parallel to the floor).

Some boxers keep themselves from leaning back by tilting their upper torso slightly forward. To add some intensity to your jump rope routine, try running in place as quickly as possible every 10 seconds of each round.

3. Side swings

bring your hands together and rotate the cable on one side
now rotate it from the other side
just spread your arms out to the sides to start jumping again
you can swing to the sides while jumping, or also while walking (for relaxation)
This is a great way to relax your shoulders. or give your feet a break. You can walk sideways while swinging or just keep jumping to keep the rhythm going; I prefer the latter.

You can also be spectacular by using side swings to speed up the line before double and triple jumps. Side swings are also a great way to get back into rhythm if you get lost; just keep jumping and spinning the cable around until you're ready to start jumping again.

4. Jumping on one leg

do two jumps on one leg
then two jumps to another
Jumping on one leg develops additional power, which is necessary for performing some of the more advanced jumps. I like to do a pyramid program where I jump on one leg, starting with 2 jumps, finishing with 10 jumps, and then dropping back down to two. For example: 2 times on the left, 2 times on the right, 3 times on the left, 3 times on the right, 4 times on the left, and so on and so forth. You can also add complexity by shifting to the side as you hop on one leg. This will develop the muscles around your thigh as well as your balance.

5. Easy Swapping
jump twice on one foot and then twice on the other (same as you did with jumps on one foot)
softly touch the ground with the toe of your free foot so that it looks like you are jumping on two feet, but in reality all your weight is still on one leg (the knee of the free leg is bent a little more than the knee of the working leg)
Over time, this will