Jump Rope Videos

In the game Super Monkey Ball for the Nintendo Wii, there is a mini-game based on jump rope. The point of the mini game is to see how many jumps you can make without missing. It is essentially just a timing game. As you progress, the rope will begin to speed up and slow down to try to throw you off your rhythm.

This probably isn’t the first time Jump Rope has shown up in a video game and hopefully it won’t the last. I wonder if someday Jump Rope will be popular enough to have it’s own game. Think “Tony Hawk Pro Skater” but for Jump Rope. The Nintendo Wii with it’s unique controller is the first game system that really opens up the possibility of a game like that becoming reality. It would be a lot of fun to consult on a project like that. (Did I mention I’m a software engineer and a former World Champion Jumper?) With the popularity of the Disney movie Jump In, there is already an obvious movie tie-in. It could even have cameos by the top jumpers from around the world, like members of the USA Jump Rope All Star Team. We can only hope.

Here is a video of the Super Monkey Ball Jump Rope Mini-game on the Nintendo Wii.

Here’s a young Double Dutch team from Hong Kong. Nice Work Guys!

Jump Rope continues to get even more publicity around the world. DDF recently appeared on the New Paul O’Grady Show in the UK. When Paul is introducing the segment he says that “rope jumping is the world’s biggest craze at the moment.” I think he’s on to something. The momentum for Jump Rope to break through into the mainstream is building, and I think teams like DDF are leading the push into this brave new world. The coming years are going to be a very interesting time for our sport.

Here’s another giant leap forward for the mainstream acceptance of Jump Rope… the Planet Jump Rope crew recently went to Corsica to film a music video. The video is for the song “Rise Up” by Yves Larock. The song is really cool and the video turned out great! In the video they do both double dutch and single rope. Let’s hope this song becomes really popular and helps propel our sport even further into the mainstream! Great work guys!

This is a really cool TV commercial for Strathmore Spring Water featuring the jumpers from DDF. The commercial has some excellent special effects that make it look like their double dutch ropes are made of water and they are using the water bottles as handles. Check it out!

This year’s USA Jump Rope National Tournament will be held this coming weekend at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. June 22-23 will be the National Age Division Championships followed by the Grand Masters National Championship on June 24th. If you are attending, please be sure to take lots-o’-video and share it with the rest of us by submitting your videos to JRV.

Will Adam Pang repeat as Single Rope Freestyle Champion?

What sort of crazy and innovative Double Dutch tricks will the Summerwind Skippers have cooked up?

Will Justin Meier break any national speed records?

Can Tori Boggs break her own records in single rope speed? If she can maintain her top speed with no misses, we might even see some world records broken! If you’ve never had a chance to see her jump speed you’re missing out. Here is some video of her doing 30 second speed. The girl is crazy fast.

Good luck to everyone!

30 sec speed

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There are only a handful of professional rope skippers in the world, and Peter Nestler of Rope Masters is one of them. That’s right, you heard me, he makes a living jumping rope. We should all be so lucky. Actually, luck isn’t much of a factor here. Peter’s success is the direct result of a lot of hard work and a drive to constantly get better at everything he does. Peter may just be the hardest working jumper in the world. In the coming school year he will be going on a tour of nearly 350 schools! He has produced 2 jump rope DVDs and is working on his 3rd. And if that doesn’t wear you out, he recently started the worlds first jump rope video podcast.

I first met Peter in the early 90’s and got to jump with him on several occasions at camps and got to see him compete and win in international competitions. He’s easily one of the best single rope jumpers in the world and is a lot of fun to watch. When I discovered earlier this year that Peter had “gone pro” I had to check out what he was up to, so I ordered a copy of Revolve.

Revolve is a lot of fun to watch. In it Peter teams up with some of the top jumpers in the world to demonstrate some pretty amazing rope skipping. On a stop in Juneau, Kaitlyn Hart and Nicole Lim jump with Peter to demonstrate some Chinese Wheel. Trent Cunningham (Peter’s old jumping partner) also stops by to demo some Traveler.

By far my favorite section of the DVD is when Peter visits Houston to join forces with USA Jump Rope All Stars Nick Woodard and Jeff Mauss. Nick and Jeff show off a little of their pairs single rope freestyle which has always been amazing. The Double Dutch section that follows is also worth watching for some one-of-a-kind stunts that I won’t spoil for you. Just watch it. Peter is also joined by a unique cast of characters including strong man Dennis Rogers (rips phone books in half and bends metal with his bare hands) and extreme unicyclist Dan Heaton (can jump steps and park benches while riding). It’s all very entertaining to watch.

Revolve is exclusively a performance video. There is no attempt to break down or teach any of the tricks contained in this DVD. That doesn’t mean you can’t learn from it. I’ve watched several sections in slow motion to see how Peter pulls off some of his single rope tricks, and I’ve picked up some valuable information from that. I’m currently working on a rope release called the Mamba that Peter does with ease, and being able to watch him do it in slow motion is extremely helpful. In fact my favorite special feature on the DVD is the “Slow Motion Gallery.” For me that was worth the price of the DVD alone. If you are looking for more traditional instruction on how to jump rope, Peter has a Single Rope Skills DVD and is currently working on a new Double Dutch instructional video. Also, be sure to subscribe to his podcast on iTunes in which he teaches 2 new tricks on every episode.

Here is a preview of Revolve. I highly recommend you pick up your copy today.

Here is another cool performance by the Martial Skippers. Once again they do some great single rope and even better double dutch. I really like the leap frog over the turner while the turner is facing away from the center of the ropes. That was a really sweet move.

Enjoy!!

Here is another great example of what I was talking about in my last post. DDF is a team that really understands what it means to perform. They put on a great show from beginning to end. I love watching them jump.

I think jump rope teams everywhere can learn a lot from the way some of the Japanese Double Dutch teams perform. For example check out the Capilore Double Dutch team from Japan. They make everything look very professional. They’re dressed really cool. They look smooth and confident when they jump. They do some great tricks and they have great turners. But most importantly, they are always performing. Even when they aren’t in the ropes, they are still in the background dancing or striking a pose. I’ve seen a lot of performances through the years where after a jumper exits the ropes they bow, wave, and run off to the side. Then they stand behind the rest of the performers and start talking to their friends while the show is still going on. They aren’t even paying attention to the jumping that is going on. That just doesn’t happen with these Japanese teams. They are constantly performing, even when their section of the routine is over. They are always doing something that compliments the performance that is going on. We should all strive for that level of professionalism in our performances.