Why the rope keeps catching
The faults dulike can actually see on a video, in the order worth fixing them — the ones near the top cause the ones further down.
Don't know the names, just that the rope keeps catching?Start from what you noticeand get one thing to try.
Not enough air for a double
“One big pop, two fast flicks.”
Looks like: Every jump is a quick little single-height hop.
Feels like: Like the rope is just too fast.
Why it costs you: The rope has to go round twice while you are off the floor. At single height there is not the time, however fast the wrists are.
Drills: Penguin taps · Power singles · One and done
Visible any angle.
Kicking your feet up
“Pogo stick, not a frog.”
Looks like: The heels fly back (a donkey kick) or the knees tuck up, so the feet rise much further than the hips do.
Feels like: Like you are jumping high. You are not — your legs are getting out of the way.
Why it costs you: Bent legs shorten you and make the landing late and heavy, so the next jump starts from a squat and the rope catches the toes.
Drills: Pogo hops · Bouncy singles · Single, single, double
Visible any angle.
Hands flying out wide
“Hands in your pockets.”
Looks like: The hands drift away from the hips, out towards a T.
Feels like: Like you need the space to turn the rope. You do not.
Why it costs you: Every centimetre of hand width comes off the bottom of the rope. Wide hands shorten the loop until it clips the feet.
Drills: Pocket singles · Towel tuck · Fast wrists
Visible from the front.
Hands creeping up
“Thumbs to your pockets.”
Looks like: The hands rise from the hips towards the chest as the set goes on.
Feels like: Like reaching for more rope speed. Usually it arrives when you are tired.
Why it costs you: Raised hands lift the bottom of the rope off the floor, so it has further to travel and passes under later.
Drills: Pocket singles · Fast wrists · Towel tuck
Visible any angle.
Parking on the floor
“Hot floor. Quick feet.”
Looks like: Long, flat contacts between jumps — land, stop, then go again.
Feels like: Like setting up for each one.
Why it costs you: Doubles live on elastic ankles. A contact that long throws the stretch away, so every jump is built from scratch and costs double.
Drills: Pogo hops · Bouncy singles · Double, single
Visible any angle.
Knees coming up
“Tall like a pencil.”
Looks like: The hips fold in the air and the knees come forwards, like sitting on a chair that is not there.
Feels like: Like tucking to give the rope room.
Why it costs you: A pike tips the chest forwards and the landing lands behind it, so you travel and the rhythm breaks.
Drills: Tall singles · Pogo hops · Wall singles
Visible side-on.
Folding forwards
“Eyes on the horizon.”
Looks like: The chest tips over the toes for the whole set.
Feels like: Like watching the rope. That is exactly what it is.
Why it costs you: A leaning body lands in front of itself and wanders, and the rope has to chase a moving target.
Drills: Wall singles · Tall singles
Visible side-on.
Wandering
“Own your spot.”
Looks like: The feet drift across the floor over a set.
Feels like: Like nothing at all until the rope catches.
Why it costs you: Moving feet mean the rope is aimed at where you were. It catches when the gap gets too big.
Drills: Line hops · Wall singles
Visible any angle.
Jumping higher than the rope needs
“Jump the rope, not the moon.”
Looks like: Big, floaty doubles with a long hang at the top.
Feels like: Safe. And exhausting after ten.
Why it costs you: Height the rope does not need costs legs and lungs, and a long hang lets the wrists slow down so the second pass is late.
Drills: Double, single · Doubles ladder · Fast wrists
Visible any angle.
Uneven rhythm
“Same bounce, every bounce.”
Looks like: Some jumps long, some short, with no pattern to it.
Feels like: Like chasing the rope, or it chasing you.
Why it costs you: A rope turns at a steady speed. A jump that is not steady too meets it at a different place every time.
Drills: Bouncy singles · Side swing and jump · Single, single, double
Visible any angle.
The two it can't see
A rope the wrong length. The most common problem of all, and invisible to a pose model. Stand on the middle of the rope with one foot: for learning doubles the handles should reach about your armpits; as you get better, most people go a little shorter. Too long and it slaps the floor late; too short and it catches your toes.
Turning from the shoulders. Big arm circles look a lot like fast wrists to a camera that only sees the hands. If your shoulders are burning after a set, this is probably you — try the towel tuck.