My kids can “only” jump backwards…. Why?
- Admin
- Apr 12
- 2 min read
If you’ve taught your babies to jump rope, you probably have encountered this “weird” predicament - some of them can only jump backward! This is way more common than you might think, so don’t worry, you’re not alone!
In this blog we want to address 3 questions:
Why do some kiddos naturally prefer backward jumping?
Is this a “bad” thing?
What do we do about it?
Why!?
The bottom line is we aren’t sure, but we do have a theory. When kids jump backward, they are able to start with the rope in front of their body where they can see it. The visual anchor helps them feel like they have more control over the rope. Creating momentum on the rope with a backward arm swing is also a more comfortable motor pattern than trying to create momentum by moving the rope from behind them (for a forward jump).
Is backward jumping a “bad” thing?
Not necessarily! Clearly, we want students to ultimately learn to jump forward because it will help them develop skills more easily in the future. However, the most important thing to remember when teaching jump rope is that kids need to feel successful! If they start by jumping backward and that helps them feel initial success, keep encouraging them! See how many jumps they can get in 30 seconds, teach them a footwork skill or two while jumping backward, etc. Initial success will help them be more willing to work on challenging skills later on.
What to do about it?
Gently introduce and encourage forward jumping in addition to backward jumping with the following tips:
Work on rainbows forward and backward first without any jumps. This will help
your students differentiate forward vs. backward and understand that they can control the rope in both directions.
Start slow with the first jump forward. Have them wait until the rope hits the ground before they try to jump. It will look slow and labored at first but it’ll give them some initial success.
Once they have established the rainbows and the individual jumps, continue to encourage them jump forwards. They will still tend to want to do all of their skills backwards but use jumping forwards as a “challenge” so they continue to practice
***There is another drill we like to call the “wall drill” that can also help for students who are struggling to get the rope over their head. You can find this drill linked below***
At the end of the day, remember that teaching jump rope to kids is a challenging process - but SO worth the effort! Start with the most basic elements like simply turning the rope or jumping over a stationary rope. Celebrate small wins, and meet your students where they are!!
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