How it works
One turn of the rope for two bounces. Jump over the rope, then do a little bounce while the rope is above your head.
Step by step
Jump the rope as it reaches your feet.
Do a small bounce while the rope is over your head.
Keep the rhythm steady: jump, bounce, jump, bounce.
skip-hop tipSay "one, two, one, two": "one" as you jump the rope, "two" while it's above you.
Teach the double bounce
Say it
- Down, up and over
- Big bounce, little bounce
Check first
- Arms in front, waist height, thumbs pointing forward.
- Turning from the elbow, then the wrist.
- Standing upright.
- Rope lands just in front of the feet.
Look for
- Hands thrown back behind the ears
- Bowing at the waist
- Arms stopping after one jump
Watch it
From the skip-hop skills video. Use ½× or ¼× to show the class the timing.
The skippers in the skip-hop skills video are pupils from Moseley Primary School, Staffordshire. Read their story →
What the video says
Turn the rope once for two bounces. One bounce over the rope, followed by another when the rope is above the head.
Teaching steps
It’s very difficult to explain how to do a double bounce. And yet it’s one of the most simple, the most basic of skips. Very difficult to teach. Really, it’s something they have to discover on their own.
Hold the handles properly
Arms in front of the body at waist height, thumbs pointing forward, ready to skip.
Turn the rope, no jumping
Bring the rope “down, up and over” the head and let it land on the floor in front of the feet. Don’t try to jump it yet. Children have to get used to moving the rope properly first. This is very important.
Turn from the elbow, then the wrist
The rope should go round in a smooth circle, not be thrown. The turn starts from the elbow: the arm goes down, then the wrist takes over. A little bit of arm, a little bit of forearm and a little bit of wrist, all together, and the rope flows over the head at a nice, controlled speed.
Trap the rope under the feet
Down, up and over, the rope hits the floor just in front of the feet, then lift the toes and let the rope slide underneath. Stand upright. Skippers should never bend at the waist for this.
Jump the rope once
When they can trap the rope every time without bending, they try to jump it. Just once: down, up and over, jump.
Keep the arms moving
After the first jump the arms have to keep turning, not stop behind the body. Expect lots of misses here. Let them get it wrong over and over until they get it right.
Add the little bounce
Jump the rope once. While the rope is above the head, do a little jump or a little rock on the toes, then jump again. That’s two movements to every turn of the rope: “big bounce, little bounce”, or “bounce, rock”. The rope goes under the feet on the big bounce, and they rock while it’s above the head.
Some children find it easier to start with backwards single bounce and come back to the forward double bounce. If a child is stuck, it’s worth a try.
Spot the fault
They throw the rope, it smacks on the floor, bounces, and when they try to jump it hits their shins. It should be a smooth circle. The pivot point should be the elbow.
Tap a card for the cause and the fix.
Cause: The whole arm swings back from the shoulder. That’s uncomfortable, so the hands end up behind the ears, like throwing two-handed darts, taking off a jumper over your head, or a football throw-in. From there the rope is thrown, not turned: it smacks the floor, bounces up and hits the shins.
Fix: Turn from the elbow, then the wrist, in one smooth circle: down, up and over. Practise turning without jumping until it flows.
Cause: As they lift their feet, the skipper bends forward. The rope then lands three or four feet in front of them, bounces, and can’t go under the feet.
Fix: Stay upright. Practise trapping the rope under the feet without bending until it lands just in front of the toes every time.
Cause: The rope comes over and they jump it once, then the arms stop behind them. To get going again they lift the arms behind the head and throw the rope, so it smacks the floor.
Fix: Keep the arms turning after the jump. There’s no shortcut: let them try again and again. They have to discover the rhythm themselves.
There’s no other way of teaching children to do the double bounce apart from letting them get it wrong over and over again until they get it right.
Pupils can say
Ready for the Orange Award?
The Orange Award test asks a pupil to skip 10 times in a row (double or single bounce), skip at least once backwards, and count their own skips out loud.
Teaching skipping at school?
Register your school free to get 10% off skipping ropes and free lesson tasters to try with your class.
Want the complete teaching programme? Try the All-Access Skip Pass free for 30 days, then continue for £149 a year for your whole school.
Where it fits
Forward skipping double bounce: Orange Award and Bronze Award
Orange Award: Skipper
Part of the Orange Award test.
To pass, a pupil:
- Skips 10 times in a row (double or single bounce)
- Skips at least once backwards
- Counts their own skips out loud (forwards or backwards skipping)
- Jumps inside a long rope while teachers turn the rope
Bronze Award
This skill is a preliminary skip for the Bronze Award.
The skills on this award:
- First: the Safety and Poise checks and the preliminary skips
- Bell
- Slalom
- Twister
- Side straddle
- Front straddle (scissors)
- Combined straddle
- X
- Wounded duck
- Side swing
- 180 degree turn
- Then the link: any 8 of the 10 skills linked in one routine, without a miss or error.
Also a related skill for the Yellow Award.
In the scheme of work
Where this skill is taught in the skip-hop scheme of work.
- EYFSLesson 5: My own ropeReady, Steady, Jump! · Reception
- KS1Lesson 1: Rope readySkipping Foundations · Years 1 and 2
- KS1Lesson 2: Find the rhythmSkipping Foundations · Years 1 and 2
- KS1Lesson 3: Run and hopSkipping Foundations · Years 1 and 2
- KS1Lesson 6: Award day: Orange and GreenSkipping Foundations · Years 1 and 2
- LKS2Lesson 1: Skill checkSkills and Tricks · Years 3 and 4
What you need
KS1 2.1m, KS2 2.5m or KS3 2.8m. skip-hop ropes are designed specifically for the skills shown on this site.
SEND and inclusion
Make it work for everyone
Ideas for pupils with SEND, and for anyone who finds forward skipping double bounce hard. Change one thing at a time.
What usually makes it hard: Timing the swing and the jump together.
- TaskSwing, stop, jump: swing the rope over, let it rest at the toes, then jump it. Join the steps up when it’s easy.
- CommunicationSay “jump” each time the rope reaches the toes, or clap it. Count “one, two” with fingers for pupils who don’t speak.
- EquipmentA beaded rope makes a sound on the floor that tells the skipper when to jump.
- PeopleAn adult or buddy says “jump” beside the pupil.
Seated or no-jump version. Hold both handles in one hand and turn the rope at the side to a count, or a helper swings the rope under the footplates while the pupil taps their feet.
An adapted pass is still a pass on the Skipping Awards. Use your own judgement and each pupil’s care plan. More in SEND and inclusion at skip-hop. Pupil struggling to get started? Try Lee’s tips for pupils who are struggling to skip.