If you’re looking to nail a double under for the first time, string more doubles together, or even just become more efficient with your doubles, you’ve come to the right place!! In this article, we take you through one of the most important aspects of double unders - choosing the rope that is right for you!
Handles
When you’re choosing a rope, the two things you need to consider are the handles and the type of cord. Let’s look at the handles first. When most people begin jumping rope, they start with “180-degree” handles. That means that the rope comes directly out of the end of the handle. However, the most common type of handle that is designed specifically for double unders is the “90-degree” handles. You may have seen these handles at a CrossFit gym or at a jump rope tournament. These handles allow the cord to come out at a 90-degree angle, and they typically have ball bearings that allow the rope to spin with very little resistance. In other words, these handles let the rope move really fast!
Cords
Finding the right cord (aka rope) is also essential. When you’re first learning, it can be helpful to use a heavier rope so that you can feel it as it moves. You want consistent feedback from your rope on every turn so that your body starts to learn how to control it. In our opinion, the best types of ropes to make this happen are heavy PVC ropes and beaded ropes.
Once you’ve comfortably learned to confidently control your rope, you may want to transition to something a little lighter. This will help you move more efficiently so that you can knock out double unders without expending as much energy. The 4mm wire is perfect for making this transition.It’s a wire rope, so it moves faster than the PCV and beaded ropes, and it has just enough weight to it so you can still feel where the rope is.
Once you really master your double unders - meaning you can string many of them together without losing rhythm or being worried about a mistake - you are ready to transition to the most advanced rope. The standard wire cable rope is one of the thinnest wires on the market for double unders. It is perfect for jump rope athletes, CrossFit athletes, and anyone who is extremely efficient with double unders. This rope moves FAST, so it’ll allow you to conserve energy and get lots of doubles done in shorter amounts of time.
You may be thinking, all of this sounds great in theory, but I don’t want to buy a million different ropes for my double under journey. Well, don’t worry! Elite SRS, a rope company we really trust, has an amazing package that includes everything you need. It has one set of handles that allow you to interchange all three types of cords we mentioned. The package is called the “Do Hard Things Rep Rope”. We highly recommend this kit for anybody looking to double unders.
Be sure to check out the links below for some amazing double under ropes to try out. Use promo code “LTR” for 15% off!
To learn more on how to unlock your double unders check out our other articles...