The Sport Related Benefits Of Skipping And Why I See It As A Sport
As you will see from my Instagram (@hannahburgon_pt), I believe that sport is a physical activity that requires dedication, commitment, education and determination. Skipping ticks all of them boxes. To me, skipping is a sport.
I reckon that the majority reading this has never tried skipping. To you, it is a skill that you think was only adequate for the school playground when you were a child. To me, as I say, skipping is like a sport. A skill that requires practice. A skill that looks difficult to master, but once you practice it you will love it. A skill that you can constantly learn new ways of making your skipping more efficient. Furthermore, there are actually more benefits to skipping than you might think. Here is what the research suggests…..
A study by Eler & Acer, 2018 found that upon a 10 week rope-jump training program (3 skip sessions a week), there was a positive effect on strength, VO2 max and speed.
It improves muscles in the arms and legs (Chen & Lin, 2011) (I can vouch for this, you will get a pump on your arms from skipping!).
In a study by Baker, 1968, skipping for 10 minutes improved cardiovascular efficiency just as much as jogging for 30 mins. If you hate jogging…..skip instead! It is a great alternative. In addition, skipping is on the balls of your feet as opposed to running which is on the heels. Therefore, it is a great alternative to running for individuals with heel pain.
Increased bone mineral density in legs and lower half of spine (Kato et al, 2006).
Full body exercise. eg you may not think it, but it brings your shoulders into play to be able to whip the rope around. Particularly, if you are doing double unders!
It makes you feel like you have achieved something when you come up with a new skip routine and learnt a new skill (Hannah Burgon, 2019).
If you want to get into skipping then come and find me @thegymstockport and enquire about a 1 to 1 session with me where I can add skipping to part of your workout so you can learn the new skill and reap the benefits.
Anyway, this article has made me want to skip now, so I am off. Hannah x
References:Baker (2013), Comparison of Rope Skipping and Jogging as Methods of Improving Cardiovascular Efficiency of College Men, 240-243.Chen CC, Lin SY (2011). The İmpact Of Rope Jumping Exercise On Physical Fitness Of Visually İmpaired Students, Res Dev Disabil, 32: 25–29. Eler & Acer (2018), The Effects of the Rope Jump Training Program in Physical Education Lessons on Strength, Speed and VO2 max in Children, Universal Journal of Educational Research, 340-345.Kato et al (2006), Effect of low-repetition jump training on bone mineral density in young women, Journal of Applied Physiology, 839-843.