Other Sports: How to Determine the Correct Length for a Skipping Rope

D. Moss, Editor

Learning to skip can be frustrating if the rope is too short or too long. In either case, excessive movement of the arms is required to swing the rope through the correct arc, and a rope that is too long is slow to respond. The result is often a rope that becomes tangled around the feet or shins.

Fortunately, most ropes can be adjusted. To make sure that your students' ropes are the correct length:

• Have them stand on the centre of the rope.

• Instruct them to pull the rope upwards until it is taut. If the handles or ends of the rope just reach their armpits, it is the correct length (see diagram below).

Reference: Susan E. Kalbfleisch, Illustrated by Laurie McGugan, Skip to it! The New Skipping Book, Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1985.