The common complaint heard around the CrossFit gym is “I just cant seem to be able to do double-unders!” If this describes you, then you’re not alone. The good news is, there’s hope for you yet!
For just a little while, I want you to forget the double-unders. Put them out of your mind! Start with simply getting comfortable jumping rope. Focus on the perfect jump; straight up and down, and getting your feet off the ground as quickly as possible. Make sure you’re using a good, fast rope that’s the right length for you. Also, alternating single and double jumps can really help alot.
Once you can skip for 5 minutes, start throwing in the occasional double-under. Make sure you’re jumping on a surface with some give (not concrete), to avoid shin splints. Keep on keepin’ on, doing that 5 minutes of jumping everyday. Before you know it, your number of achieved double-unders will creep up from a few to a lot.
When jumping, try to get into a rythm. If you can do a double under every 5 skips, then do that for your entire workout until you hit the desired number of reps. Next time do a double under every 4 skips, then every 3, etc. Often the trouble lies somewhere between a combination of rope speed and jump height. Depending on who you are, you can try to rotate the rope faster, or shoot for success by jumping higher.
Another good technique is do some “dry-land training” before you give it your all with the double unders. Try a few plyo jumps first. A good exercise for helping with double unders is the pogo jump. When performing a pogo jump one should think of bending at the knees only a few inches and making sure to strike the ground quickly with the ball of the foot. Be sure to pick up your toes after you leave the ground, too. This exercise will help teach you not to donkey kick when jumping. If you donkey kick (pick your feet up behind you when you jump), it causes your body to land differently, making it harder to get back off the ground for the next jump. The image you should have while jumping is that your legs are like pogo sticks. Try to only bend at the knee a few inches, keeping yourself more straight like a stick.
Now off you go to practice!
Check out this double under video, it gives you goals to strive for!
Today’s Workout:
“AMRAP Kelly in 20 minutes”
- 100 Metre sprint
- 10 Box jumps
- 10 Wall Ball
