These skipping skills will really test your hand-eye coordination, timing, and stamina, and, as they can take a while to perfect…. your patience!
Skill #19
Cyclone
This skipping skill may be known by different names but was given this name by school children at a school in Sheffield and it stuck.
The whole skipping rope goes around the head by placing the hands next to each other and moving them around in a smooth circle above the head. Follow this trick with a Rodeo (Skipping Skill #17) The skipping rope goes under the left foot, then the right foot by keeping the hands next to each other and just below your groin, followed by a Rodeo and is finished by going around the head with the skipping rope as at the beginning. The first movement above the head is a mirror image of the movement under the feet.
skip-hop tip: If the skipper imagines the moves in this sequence it sometimes helps: first move is two hands round the head; second move is one hand round the head (the Rodeo); the third move is no hands round the head, i.e, under the feet; fourth is one hand round the head; final move is two hands round the head – 2 hands, 1 hand, 0 hands, 1 hand, 2 hands. Or A,B,C,B,A. Or whichever helps you to remember it.
Skill #20
Coil (Body Wrap)
Start with a normal forward skip and as the skipping rope comes over the head, wrap it around the left arm 2, 3 or 4 times. The skipper then turns around and unwraps the skipping rope and skips backwards once. The skipping rope is then wrapped onto the right arm 2, 3 or 4 times in a backwards direction. The skipper turns around and unwraps the skipping rope and skips forwards.
skip-hop tip: Perform this skipping skill slowly and gracefully keeping the arm that has the skipping rope wrapped around it parallel to the floor. When the skipping rope is being wrapped around the arm, place the other hand onto the corresponding chest muscle and point the handle down the arm, almost like the position an archer would adopt.
Single Bounce skips
All of the following moves are best carried out with a Single Bounce skip i.e. one bounce for each turn of the skipping rope. They can also be carried out as Double Bounce skips of course and in fact, we would recommend learning them as Double Bounce skips first.
skip-hop tip: Economy of movement is the key to all of these skipping skills as the less movement employed, the quicker the skipping rope can move.
Skill #21
Toe Tap
Jump feet together and then tap toe behind (same foot), then feet together and tap toe behind with the other foot. This is four turns of the skipping rope.
Skill #22
Heel Tap
Feet together, tap heel in front, feet together, tap the other heel in front. This is four turns of the skipping rope.
Skill #23
Combined Heel/Toe Tap
Toe behind, heel in front (left foot), toe behind, then heel in front (right foot) – four turns of the skipping rope.
skip-hop tip: The key to a smooth transition from one foot to the other is to concentrate on placing the foot that is doing a “heel tap” back to the normal foot position (in the middle) at the same time as placing the foot that was in the normal position into a “toe tap” position.
Skill #24
Knee Raise
One knee raised to waist height on the first turn of the skipping rope and then dropped on the next turn and so on.
skip-hop tip: When lowering the leg onto the floor, only touch your toe onto the floor, do not make it bear any weight as this will make it harder to keep your rhythm. This skipping skill provides a superb lower abdominal workout.
Skill #25
Running Man
The starting position is feet together. Lift the knee to waist height (Knee Raise Skipping Skill #24), place the foot of that leg behind as with a scissor skip (Forward Straddle Skipping Skill #2) and then back to the starting position of the feet together.
Skill #26
Can Can
For this skipping skill, the Knee Raise (Skipping Skill #24) is followed by a high kick on the same leg. When kicking, the skipper must kick from the hip, not the knee.
skip-hop tip: Saying “up, down, kick, down” will help to keep the rhythm and remind the skipper of the sequence. Also, as with the knee raise, when lowering the leg onto the floor, only touch your toe onto the floor, do not make it bear any weight as this will make it harder to keep your rhythm.
Skill #27
Frog Can Can
Starting position feet together. The skipper then lifts the knee to waist height as with a Can-Can, but, instead of following this with dropping the knee and doing a high kick, kick the leg out to the side without the foot touching the floor. Picture your legs doing what they do with breaststroke swimming.
