Does anyone know of any technique that is specific to skipping and boxing? Had a browse on the web and couldn't find much. I tend to just do single jumps at the moment. I used to be able to cross when I was little and do all sorts - I'd better practise more!

I was reading a book last night called "Stop, You're exercising WRONG"....and it listed rope jumping as one of the best conditioning exercises....the stance the author was fond of was a fast single skip for beginners, progressing to more advanced moves (crossovers, double-skips) as you gained experience.

I've also seen jump-rope routines on Spa-Finder, there must be DVD somewhere?

www.jumpropeinstitute.com has some good info. I haven't looked through the whole site yet, but it's pretty interesting so far.

Thanks Betani, it looks a great site! I just need to put it into practice now!

No problem I'm trying to get into skipping myself, but I don't have the right equipment yet.

I tried jumping on the grass this morning, but my rope isn't adjustable and I kept getting tangled up. Time for a better one.

I also need a good rubber mat to put on the concrete and a good pair of cross trainers. It's amazing how much you need for something so simple!

The surface you're skipping on matters a lot...

I can do up to 200 skips without stopping and without the rope getting tangled in my building's laundry room (concrete floor). But when I tried in the park, I couldn't do more than 10-15 skips before the rope got tangled...

I have a "string" rope right now, which I don't really like - the plastic ones work better for me, for some reason.

Hmmm... another excuse for getting a mat?

Crackers!

I've been skipping in my running shoes because I LOVE them like nothing I've ever worn before! They have lots of padding so they're cool! Try winding the rope round your hands if there's too much. I used to do that at school...

Strange how they recommend all this equipment but when we first started skipping we were in our Start-Rite shoes with the T-bar, bare knees and gravelly ground!

Does anybody have any good stretching exercises for after skipping cool down? Especially for calves?

A nice calf stretch is stand on a step with just your toes and then lower your heels to below the step height. YUMMY!

Also just try touching your toes and pulling your chest into your knees.