Considering Learning to be a Skipper?
If you want to learn to be a skipper, you should consider doing some skipping lessons. Skipping is a great activity for your overall fitness, whether it is included in your main exercise session or part of a warm-up. It is no coincidence that boxes, who could be argued to be some of the fittest athletics around, regularly perform skipping drills to improve their cardiovascular fitness and hand eye coordination. Skipping is an excellent hobby to have that has benefits for your physical and mental health. The good news is there are many skipping lessons currently available so you can easily learn to be a skipper.
About Skipping
Skipping requires practice and patience to develop coordination. It is recommended that when getting started with skipping, you should wear running shoes that provide support and jump on an athletic surface such as a hard wood floor or a sport court. There are lots of different types of skipping ropes. One of the most common, cheapest and most versatile skipping ropes are licorice speed ropes. Another kind that provides an extra-long handle for performing skills with additional ease are long handled freestyle ropes. These are generally better for individual use, however, more costly. Ropes used for double unders and speed are wire ropes. Finally, there are beaded ropes which are used for almost anything and are particularly good for partner routines.
A Brief History of Skipping
The Chinese rope makers invented skipping as part of their New Year’s celebrations and referred to it as Jumping 100 Threads or the Hundred Rope Jumping game. Later, skipping was invented in Phoenicia and ancient Egypt where specialised ropes were used for skipping. The sport officially originated in the Netherlands and spread to the old Atlanta in 1500. Soon, Americans began playing the game and the Dutch settlers were noted as the first participants of the game in the country.
The two different rope variants of skipping were regarded as Double Dutch, in honour of the first participants of the game in the country. However, in the 1950s, Double Dutch and skipping dragged in popularity. An office from the New York Police Department (NYPD), Ulysses F. Williams began to use the sport as an outreach programme for young people in 1973. The idea was a stepping stone for the sports outreach. The first championship programme, the American Double Dutch League (ADDL) was founded in the 1980s by David Walker, a former D.C. Police Officer.
Reasons to Start Skipping
There are many reasons to get started with skipping. For one thing, skipping helps to get your heart rate up and boost your stamina. With each jump, calories are burnt and fat can be reduced which makes shipping one of the easiest ways to get some aerobic exercise into your daily routine. It is also an inexpensive and fun exercise because all you need to complete a full body workout is a skipping rope. Skipping ropes come at a low cost yet provide hours of entertainment. Doing a skipping workout on a sunny day is a brilliant way to enjoy the sunshine and get some vitamin D too.
Skipping is not just beneficial for keeping fit, it also has numerous benefits for your mind. It has even been proven to enhance your alertness because the movement requires a large amount of concentration which can even help to develop spatial awareness. Skipping promotes activity on both the right and left side of the brain and promotes enhanced reading skills. Jumping rope is not just good for improving focus and stamina, it is also excellent for coordination. Generally speaking, coordination relates to how our legs and arms keep us in motion effectively. Many of the body’s muscles are used at the same time in skipping, coordinating their actions and increasing hand-eye coordination.
Benefits of Skipping
Some of the benefits of skipping include:
- Leg Strength
- Stamina
- Bone Strength
- Coordination
- Cardiovascular Fitness
- Balance
- Full Body Workout
- Agility
- Endurance
- Flexibility
What Will I Learn?
Skipping lessons will teach you the correct form and drills. You will learn the beginning learning phases of skipping which include the eagle, the ready position, swing and stop, swing, wait and jump, bunny jump and basic jump.
If you’re serious about learning to be a skipper, check out lessons near you in the Nightcourses.co.uk national course finder.
