The blessing and curse of rope jumping is that its associated equipment is inexpensive.  It's a blessing obviously to have an activity that is available to anyone of any means.  Thus, unlike alpine skiing  (which I greatly enjoy) or bicycle racing, even the poorest  can participate and excel without worrying that someone with greater income will have better equipment.  The curse is that even the best jump ropes are inexpensive, which means that there is little money circulating in the sport to support championship teams or individuals, events, research, etc.  Perhaps even worse is that with a few exceptions, jump rope manufacturers compete against each other not by making the best jump rope that they can, but the cheapest - which doesn't help anybody. I do note a couple of exception to the rule below.  Undoubtedly, there are other good manufacturers as well. 

To learn the basic physics of why different ropes behave the way that they do, go to the Jump Rope Design page.  In any regards, here's my opinion on the pros and cons of the different kinds of jump ropes. I cover shoes, floor surfaces, music equipment, and workout apparel in the More Jump Rope Gear page.

 

Jump Ropes

No jump rope is perfect for every situation.  Since they are inexpensive, buy different types to suit the different goals or different skills you are doing.   Also, be sure that they are long enough for your height.  To measure a jump rope correctly, stand on the middle of the rope with one or two feet.  The ends should come up to your armpits as illustrated by Beth to the right.  

Unfortunately, if you are tall, it can be difficult to find a long enough jump rope.  If that's the case, check out an easy solution by buying a segmented jump rope as I discuss below.

Woven Ropes made of cotton, nylon, hemp or other fibers are among the oldest jump ropes known.  Their main advantage is that they sting the least if the rope should strike you during speed jumping.  As you become more proficient at rope jumping this can become important!  Therefore, it is good to have a woven rope handy for learning new skills.

The main disadvantage to woven ropes is that they are relatively slow since they are not aerodynamic due to the rough nature of their surface. This property also makes them a poor choice if you like to jump outdoors where the wind can "grab" it easily and make it difficult to control.  Note: I wouldn't recommend the woven rope pictured here because it turns from swivels which will not last long.  If possible, buy a woven rope with a sturdier design like one that turns within the handle. Unfortunately most designs are not easy to adjust to your height (you can tie a few knots in the rope near the handle to shorten them a bit).

 If you can't find the right length, just by a number 9 sash cord from the hardware store and cut it to your length, and tie a knot at each end to prevent it from unraveling.  It's not imperative that the rope has a handle to turn in for training purposes.  In fact, the jump ropes used by rhythmic gymnastics, an Olympic sport, and the Bloomer Speed Jumping competition never have handles.  

Leather Ropes are perceived by many people to be the "good" jump ropes, possibly because boxers, who are often pretty good at rope jumping have traditionally used them for so long.  Next to speed ropes, which are described next, leather ropes are the fastest type.  Disadvantages are that they sting at high speeds, are stiff when they are new, are generally the most expensive, and tend to become gnarled with some of the basic non-jumping skills like "Windmills." The only way to easily shorten these ropes is to tie knots in the cord near the handle.  If it is too short for you, you're out of luck!

Speed Ropes have taken over playgrounds and many jump rope events due to the fact they are inexpensive, and reasonably durable if the plastic cord is made correctly.  They are also the fastest jump rope out there.  Although I generally use a segmented rope, I used speed ropes to set my Guinness records since I didn't want to work harder than I had to.  The downside to speed ropes is that they sting with misses, and become gnarled with some of the basic non-jumping skills. 

Most speed ropes are difficult to shorten except by tying ungainly knots at each end.  One exception are the excellent speed ropes made by  Buddy Lee, who is also an excellent rope jumper.

Segmented or Beaded Ropes are the most versatile jump ropes and this is their biggest strength. An inner nylon cord is strung with plastic cylindrical beads which makes it flexible so that it keeps its shape well for various skills, yet gives it enough weight to turn well at slower speeds or in a light breeze.  The main downside is that they do sting if you accidentally strike yourself with it while jumping at high speeds.  They are also heavier than speed ropes (typically about 3.5 oz. versus a speed rope's 2 oz. for a 9 foot rope) which makes it slower if you are into high speed jumping, or more taxing to the arms if you are into endurance jumping.

Another unique advantage to segmented jump ropes is that it is relatively easy to lengthen it even if you are very tall.  Here's how to do it:

1. Buy a two matching ropes (the second rope will provide you with the extra parts) and go to a hardware store and buy a nylon cord that is a little more than long enough for your height (see the first picture above for determining the correct length).

2. Take the knots out of the cord (inside the handle), and unstring the beads and handle on one jump rope.

3. Now, restring the handles and beads on the longer cord that you bought from the hardware store.  You might be a bit short on beads, so take the extra beads from the second rope to make up the difference. 

4. Keep the extra beads and handles for the future.  The only thing that wears out on beaded ropes are the beads at the middle where it strikes the floor.  Replace these beads with new ones in the future as needed.

Lifeline makes among the best beaded ropes on the market and I've used them from the very beginning.  In fact, I used to do demonstrations as well for them at various sporting goods trade shows.

Weighted Ropes.  There are two basic approaches to weighting the rope. The first is to put a weight inside the handle.  Other rope designs make the rope itself heavy, like the "Power Rope®" shown to the right.  The idea here is to increase the work load to the upper extremities to condition you not only aerobically, but also to increase upper body strength.  That proposition might be true (I've never seen research to support if they increase upper body strength significantly), but I would suggest that weight lifting will do a far better job if you want to increase your strength.   For example, unless you are very skilled at jump rope and doing lots of different skills, your muscles will only increase in strength slightly and for a small range of motion.

If you want to go this route, first become skilled with a regular rope so that your form is good.  Next, buy the lighter models (e.g. 1 pound rope) so that your arms can adapt to the stresses.  Of course, it is more difficult to do different tricks with weighted ropes and they really hurt if you miss at higher speeds - which are difficult to achieve with them unless you are pretty strong.  One good application of a moderately weighted rope like a power rope would be for jumping outside in windy conditions.

More Jump Rope Gear