Scenes of boxers using skipping ropes have featured in almost every fight montage scene in every fighting film ever made.
Now, that may be a slight exaggeration but there’s no denying that they’re a very common sight in both film and in gyms across the world. This is because skipping works.
If you want to improve your cardiovascular health and endurance, then skipping will work wonders. Road work, or jogging/running, is a common practice undertaken by boxers and MMA fighters alike when getting ready for a match.
But jumping rope for the same length of time as you would running will actually burn more calories than the jogging would. Hence, you would be getting a better and more efficient cardio workout in less time.
Martial arts are all about coordination. If your hand-eye and foot-eye coordination is off, then your strikes just aren’t going to land when and where they should. With bad coordination, you will find yourself sitting right in your opponents firing zone and at risk of getting hurt or even knocked out.
With skipping, your coordination needs to be spot in otherwise you’ll lose your rhythm and get caught in your own rope. Practicing skipping frequently will help your coordination come along in leaps and bounds.
As you can from above, skipping is an essential tool in your training arsenal and you’d be a fool not to take advantage of it. However, just grabbing your little sisters skipping rope and trying to squeeze a quality workout out of it will not do.
Below, we’ve researched what we believe to be the best skipping ropes on the market, in terms of usability, durability, price, style, etc.
These ropes are in no particular order and you can’t do wrong by picking any of them.
Our Favourite Skipping Ropes
h3Fitness Factor Adjustable Rope With Carrying Pouch/h3 Amazon productYou might be a bit apprehensive when using a skipping rope. Some people might make it look easy but it can be a difficult task to learn and master. You might even remember a time when you were younger and couldn’t help but get tangled up in your own rope.
This is a tangle-resistant rope complete with ball-bearing handles. You can expect a smoother skipping session regardless of your skill level and even progress quicker than you would with a other sub-par jump ropes.
It’s also adjustable. You can be as short as 4ft9 and as tall as 6ft6 and have no issues with it. Fitness Factor also offer a free lifetime guarantee as they’re so confident in their products construction.
h3Fitness Master Premium Quality Jump Rope/h3 Amazon product
This rope is made for speed. It will work perfectly even if you’ve never skipped before, but it’s more attuned to the seasoned jumper who wants the most efficient and effective rope workout they can get.
With most ropes, the rope comes straight out of the handles like tassels. But with this Fitness Master rope however, they come out perpendicular. This allows the rope to spin much faster than usual but without the rope itself getting caught and twisted, causing you to get tangled and trip or just simply break your vital rhythm.
This handle design is also a lot easier on the wrists. If you have weak wrists or a pre-existing wrist injury but still want to jump rope, this will be perfect for you.
h3PharMeDoc Cardio Jump Rope/h3 Amazon product
A lot of ropes come in different, but fixed sizes. It can be difficult to know exactly what size you need. The sizes are often listed by height but give little indication to how they will work for people with different arm spans and things like that.
This rope from PharMeDoc is fully adjustable so you can experiment with different lengths to see just how much rope you need to fit your specific body type.
The rope itself is made of heavy duty stainless steel so you don’t have to worry about it fraying or breaking apart with use like the skipping ropes from your childhood.
But if by some disastrous act of god, the rope breaks, you have a spare 9ft rope included in the set to replace it with. The kit also comes with a stylish carrying cash and a spare screw kit. But judging by the quality construction, it’s doubtful that you’ll have to change the ropes or screws at all.
h3Survival and Cross Boxing and MMA Jump Rope/h3 Amazon product
Another rope for the veteran jump ropers out there. This is the rope you buy when you want speed. If you want to have the most brutal and tough skipping rope workouts then opt for this Survival and Cross item.
The perpendicular cord outlet and the 90 degrees smooth handle motion allow this rope to spin at high speeds without tangling. Even at high speeds, the handle rotates as smooth as can be without any hitches or stuttering.
Anyone that’s skipped for any period of time knows how vital it is to get a good rhythm going and to keep that rhythm. Survival and Cross make this very easy for you.
But even if you’re brand new to jumping, you still can’t go wrong by picking this quality product.
h3Limm Jump Rope/h3 Amazon product
This is a great starting rope for those just getting into it. You can wrap the cords tightly around the handle and chuck it in your bag. It’s very small and compact and you can travel with it without worrying about it getting damaged in transit.
The Limm rope comes in one adjustable size which you can change to suit your height and body type without compromising the quality.
You can enjoy total comfort with ergonomically designed handles. Skipping for extended periods of time can begin to tire your hands and wrists. This is even more of a problem when your hands and wrists tire out before you heart does. But with these handles it won’t become an issue.
Another reason that makes the Limm rope a great first choice, is that they offer a 100% satisfaction, money-back guarantee. So there’s literally zero risk to buying this rope.
If for whatever reason you don’t like it, you just send it back and get a refund. Easy.
Overall
As I’ve mentioned, jumping rope can be incredibly beneficial to building endurance and coordination, as well as a great exercising tool for weight-loss.
Due to the low impact nature of the exercise, it can even be beneficial to rehab small injuries or as a way to exercise whilst injured without making things worse for yourself.