What jump rope size do I need?

One of the most common reasons people struggle when learning to jump rope is using a rope that is too long. Your rope size is no different to your shoe size. It depends on your body and should fit you appropriately.

If you’re struggling with your current rope and you keep tripping on it, or it keeps hitting your head during crosses and double unders you should check your form. Longer ropes slap the floor too much and cause your arms to drift away from your hips, making these skills much harder to execute. You may feel like your current rope is too short. When, in fact, it’s actually too long.

There’s two simple ways to quickly size your rope.

METHOD 1

If you're a beginner, take your height and add 3ft / 92cm. If you're more advanced, add 2ft / 61cm. Then round up or down to the nearest size.

METHOD 2

Stand on the centre of the rope with one foot and hold the handles against your body pointing them away from you. If you're a beginner, the rope should come up to the bottom of your chest.

If you're more advanced, the rope should come up to your belly button.

At times, a jumper may wish to alter the length of their rope for a specific purpose. This may include performance, competition or style.

When professional jumpers perform routines - such as in shows or freestyle competitions - they’ll often use ropes longer than the recommendations listed above. The reason for this boils down to the primary goal of performance. In performance, a jump roper will try to make their routines look as easy and as flawless as possible; their routine will often include complex skills such as gogos and wraps, so extra length helps them avoid tripping and makes the performance look flawless. If their form slightly diminishes, then there’s no issue, the average watcher isn’t going to notice or care anyway - they’re too busy being mind-blown! Because of their proficiency, the longer rope doesn’t cause the drastic deterioration in their form that it does in a beginner or less-experienced jumper.

At the other end of the spectrum, jumpers may choose to shorten their ropes by as much as 12 more inches / 30.5cm when competing in speed competitions. The goal here is clear. Minimise or eliminate every element which causes the jumper to not achieve the fastest possible speed they can. A longer rope has a larger radius from the handle to the apex of the rope, thus taking more time and energy to complete the same number of revolutions (or ‘steps’, as they’re called in competition). By shortening the rope it can revolve at a faster pace with less energy, maximising the jumper’s output. Given how short the rope will get, the jumper will hunch over with their head tucked into their chest to optimise these variables.

For those jumping rope recreationally, rope length may also vary based on style. Boxer style often utilises a longer rope (closer to the original 3ft / 92cm plus height recommendations regardless of experience or proficiency. Jumpers who primarily focus on multiples and mic releases will have a rope that’s as short as their upright posture will allow, for similar reasons to the speed competitors. Jumpers who primarily delve into rope manipulation such as complex crosses and wraps will usually use a slightly longer rope to allow for the rope length that’s removed each time the rope is wrapped around their arm or leg - allowing them to even wrap multiple body parts simultaneously.