YOUTH FITNESS
by David Kittner aka youth Fitness Guy
Jump Rope for
Hockey Success
It’s not just a playground activity, it works!
J
umping rope has many benefits for
young hockey players. When performed
correctly jumping rope is an excellent
training and development tool. It’s
an activity that is both efficient
and effective for reinforcing sound
movement patterns. It helps improve
stamina, develops coordination including balance,
rhythm and timing, helps to develop speed and
agility as well as strength and power. Jump ropes
are inexpensive to purchase and are easily carried
in your child’s hockey bag to and from the rink.
There are many types of jump ropes available but
a basic speed rope is more than adequate to serve
the needs of your child for many years.
When performed on a regular basis young
hockey players will quickly learn the techniques
necessary to be successful and will not only
improve their fitness and conditioning levels but
will improve their confidence and self-esteem as
well.
Getting Started
Not unlike your child’s hockey stick, your
child’s jump rope needs to be sized correctly. To
determine the appropriate rope length, have your
child stand on the centre of the cord and pull
the handles vertically towards their shoulders.
Rule of thumb is to have the handle tips reach
the armpits. If the handles go past the armpits
the rope is too long. If the handles don’t reach the
armpits the rope is too short. Also, as the rope
is jumped, it should brush the floor beneath the
feet. If the cord doesn’t touch the floor, the rope
is too short. If the cord hits the floor in front of
the skipper, the rope is too long and should be
shortened. To shorten a rope that is too long
simply tie knots in the chord below the handles
until the desired length of rope is achieved. If the
rope is too short you will need a longer rope.
Get a Grip
The handles should always point outward and
away from the body. A portion of the handle
should protrude out from the hands so the cord
will turn freely without contacting any part of
the body. The wider end of the handle should
be nestled in the palm with the fingers gripping
the narrower end near where the cord exits the
handle.
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Posture
For best results, stand tall with erect posture
looking straight ahead. Legs are together
and takeoff and landing is done with the feet
jumping just high enough to clear the rope.
Landing is on the balls of the feet with the
knees slightly bent to absorb the impact.
When kids first start jumping rope they may
jump with a double bounce. A double bounce
is a jump with a small rebound jump between
each turn of the rope. In order to progress with
the various skills and drills encourage your
child to use a single jump between each turn of
the rope without the added rebound jump.
Progressions
Starting with the basic two foot jump,
encourage kids to challenge themselves to 25,
50 or even 100 consecutive jumps. Once kids
master the basic two foot jump, progressions
with various foot patterns and turning options
can be introduced. These include:
Slalom - side to side
Bell - forwards to backwards
Jumping Jacks - feet out and in
Scissor Jacks - alternating one foot
forward and one foot backward
Twister - separating the upper body from
the lower body
X-it - Crossing the feet to form an X
Other jump rope progressions include one
foot skills such as boxer, alternating step, heel
tap, toe tap, high step and kick step. Additional
progressions include front cross, side swing and
double unders. All patterns can be performed
both frontwards and backwards.
When teaching new progressions ‘be sure
to break down skills with the rope turning
beside the body, both handles in one hand,’ says
Canadian jump rope presenter and author Liz
Way, ‘as this will help with coordinating the
jumping and turning before attempting to jump
the rope as well as keep kids who need more
practice engaged’.
Jumping rope can either be performed in
place or while moving from point A to point
B. Kids can jump rope while moving forwards,
backwards and sideways between the cones.
Encourage the kids to be creative using
mastered skills as well as inventing their own.
Like any other form of exercise never
compromise quality for quantity. Progress slow
to fast and simple to complex. When practiced
daily, kids quickly master the art of jumping
rope and begin feeling successful. Five minutes
a day is more conducive to learning than thirtyfive minutes once a week.
Jumping rope is a fun activity that can
either be done by oneself or in a team setting.
Provide a safe, positive and upbeat learning
environment and your kids will be well on their
way to improving their fitness and athleticism
that no hockey player should be without.
David Kittner
David Kittner, aka the Youth Fitness Guy, is a passionate, caring and dedicated
individual with over twenty years’ experience working with children.
David conducts athletic training and development programs, workshops and
clinics for youth athletes, youth sports teams, parents, teachers and coaches, and
internationally presents at Fitness, Coaching and Physical Education conferences.
He serves as the Youth Fitness Contributor for CTV Ottawa Morning Live and for TV
Cogeco’s Wallis on Wellness. David is also a contributing author for the international
bestselling book, The Definitive Guide to Youth Athletic Strength, Conditioning and
Performance.
For more information and to contact David please call 647-504-7638 or visit his web
site at www.YouthFitnessGuy.com