Single-under

The plain skip: one rope turn per jump. It is where rope work starts, and it is the honest substitute whenever double-unders would turn a workout into a rope-tripping competition.

Standard: A valid rep passes the rope beneath the feet once during a single jump, with the rope turned by the wrists rather than the arms.

How to do the Single-under

1. Hold the handles just in front of the hips with the elbows close to the ribs.
2. Turn the rope with the wrists, keeping the upper arms almost still.
3. Jump only a few centimetres, landing on the balls of the feet.
4. Keep the jump the same height every rep so the rhythm holds.
5. Stay tall through the torso rather than piking at the hips.

Common faults

• Swinging the whole arm to turn the rope, which tires the shoulders and wrecks the rhythm.
• Jumping far higher than needed and burning the calves early.
• Kicking the heels back so the rope catches the feet.
• Looking down at the rope instead of ahead.

Scaling & progressions

• Practise the rhythm with no rope, or with the rope in one hand.
• Break a long set into blocks and reset the rope quickly after a trip.
• Substitute line hops or ankle bounces when there is no rope.
• Progress to double-unders once a hundred unbroken singles feel easy.