Which jump rope is best for beginners?

No one jump rope is objectively better or the best. It’s all about context and application. In short, beginners just getting started with a jump rope will be best served investing in a short-handle beaded jump rope.

BEADED ROPES

Beaded ropes are composed of a thin nylon cord with a 1-inch beaded threaded on it. They are kink-free and slightly weighted giving better rope control for the user. Due to these features, they are the best rope a beginner can invest in first since they will enable them to learn 90% of the skills and styles they wish to explore. Their main limiting factor is that they’re slower, which is not great for more advanced jumpers - however, the opposite is true for beginners since it helps them understand where the rope is in space as it moves around them.

PVC ROPES

PVC ropes comprise a solid flexible PVC cord, sometimes with a nylon cord embedded inside. Their design is lightweight compared to beaded ropes; making them a good choice for jumpers once they’ve developed a good amount of rope control and wish to speed things up. PVC is useful for those looking to get into speed training due to its lightweight design since purpose-made speed ropes are often too hard to control for beginners.

CABLE ROPES

Cable ropes, AKA speed ropes, are thin rigid steel cables. They're designed for speed training and competitions, where the goal is to jump as fast as possible with a rope that offers the minimum resistance possible. Due to their ultra-lightweight design and inflexible cord, they are not suitable for beginners.

WEIGHTED ROPES

Weight ropes comprise thick cables of either steel, PVC or a combination of both. They are designed to increase the intensity of a jump rope workout by adding significantly more weight to the cord. Weighted ropes can range from ½lb (250g) to 2lb (nearly 1kg). These are commonly advertised to beginners as a ‘whole-body workout’ despite the inaccuracy of this statement. Although weighted ropes can create a different type of challenge for beginners to enjoy, they can potentially lead to them developing bad habits with their form, so they should be used in moderation in combination with either a beaded or PVC rope.

CORDLESS ROPES

Cordless ropes comprise two handles with a short cord protruding from each separately. Each cord contains a weight at the end to simulate the feedback of a normal rope. They are designed for improving a jumper’s form by enabling them to focus solely on how they turn the rope. These can prove an excellent visual aid for beginners to assess their form and understand how the way they use their wrists affects the path of the rope. They should, however, not replace a normal beaded or PVC rope.

In conclusion, the best rope for beginners is usually a beaded rope, but a PVC rope comes in a strong second place.