Why Do Boxers Jump Rope?

At the measly cost of 10 , you wont find a cheaper or more effective piece of training equipment (except maybe gravity). Its one of the most effective and fun ways to improve your performance! If youre not jumping rope, youre missing out on one of the best exercises .The benefits are ; benefits of jumping rope are :better endurance

better footwork

increased punching power

increased stamina for throwing combinations

improved breathing efficiency

improved ability to stay calm

Jumping rope will improve your:
conditioning, rhythm, coordination, footwork and power.

Its truly a shocker that more sports do not skip rope as a standard exercise. I can only guess that its probably because jumping rope is initially hard to learn andembarrasseseven seasoned athletes.All the pros jump ropeIt wasnt until I wanted to copy the pros that I began to jump rope. They were doing it to warm up and warm down and so I figured I could at least do a few rounds every day. The results after a month were pretty amazing. I felt like such a idiot for not having done it sooner.Better FootworkThis was the most obvious benefit and it made perfect sense. For most beginner fighters, the only leg conditioning they ever really do comes from 75% running and maybe 25% of plyometrics, weights, or other non-running exercises. The problem with this is that all of those exercises dont really develop a better coordinated lower body.Good footwork has more to do with leg coordination,
than leg conditioning.

You would think that running truly develops great legs but it isnt so. Many fighters are day-dreaming while they run or just throwing their feet around without any form. Even the most diligent runners are hardly doing anything complicated with their legs except making sure the foot hits the ground. Plyometrics, weights, and other resistance exercises have the same problem. Its a boring repetitive motion and doesnt really activate your foot awareness very much. At best you would have better conditioning but you still wouldnt have better control of your lower body.This is where the jump rope shines. Jumping rope FORCES you to be more conscious and aware of your feet. And the more tricks you do with the jump rope, the more conscious and coordinated you have to be. This coordination development easily leads to better footwork in the ring. Being able to control your feet will make a huge difference over just lifting and dropping your feet all over the place.More StaminaThe jump rope is by far my number one exercise for developing stamina . Its better than running, better than swimming, better than Crossfit, its better than anything else Ive ever tried. And Ill tell you whyThe first reason is because the jump rope can mimic many exercises. You can jog, you can sprint, you can jump high, you can jump low, squats, lunges, twist, turn, etc. There are virtually limitless body motions you can do while jumping rope. Add in the fact that you can vary the intensity, speed, difficulty, rhythm, etc and you have the ultimate exercise.The second reason (which is more important than the first) is because the jump rope WILL DEVELOP BETTER EFFICIENCY. This is a technical matter, not a physiological matter. The jump rope forces you to do many repetitive motions over and over again and with good rhythm too (or else youll trip on the rope). This quickly builds muscle memory, coordination, and superior technique.I dont care how good you think a sprinting or weight training program can be. If I was to compare a boxer who jumped rope for 10 minutes everyday versus a boxer who lifted weights for 30 minutes everyday, the one that jumped rope would easilyout-movehim every single time. Hell have more bounce, more control, and just better foot agility.I know because I developed my bounce through the jump rope. Running was great for endurance but the jump rope really taught me how to bounce efficiently. With the jump rope, I was easily bouncing over 100 times every minute so it was only natural that I quickly learned how to bounce in the most efficient way possible. This is such a basic skill and yet so many fighters STILL do not know how to bounce an entire round without getting tired. Im not saying you should be bouncing around forever, but its important to have the ability to move without getting tired!More RhythmThe jump rope is such a great exercise for fight training because it mimics the fight rhythm better than other exercises. Youre forced to be in constant motion and always maintain a minimum level of awareness. The problem with fighters that dont jump rope is that they arent used to being in constant motion and dont have a constant awareness. Theyre slow at transitioning from stillness to movement.The jump rope always improves your mental awareness. Youre no longer sleeping during fights because youre used to always having to watch out for something (like the rope). In the ring, this increased mental awareness helps you to avoid incoming punches or find countering opportunities. At the very least, your increased awareness helps to keep your mind calm so that you dont panic during sudden exchanges.The fighters that do jump rope do a better job of maintaining a constant rhythm (physically and mentally) even when theyre not actively moving.More PowerThis might be a surprising fact for some but the jumping rope truly does increase your punching power. As Ive said before, when jumping rope your body is forced to make many repetitive movements quickly and on rhythm so your body naturally learns how to move efficiently. This same skill will transfer over to affect the way that you punch.And the jump rope wont only improve your power of punch, but also your power of movement. You will be far more powerful in any movement because youre now a more efficient and more coordinated machine. I can actually look at fighters move in the ring and tell which ones jump rope and which ones dont. Once youve learned how to jump rope yourself you will be able to see what I mean. Theres a difference between fighters with a natural relaxed bounce vs an energy-wasting muscle bounce. This here is the perfect jump rope for boxing training. The thin, plastic, rope, combined with the 90-degree connection, spins easily and perfectly for a typical boxers rhythm. The thin plastic handles are effortless to hold which lets you concentrate on the rope when doing tricks.The 90-degree connection helps the rope spins easier, avoids kinks, and also makes it easy to adjust the length. The rope itself gives you a perfect resistance (not too little or too much ) .Thanks to Johnny M .

Val O'Halloran

Massage Therapist