Arms Wide

aka “The Shoulder Burner”: You tend to rely on shoulder and back muscles to drive the jump rope, rather than using good technique.  Many experienced CrossFit athletes jump with wide arms and manage to execute hundreds of double unders, but the toll on their body is excessive and unnecessary.  Wide-arm jumpers can be spotted with their Hulk-like arms and tense musculature in their chest, shoulder, and back.

The Fix

Two very simple fixes to ‘The Shoulder Burner’ are to:

1. Jump inside an enclosed area (plyo boxes are perfect).  Setting boxes ~4 feet apart will make a nice enclosure.  Force your arms closer to your body this way.
2. Grab a pair of speed balls.  They’re great for resetting your arm position.  We have never seen anyone grab a pair of speed balls and use them with wide arms!

Your first focus should be on where your elbows are relative to your torso (see the Setup Guide).  You should jump rope like you’re running in place (elbows free to move behind the plane of your body).

Your second focus should be on your wrists- they should be active (like your the maraca player in a Latin-American band and you’re jammin’ hard core).

Looking Up

aka “The Star Gazer”: You’re not in tune with your setup, and your technique will suffer (see the Setup Guide).  Looking upwards while jumping is a common fault for athletes.  This results in your chest opening up, arms reaching backward, and your motion and energy directing you backwards when you jump!  You may even travel quite a distance!

The Fix

Keep Your Gaze Forward!  An important aspect of proper jump rope form is to keep the gaze forward while jumping (see our Double Under Setup Guide on Head Position).  Watch the far wall of the gym and maintain focus on that point.

Keep Sight of Your Hands! If you’re good, you can see your hands in peripheral vision as you jump.  Can’t see them?  It’s okay (in this case) to look down towards the ground just enough to see them.  Make sure your hands stay in front of the plane of your body!

Jump on the Balls of Your Feet!  You’re most likely landing flat-footed while jumping.  Keep your feet in line with the plane of your body (a common theme here)

Knees Up

aka “The OH SH*T Jumper”: Your definition of a double under is to jump erratically and as high as possible, so long as the double under counts.  The ‘OS’ jumper tends to look like a ninja with high knees, spastic arms, and shortness of breath.

The Fix

Relax! The best advice to give the ‘OS’ jumper is to relax and focus on clear movement (see the Setup Guide).

Control! Your erratic jumping means that you’re out of control.  Focus on some nice timing drills… the 1-2 motion of the double under should be smooth and relaxed, not spastic.  Try jumping with nice high bounds that leave your toes pointing to the ground, and your knees and hips fully extended.

Hips Back / Toes Up

The Fix

Think of your legs as being a door.  By kicking your butt with your heels, you’re opening the door and allowing the rope to come through.  (Associations like this are corny, but they work!)

Fully extend your hips!  Pikers tend to reach their behinds backwards when they jump, leaving a muted hip in the bound.  Concentrate on pushing those hips forward when jumping!  The combination of pushing the hips forward and the feet slightly back will help find proper jumping form.