Jumping Rope for Improved Footwork
The best footwork exercise in terms of cost vs. reward
After coaching, participating in and being a fan/student of multiple sports, I’ve come to a conclusion regarding footwork. Being agile is a huge advantage in any almost any sport. Lack of coordination in this regard is sure to frustrate any athlete. It can be particularly discouraging for younger athletes who all progress at different rates than their peers.
While often not considered at the top of the list of athletic improvement, footwork wins games and matches. There are many drills and techniques to work on this but the most bang for your buck when it comes to having fast feet is skipping rope.
Skipping rope has a few advantages when programming training. First, it requires key aspects of agility. Coordination, balance, explosiveness. The athlete needs to be able to have their timing down to jump rope and the whole body must work as a unit. This directly translates to any sport played on your feet. There is a reason it is so popular among boxers and wrestlers and it can really help any athlete. Football, lacrosse and baseball players can all benefit greatly from this exercise.
It’s a great way for players who want to improve explosiveness and speed to quickly give themselves an edge to work their way to the head of their pack. It requires picking one’s feet up and down while being exploding up and landing in a balanced position many times over which translates to athleticism on the field, mats or in the ring.
Stamina and maintaining coordination as you get tired also has a great carryover to consistent performance.
Jump rope is great because you can vary the focus of the workout with just a change of tempo and format. Long and steady rounds for stamina. Double unders or high knees for explosiveness and high intensity performance for shorter periods. Longer rest periods and shorter sprints for more high output work. You can also vary how you jump and land on one or both feet in different positions to optimize your agility.
Equipment is one thing. A jump rope. Really good ones can be found for less than $15 such as this one (https://amzn.to/49KpEmS). I’ve also sprung for two more great jump ropes for just a little more money. This weighted Muay Thai rope https://amzn.to/484v6zD for stamina and a more traditional rope https://amzn.to/3WJKz1Q for speed days. The weighted jump rope is really nice for days you also do legs or already a little gassed. It’s a little slower but still good for working stamina and you can do all your footwork variations with it. Plus, you work your yoke, shoulders and arms a little more.
Invest a little time and effort for a big return. In as little as five to 10 minutes of jumping rope, you can greatly improve your footwork. Get fast agile feet that will carry over to any sport. Its relatively low impact and great for both youth and adult athletes. Get out there and start skipping!