An 1800 depiction of jumping rope

A skipping rope (British English) or jump rope (American English) is the primary tool used in the game of skipping played by children and many young adults, where one or more participants jump over a rope swung so that it passes under their feet and over their heads. This may consist of one participant turning and jumping the rope, or a minimum of three participants taking turns, two of whom turn the rope while one or more jumps. Sometimes the latter is played with two turning ropes; this form of the activity is called Double Dutch and is significantly more difficult. Jump-rope rhymes are often chanted beginning when the skipper jumps in and ending when the skipper is tripped up.

In contrast to running, jumping rope is unlikely to lead to knee damage since the impact of each jump or step is absorbed by the balls of both feet rather than the heels. This decreases the ground reaction forces through the patella-femoral joint greatly. Jumping rope also helps strengthen the arms and shoulders. This combination of an aerobic workout and coordination-building footwork has made jumping rope a popular form of exercise for athletes, especially boxers and wrestlers. Individuals or groups can participate in the exercise, and learning proper jump rope technique is simple compared to many other athletic activities. The exercise is also appropriate for a wide range of ages and fitness levels. Jumping rope is particularly effective in an aerobic routine combined with other activities, such as walking, biking, or running.

A young girl playing on a jump rope.

Jump rope is a legitimate sport, and is practiced at a competitive level for young kids or adults. Athletes compete in individual and team events using single ropes or double-Dutch. In freestyle routines, jumpers have a set time limit to demonstrate a combination of skills; in many competitions these are choreographed to music. During the speed events, athletes try to complete as many jumps as possible within a particular amount of time. For example, the world record for 30 second speed is 188 jumps. The FISAC-IRSF World Jump Rope Championships is held in July every other year. In 2006 Toronto, Canada hosted the event and in 2008 it was held in South Africa. The 4th Asian Rope Skipping Championship was held on 9 February 2007 at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, India, it was organised by Rope Skipping Federation of India (RSFI) Registered. Jump rope exhibitions are also frequently staged at events such as festivals, charity functions, and sporting half-time shows.

Though many only see jump rope as a simple, fun activity, those familiar with its development of a competitive side consider it a sport. Serious jump rope athletes train rigorously year-round. Jumping rope takes immense strength, endurance, focus, and patience, and can be much more than a schoolyard game of chanting rhymes. There are many teams such as Hot Dog USA, Mission Thunder Stompers, Penticton Black Widow Rope Spinners, Cary SuperSkippers and many more.

In the United States, the main jump rope organization is USA Jump Rope. USAJR is composed of hundreds of jump roping teams and hundreds of jumpers from all over the country. These teams attend workshops, training camps, perform for the public, and compete against each other throughout the year. USA Jump Rope sponsors various regional competitions and a national competition at Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida every June. In 2009 the Competition was held in Galveston, Texas. USA Jump Rope Nationals is broadcast by ESPN annually. Competing teams consist of athletes of all ages, but are most commonly graduate school to high school-aged individuals.

Historically in the United States there were two competing jump rope organizations: the International Rope Skipping Organization (IRSO), and the World Rope Skipping Federation (WRSF). IRSO focused on stunt-oriented and gymnastic/athletic type jump rope moves, while the WRSF appreciated the aesthetics and form of jump roping. In 1995 these two organizations merged to form The United States Amateur Jump Rope Federation (USAJRF), which was recently renamed USA Jump Rope to fit the trend of other Olympic and Olympic-hopeful sports.

Recently a new organisation formed at Asia level and called Asian Rope Skipping Confederation (ARSC). ARSC has two founder members, India and Singapore. President of Rope Skipping Federation of India Registered, Mr. Harpal Singh Flora took this initiative with the help of Roger of "Rope Skipping Singapore".Right now, ARSC have six members and shortly they will host Asian Championships in Singapore. These Asian Championships be first of its kind in Asia, it will be open to the world. Skippers from any part of the world are allowed to participate.

A new World federation called "World Rope Skipping Confederation" founded in March 2010 by Harpal Singh Flora.www.wrsc.infowww.jumpropeonline.comwww.arsc.asia

Several simultaneous jumpers, jumping a single rope

Some of the techniques that can be used when jumping rope are:

Basic jump:This is where both feet are slightly apart and jump at the same time over the rope. Beginners should master this technique first before moving onto more advanced techniques.

Alternate foot jump (speed step):This style consists of using alternate feet to jump off the ground. This technique can be used to effectively double the number of skips per minute as compared to the above technique.

Criss-cross:This method is similar to the basic jump with the only difference being that while jumping, the left hand goes to the right part of the body and vice versa for the right hand.

Side Swing:This is a basic technique where the rope passes the side of the skipper's body, without jumping it.

EB(front-back cross):This is similar to the criss-cross except one arm crosses behind the back.

Double under:To perform a double under, the participant needs to jump up a bit higher than usual while swinging the rope twice under his feet. It is possible to have the rope swing three times under the feet (triple under). In fact, in competitive jump rope, triples, quadruples ("quads"), and quintuples ("quins") are not uncommon.

Combination jumps:There are many more difficult jump roping tricks that combine two or more of these techniques to make a single trick. These combinations can also be used in Chinese Wheel, Double Dutch, Egg Beater, triangle and Long Rope.

Toad:The toad is a complicated trick where the jumper performs the "Cross" manoeuvre with one leg intercepting the opposite arm from the inside.

Inverse Toad:This is the same as the toad except the leg intercepting the arm from the inside.

Elephant:This is a combination of the inverse and regular toad, where the leg intersects both arms.

Other:Many other variations are possible, including: "skier", a side-to-side jump keeping the feet together; "bell", a front-and-back jump keeping the feet together; "scissors", a jump putting one foot forward and the other back, then switching back-and-forth; "jumping jack", a jump putting the feet apart and then together; and "can-can" a jump with one leg up and bent, followed by a jump with both feet on ground, followed by a jump kicking the foot out.

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