Sheldon’s Corner: Quick Tips For Efficient Double Unders
As a person who has struggled with double unders for the last 4 years, finding every little tip that helps, is like Christmas morning for me. My uphill/downhill battle with double unders consists of workouts where I nail 60 in a row, and workouts where I can’t string together 6 in a row. In the end I think it boils down to not really practicing it enough and having to many large gaps of time without doing any at all. Some people just have a knack for it, but if you’re like me…you need to practice…practice…practice. 100 double unders a day is a good was to nail these things down…but again, you have to force yourself to to do it. In an effort to nail these buggers once and for all and start stringing them together smoothly…here are a few tips to help achieve just that.
Mistake #1: Using your whole arm to move the rope.
If you’re swinging your arms like two windmills, there’s no way you’ll be able to get the rope around twice per jump. The key is learning to move the rope more efficiently.
The fix: It’s all in the wrist, says Winsor. He recommends starting off with the single bounce (one jump per revolution of the rope) to get comfortable. A quick flick of the wrist should be all you need to keep things moving for single jumps. Once you’ve got that down, try flicking faster and developing consistent swing timing. “If you watch the pros, the only thing that changes when they do double or triple unders is how high they jump,” Winsor explains. But trying to overcompensate for a slow wrist movement by jumping high won’t work for beginners, so be sure to get a fast flick down before experimenting with your jump height.
Mistake #2: Jumping with your feet too close together.
If you’ve got a habit of bringing your feet together when attempting your double unders, you’ll be thrown off balance very easily. It will cause you to jolt right and left or forward and back too much, wasting the energy you should be using to bounce up and down.
The fix: According to Winsor, your feet should be hip-distance apart. This stable base will give you control to perform a more coordinated jump. “A lot of people hang out on the ground too long,” he adds, explaining that your heels should make very little contact with the floor so you can rebound as quickly as possible.
Mistake #3: Launching into a pike or dolphin kick position in the air.
Shooting your legs out into a pike position or “dolphin kick” may seem as though it will earn you some extra time to swing the rope around. In reality though, you’ll land heavier and take more time to recover and rebound into your next jump.
The fix: Winsor recommends keeping your legs right under you in the air so they’re prepared to rebound as quickly as possible after landing on the balls of your feet. And keep in mind: Upon landing, your knees should bend a tad to absorb shock.
Mistake #4: Letting your arms float away from your body.
You’re in the zone when — BAM! — you get smacked in the shins or in the head by the rope. What went wrong? You might have subconsciously moved your arms away from your torso, which will make the rope’s arc around your body shorter.
The fix: “You want your elbows close to your rib cage,” says Winsor. Your arms should remain relatively motionless while naturally extending from the elbows, since your wrists should be doing all the work of turning the rope. Though it might be hard to think about when you’re first starting out, try and pay attention to your arms until the proper position becomes habit.
Mistake #5: Changing your rope every time you work out.
Picking up any old rope you find at the gym might be convenient, but different lengths and thicknesses will require you to adapt your tempo. As a beginner, it’s going to be hard to adjust on the fly.
The fix: Size up your strand before you start jumping. According to Winsor, the handles of the rope should hit between the breastbone and the armpits if you’re stepping on the rope with one foot. “So much of the double under is about rhythm and timing, and that will change if and when you switch ropes,” he says. Winsor recommends learning on the rope you want to end up with, be that a heavier or mid-weight rope or a lighter speed rope. Using the same rope every time can only help you.
Keep these 5 tips in mind the next time you do double unders, and in time…you’ll be stringing them together like a PRO!