2 weeks ago, I wrote a basic jump rope guide along with some basic tricks.
Well now it’s time for something a little more exciting. Hopefully with this list of easy jump rope tricks, you’ll be tempted to finally start jumping rope. The jump rope is truly that amazing and will work wonders for your boxing coordination, rhythm, and fluidity!
Fancy boxing shuffles, cross-overs, double-jumps, all that stuff you’ve seen the pro boxers do with the jump rope…you can do it too. And I’ll show you how.
Easy Jump Rope Tricks for Boxers
Watch me demonstrate some common jump rope tricks for boxers.
1. Skier
- keeping your feet together, jump from side-to-side
- (visualize an imaginary line on the floor to jump over)
The skier might not be a common trick once you start jumping rope more often but it’s a good exercise for beginners to develop hip stabilizer muscles. It’s also a good idea to try this on one foot to develop stronger ankles and calves.
2. Bell
- keeping your feet together, jump forwards and backwards
- (visualize an imaginary line on the floor to jump over)
The bell jump is another easy trick but again, it’s good for beginners to develop their legs with this. Once you get the hang of it, try doing the bell jump from your boxing stance (with one foot in front of the other) and jump back and forth only a few inches each time.
3. Straddle
- jump with the feet spread to shoulder width
- jump again with the feet back together
- (your feet move like you’re doing jumping jacks)
A great way to make the straddle more challenging is to land with your knees bent so your hips are lower to the ground (still landing on your toes). This will give your quads a major workout.
4. Scissor
- jump with one foot in front, the other in back
- jump again as you switch the feet around
- always land on the balls of your feet
There are many variations you can do with the scissor jump. You can do it with your weight evenly distributed across both feet (legs scissoring right under you), or place your weight forwards (legs scissoring behind you), or vice versa with your weight at the back (legs scissoring in front of you).
Try alternating between straddles and scissors, or even cross your ankles and uncross your ankles with each jump. You can also try bending your knees so you’re in a lunge position as you do the scissor jump (more challenging).
5. Kick-Step
- jump twice on one foot, and then twice on the other foot
- on the first jump, keep the free foot next to the jumping foot
- on the second jump, kick the free foot forward
The kick step is a great way to develop the boxer’s shuffle. Once you get the hang of it, try developing a slick rhythm so you can feel and look like you’re dancing to music.
Watch my video for tips on how to do double-unders and cross-overs.
6. Double Unders
- spin the rope under you twice as you jump with your feet together
Double-unders are definitely the starting point of developing your ability to do more fancy tricks. Moreso than developing your conditioning to clear the rope twice on one jump, it develops your coordination to be able to change the speed of the rope without screwing up your rhythm.
The trick is to jump straight up and spin the rope faster. Don’t try to jump too high. It might help to shorten your rope if you feel like your rope is too long. Another tip to speed up the rope (and look cool in the process) is to plant your feet on the ground and do 2 side-swings (one for each side) to whip the rope faster before you jump it. You can easily get triple jumps doing this.
Once you get the hang of double-unders, see if you can do 10 or 20 in a row. See if you can do it on one foot (very hard for beginners).
7. Cross-overs
- jump up as you cross your arms across your chest, which twists the rope under you
- then jump again as you uncross your arms in order to uncross the rope
Cross-overs will be your second bread and butter trick. Once you master this, you can do a million more tricks and add far more variation to your rope-skipping.
Try doing cross-overs as you stand on one leg, or use a running motion with your legs. Also try doing cross-overs as you do straddles, scissors. Another thing you can do is one cross-over and instead of uncrossing it, you put both handles together into a side-swing.
8. Double Cross-Overs
- in one jump, spin the rope under you twice as you cross and uncross it before landing
The double cross-over is probably the hardest and yet most exciting trick for beginners. It requires muscle in your legs, back, and arms, along with good technical skill and also a properly sized rope. A rope that’s too long will be very difficult to cross twice under you. I like to do as many double cross-overs as possible in the last 30 seconds of every round. The feeling is something like a sprint interval.
Boxing Jump Rope Creativity
When you first start out, you’ll naturally switch between all the various tricks depending on which part of your body tires out first. Certain tricks wear out the legs whereas other tricks wear out the shoulders. The ultimate goal is to be able to jump rope to music.
I’m usually dancing to music and switching up the rhythm and dynamic of the rope to match the music. Sometimes slow, sometimes fast. Sometimes my arms stay still while my switch, other times my legs maintain a steady rhythm as my arms cross, uncross, and swing all over the place. I’ll also move around the room slowly shifting as I’m doing my jump routine. Sometimes when I’m doing the running motion, I’m actually traveling around the room and not just in one place.
Be creative and invent your own jump rope dance. It will eventually become natural to mix different tricks together once you get a natural rhythm of clearing the rope. This is what makes the workout fun, more challenging, and more effective for developing your fight conditioning and rhythm!
Hey Johnny,
Thanks for the tricks guide! I’m decently competent at the rope and can do the side-swing/cross-over combo, but that’s about as fancy as I get. Newcomers to the gym are always impressed by rope tricks, I think because it alludes to good conditioning and dexterity. It’ll be nice to have some new moves to practice and show off!
Take care.
Make a video for us!
Johnny..Thanks again for putting this together. I can’t wait until I can get outside again and practice these tricks out in the open
What about squats?
Probably too hard for beginners.
hey johnny got that 90 degree rope you recommended and i love it, i use it all the time and i’ve started jumping rope a whole lot more because of it Thanks! but i wrote something on your newest youtube video about a “southpaws guide to fighting a taller opponent” i don’t know what your thoughts would be on making this but i would absolutely love it because i’ve already benefitted very much from your Spaw guides and your beat a tall fighter guide. I was just hoping that by pushing the two ideas together i could maybe juice a little more boxing knowledge out of ya and maybe tuck a few more ExpertBoxing gems under my hat
Man…. Six and a half out of ten for knowledge… Point your toes forwards like a slight pike when doing doubles.
