How to do a double under?
The double under is a staple of jump rope skills. Everyone everywhere knows what it is, and when showing someone new it’s one of the things to blow them away. In some circles, such as CrossFit, the double under is a staple movement upon which competitions are based. So how do we unlock the double under and how do we become truly proficient at it? Let’s dig into it.
A double under is a ballistic movement where the jumper bounds higher than usual, allowing the rope to pass under their feet twice before they land. To do this, the jumper requires a strong base level of proficiency in foundational single unders. Whilst doing a single bounce (i.e. feet together, no additional footwork), aim to jump at a pace of 200bpm. This will help both your wrist speed and posture. This rotation speed will mimic the speed of the double unders, whilst the intensity will prepare the jumper’s posture for the intensity of double unders. Remember to keep your chest up, shoulder’s back, and core braced, and push through the balls of your feet.
The ‘trick’ to unlocking your first double under is in understanding the timing. When coaching clients I like to use the catchphrase, ‘elevation then rotation’. The jumper must take off from the floor immediately before they flick their wrists down and begin rotating the rope around them twice.
When freestyling in jump rope, a jumper may look down towards the floor, typically a few feet in front of them. This helps with their coordination, especially when performing releases and complex crossing skills. However, when performing double unders, jumpers need to instead keep their head up and their eyes fixed on the horizon. This ensures their torso remains upright as they jump up and as they land back down. Not doing so will impede the jumper’s maximum height potential, thus making it harder to clear the second revolution of the rope. Because the anterior chain - the muscles in the front of the body such as the anterior delts and hip flexors - is often tighter and over-developed relative to the posterior chain, leading to the jumper performing ‘dolphin kicks’ as they jump. Dolphin kicks occur when the jumper hyper-extends their knees whilst also leaning forward, resulting in the imbalanced anterior chain pulling everything forward into a slight banana shape. Not only is this inefficient, but it can also be dangerous if the muscles in the posterior chain are weaker or if the jumper over-exerts themselves and causes an injury such as muscle strain.
For more information and a demonstration on good double under technique, check out Day 20 of The Entry 20, a free beginner program for learning those just getting started in jump rope.
Ready to take your double unders to the next level? Try adding a cross to the first or second under - CO and OC respectively! If you can do that, then try both (CC). Click here to see them demonstrated in slow motion on the Tricktionary.