Seven Castles

Rope Skipping

                                      

October 14, 2006

 

Rope skipping is generally a children's game in which players hold a jump rope at each end and twirl it in a circle, while one or more players jump over it each time it reaches its lowest point.

 

Rope skipping is a popular game with a long history. Many historians believe that when ancient Egyptian and Chinese rope makers were twisting long strands of hemp into ropes, they needed to jump over them to retrieve strands. They developed this skill and their children began to imitate and invent games with small pieces of rope. In ancient China, a game called Hundred Rope Jumping was one of the favorite sports during the New Year Festival. Traveling sailors saw the fun the children were having, and took the ideas and games back to their own land and children.

 

Rope skipping is traditionally a girl's sidewalk or playground game that usually involves the chanting of a counting rhyme. Boys usually did not use rhymes. Instead they spent their time on trick jumps: crossovers, double jumping, and peppers. There are many types of jumps, including single, double, and backward. In "double Dutch", two ropes are twirled simultaneously in opposite directions.

 

Participants may simply jump until they tire or make a mistake, they may improvise tricks, or they may have to carry out a predetermined set of tricks.

 

Adults usually do solo jump-roping for exercise. It is an aerobic type of exercise whereby one can burn up to 1300 calories after one hour of rigorous activity.

 

Rope skipping is a workout that involves the whole body. It tones the muscles of the upper body as well as the lower body. Jump rope promotes definition of the abdominal muscles and it reduces cellulite.

 

Rope skipping is convenience: it can be done every day, and anywhere. It does not require any special equipment, or a great deal of space. You do not need to perform an extensive warm-up and you can do it at any time of the day or night.

 

Rope skipping improves your coordination, speed and agility, which can vastly improve performance in other sports. Famous advocates of jump rope include Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee and countless martial artists, boxers and NBA stars.

 

Though many believe rope skipping to be a simple, fun activity, some do not consider it a sport. However, serious jump rope athletes train rigorously year-round. Jumping rope takes immense strength, endurance, focus, and patience, and is no longer a simple game of chanting rhymes; it is an intense sport. Rope skipping is practiced on a competitive level worldwide. Athletes compete in individual and team events. In freestyle routines, the jumpers have a set time limit to demonstrate a combination of skills; in many competitions these are choreographed to music. During the speed events, athletes must complete a determined amount of successful jumps within a particular amount of time.

 

【作者: zhangliping】【访问统计:】【2006年10月14日 星期六 07:29】【 加入博采】【打印】