That technical detail is unnecessary. If anything, focusing on pointing the toes forward can decrease your vertical and make it harder to get a double. Once beginners get better, they can bend or straighten at the hips, knees, whatever they want.
Hey Johnny,
While I’ve only been training for about 6 months (5 days a week for about 1 1/2 hrs each) I’m decent (compared to the rest of the team) at all of our routines including the jump rope. However, I still feel like my general ring movement is awkward. I have asked our only coach (owner) about it and he generally just gives a slight grin and says “patience”. I haven’t felt/seen any progress in this area as compared to all other aspects (ie my speedbag, heavy bag, and overall indurance seem to have improved %150 since beginning). I’ve reviewed your section on footwork, as well as pretty much all pieces that you’ve got, and I can perform them as sort of a “walk” for lack of a better term, but as far as trying to fully implement them in the ring to be truely effective and get that “float”…I got nothin man. Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
P.S. It would be outstanding if I could come to your gym some time in the future and work with you and your guys for a little diverse help. I live in just north of Tulsa, OK but would be more than happy to take a trip out there for a four day vacation. I know my girl and her kids would love it too.
Looks like you need more time shadowboxing. And try to do it without worrying so much about technique. The “awkwardness” of your movement is a result of you trying to force your body to do one thing, when it wants to do another. Sometimes, it’s good to work technique and form. Other times, it’s good to let go and see what your body wants to do. The goal is to look NATURAL! Watch yourself in the mirror and ask yourself “does that look natural?” And if not, see how you can make it more natural.
Watch shadowboxing videos of different boxers and see what parts of their routine you can copy. Some people are good at watching and subconsciously copying others. Other people are so buried in their own heads they can’t hear their body. Put your mind and body in harmony and you’ll be where you want to be.
Hey Nick, seeing you guys out here would be fun. We’ve got several good trainers and many gyms to go around looking for sparring.
Hey Johnny,
I really appreciate the depth of your feedback. Thanks for your time and suggestions. I will definately implement them.
Very good article and nice presentation Johnny. Thanks a lot 🙂
one question.. let say, if i was to jump for 3 minutes, does that mean to jump on two foot for 3 minutes or to include random variation?
It means to jump rope for 3 minutes. Doesn’t matter how you do it, 2-foot, 1-foot, no-foot…as long as you’re jumping over the rope!
hey JN, do you know the kind of rope Floyd mayweather uses?
It’s a speed rope. But I wouldn’t be able to tell you the exact model because I haven’t seen it up close.
Great article johnny and the videos are a big help too. I’m glad you’re giving this knowledge of training. The jump rope is probably the easiest exercise and most cost effective. Any serious fighter should be working on the rope every time they train.
“Any serious fighter should be working on the rope every time they train.”
– YES!
Hi Johnny,
Great articles as always. I wrote to you before i’m the man with blue toe..,haha at the begining of jumping ropes journey….
I’m not serious fighter but i just skip rope at least 10 mins each time to 25mins. Started at 8mins 1st and build up to 25 mins with doubles, criss-cross and other fancy moves. Now i’m trying doubles criss-cross whip my ass severely, feelin alive. Only serious about rope jumping haha
P.S:
I’m french chinese and can do some translation but depends on how long you give me since i’m a bit busy man. Let me know if you are interested.
I’ve been skipping for a couple of weeks now; I started after reading your article and I’m now able to do a couple of the variations! Two feet, one foot at a time, side to side, front back switch, double whip, and crossover? 🙂 You’re absolutely right, you can really feel the difference when you do a round of mitt work. My stamina has definitely improved and I get to bounce a little more while boxing. The cheap plastic rope really is the best too, since we don’t have the ones with a perpendicular joint here. Within two week, I was able to go from just 20 mins skipping to doing about 45 mins skipping now. I’m forced to skip on concrete though so I might stick to 30-40 mins max. Thanks again for all the lessons and tips!
I’m so proud of you. Keep it up, Arthur!
I’ve started jumping and im feeling pain in my right knee. can you suggest a shoe type that will provide cushion
For shoes, I recommend boxing shoes. But your problem might have to do with your technique or the jumping surface.
Thank you for sharing.
Your rope spins beautifully, as if it is weighted, but my rope seems much lighter and doesn’t seem to ‘flow’ as easily as yours. If you could share the name/make of the rope that you use I would be very grateful.
Thank you,
Nero
Check out my “Boxing Jump Rope Training Guide”. I put the link in there to where I purchase my jump rope.
Thought this was so helpful as I’m only really starting the training, really want to be able to do these rope tricks through training and never knew the technique.. !!
Jump rope tricks are a lot of fun. Record a video of yourself and try another 3 months later. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you improve.
Thanks for the videos. They’re really helpful for beginners like me.
It is hard for me to follow Side swing and Cross-over.
I think I have to watch your video again and again.. haha..
I have a question. Are there any other tricks without the skills you introduced?
If there is, I’d like to see them more. I really want to do jumping rope well.
The rope jump really killing me as Im a overweight person,my heart beat non stop that i starting to fatique.I search the website it say during jump and land on the ground the pressure are 5X time heavy that bounce back to our body.So can I replace the jumping track for rope jump and after I loss weight than I continue back to rope jump?It is possible a good subsitute for boxing career?
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Happy Training!
Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria insane jump roping. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmYTxaD0c5w