Skill #28
Double Unders
The skipping rope travels under the skipper twice whilst in the air. This skipping skill has been known by the name The Bumps for many years and in some areas, still is.
skip-hop tip: Economy of movement is so important with a skip like this. Remember, the pivotal point is the wrist. Oh, and make sure, as with all skipping moves, you have PLENTY of room around you.
Skill #29
Triple Under
Like a double under but the rope travels three times under the skipper.
Skill #30
Boxer Skip
Left foot, left foot, right foot, right foot, left foot, left foot, right foot, right foot… Each foot bounce is a turn of the skipping rope.
skip-hop tip: The non-weight bearing foot can still tap the floor at the same time as the other foot bounces which ensures economy of movement. Feet should lift a couple of centimetres at the most.
Skill #31
Razzle Dazzle
The skipper crosses feet first, then, the leg that is at the back comes out to the side and does a heel tap. That foot now crosses in front of the other leg. The new back leg comes out to the side and does a heel tap and the move is repeated.
Skill #32
WW Kicks
As with a lot of moves, start with a forward skip to get the rope moving. When ready, raise one leg in the air to the side whilst jumping the rope on the other leg. Click heels together and land on the next turn of the rope with both feet together. Yell Yee-haa! You’ll soon get the idea.
Skill #33
Can Can Ex
Start with the Can Can move but instead of high-kicking, the skipper crosses a leg over, raises it again and then places it back on the floor. The skipping skill can be broken down to “up, cross, up, down, up, cross, up, down” etc, each part of the move requiring a different turn of the skipping rope (as with all Single Bounce skills).
Skill #34
Toad
The skipper crosses their arms but the arm that is underneath (closest to the stomach) is placed under the corresponding leg. (As the arms are crossed, the “corresponding arm” is the left when raising the right leg and vice versa.) Think of it as a cross between a Pretzel and a Crossover.
Skill #35
Marlee (Inverse Crougar)
The skipper starts with the rope in front of them ready for a backwards skip. As the rope comes over the head, an arm is placed under the corresponding leg, (left arm under left leg, or right arm under right leg). The rope is then jumped. As the rope rises, the skipper spins round 180 degrees, keeping the rope in mid-air and in front of them. As the rope falls (skipper is now skipping forward), they hop over the rope with the foot that has been held in the air throughout the move whilst removing their arm from underneath the leg and continues to skip forward.
Skill #36
EB
A crossover with one arm behind the back. For this skipping skill the skipper skips forward, does a side swing and brings the arm on the corresponding side round to their back – (right-hand side swing means right arm goes behind back). The other arm continues to bring the skipping rope over the head of the skipper and the rope is jumped. To get out of the move, uncross arms as the skipping rope passes over the head.
skip-hop tip: Practice doing the Side Swing and bringing the rope over your head before attempting to jump it.
Skill #37
TS
A crossover with two arms behind the back – for this skipping skill the skipper places both arms behind the back as the skipping rope passes underneath their feet and allows the skipping rope to pass over their head and under their feet again, at which point they begin to uncross arms.
Skill #38
Caboose Cross
Cross behind the backs of the legs – the skipper performs one normal skip to get the skipping rope moving and as it passes over the head they jump to a side straddle position and at the same time cross their arms, bending over so that the arms can be placed in the crossed position behind the knees. The skipping rope comes over the skippers head and they attempt a jump (although stepping over the skipping rope is a good start). As they stand up, the arms are uncrossed and the skipping rope is brought over the head backwards and skipping is resumed BUT BACKWARDS!
Skill #39
Awesome Annie
A combination of a Toad and a Pretzel. The skipper skips into the Toad position (Skipping Skill #34). They then uncross their arms into the Pretzel (aka Crougar) position and then back into the Toad and so on.
skip-hop tip: The skipper will soon realise that they don’t actually have to jump whilst doing this and that a stepping motion is enough.
Have Fun – Keep Skipping
The skip-hop Team
