Jump Rope Videos

Here is a good interview with Saltare before the taping of the 1st round of Nationals. You can vote for Saltare at http://www.mtv.com/shows/dance_crew/season_5/series.jhtml

Here is a great interview with Saltare on the heels of their spectacular performance that landed them a spot in the next round of ABDC. The crew is doing a great job representing the sport both on and off the stage. I don’t think we could ask for better ambassadors for Jump Rope.

Keep up the great work guys!

Here’s a clip from MTV…

The members of North Carolina’s Saltare talks about the support they’ve gotten from the jump rope community and the crew’s versatility.

Look out everyone! Jump Rope is in the spotlight on the national stage thanks to a group of USA Jump Rope All Stars. A crew called Saltare has made it on season 5 of America’s Best Dance Crew on MTV. If you follow jump rope, you already know their names… Chaz Robinson, Tyler Perez, Lee Reisig, Billy Jackson, Lisa Brown, & Brittany Fortier. What an amazing collection of talent!

I just watched the east regionals in which Saltare debuted on national TV. Saltare absolutely killed it! They nailed their routine without a flaw, got the entire audience on their feet, and left the judges in awe. The judges were unanimous in their praise of the crew’s talent. When it was time to select which crews would advance, Saltare was the first crew to be chosen to advance to the next round.

Follow Saltare on their website saltarecrew.com and on Facebook.

Here is an in interview with the crew backstage during the taping of the season 5 regional.

Good luck Saltare! The entire Jump Rope community is behind you. We hope you go all the way!

This excellent video comes to us from USA Jump Rope All Star Andrew Pang (Yes, he and Adam are brothers). Andrew has dedicated this video to those people who “sacrifice their time to be Ambassadors for the sport of Jump Rope.” His video does a great job of capturing the spirit and energy of the sport. What a great way to say “Thank you” to the community of people that make this sport so great!

I asked Andrew a few questions about the video and his jumping experience. Here is what he had to say:

JRV: It looks a lot of the footage comes from a staff show at a workshop. When and where was the show where this was filmed?
AP: The staff show was filmed at the Heartthrobbers workshop in Tyler Tx, mid January.

JRV: How old were you when you first learned to jump rope?
AP: I was 5 years old.

JRV: How many years have you been jumping rope?
AP: This year is my 18th year jumping.

JRV: What attracted you to the sport of jump rope?
AP: My mom couldn’t pick us up right after school most of the time, and i joined the local jump rope club so i could have something to do after school. Fast forward to now, its the people I meet and my coach Mrs. Ann who keep me in the sport.

JRV: How old were you when you first worked on staff at a jump rope workshop?
AP: 11 or 12.

JRV: How many jump rope workshops and camps have you taught at through the years?
AP: I cant recall how many workshops but, I have been teaching camps since 2002 and have recently started teaching adults the past few years.

JRV: I’m sure you went to a lot of workshops and camps when you were learning to jump. Who were some of the jumpers that you learned from or looked up to?
AP: Derrick and Marcus, Shaun and Willie, Jennifer, John, and David from Jazzy Jumpers

JRV: Fast forward a few years from when you were learning from those jumpers. Now you are on the USA Jump Rope All Star team and a world class jumper. Now there are little kids all over the world that look up to you. What is your advice to those younger jumpers that want to get to your level?
AP: Work hard, keep jumping, overcome adversity, and don’t take no for an answer.

JRV: Thanks for an awesome video and for being such a great ambassador for our sport. Keep up the good work!
AP:Thank you Chris.

This is what Jump Rope is all about:

On January 19th, 2008 Adam Pang became the first jumper to land a jump rope trick called the 900. This is an amazing achievement. For those that don’t know, a 900 is a trick where you start jumping forward, jump in the air and spin 2 1/2 times before landing backwards. The rope has to pass under your feet backwards before you land. To give you an idea of what an amazing accomplishment this is, go read up on Tony Hawk becoming the first Skateboarder to land a 900. Even though Adam is very humble about it, this is an athletic feat on that level of greatness.

Adam is currently a member of the USA Jump Rope All Star Team and was the grand national champion for single rope freestyle in 2006. He even made a cameo appearance in the Disney movie Jump In! Adam was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about landing this amazing trick.

JRV: When and where was this video taken?
AP: The video was taken at the Tyler elite workshop 08.

JRV: Was this the first time you landed the 900?
AP: Yes

JRV: In total, how many times have you landed it?
AP: Just that one time.

JRV: How long had you been working on the 900 before you finally made it?
AP: That was actually the first time i tried the 900. It took me about 6 times to get it though.

JRV: It looks like you and Nick Woodard were having a little friendly competition to see who could do it first. Can you tell us about that?
AP: Yea, we had first started off doing a rope dunk to pass the time. Knowing that Nick could probably do every trick I could do, i had to think of something new no one has done. I ended up trying to do the 900 but didn’t make it in my three attempts. I was close though, so after the rope dunk(Nick won of course), we were both attempting to be the first person to get the trick.

JRV: At one point it looks like you nearly landed it, but Shaun Hamilton waved it off and made you try it again? What happened?
AP: Well, what happened was i landed on the rope but was still able to pull it out. Shaun waved it off because the trick had to be clean in order to say that i was the first to get it.

JRV: What was the secret to landing it? Do you have any pointers for others that are working on it?
AP: There really is no secret. I just jumped as high and spun as fast i could. You easily get disoriented when you do this trick with the rope. If your attempting this trick, practice it without the rope several times keeping your arms close to your body.

JRV: Did anyone else give you any pointers that helped you land the trick? What did they tell you?
AP: No, i just went for it.

JRV: Are you the first person to make it?
AP: From what i know, i am the first person to do this trick.

JRV: Do you know if anyone else has been able to do it since?
AP: I haven’t heard of anyone trying this trick as of yet.

JRV: Do you think this is the hardest trick you’ve ever done? If not, what is the hardest trick you’ve done?
AP: I would say it’s up there with the hardest tricks i’ve tried, but i still think the money maker is the hardest trick.

JRV: Are you working on any tricks that you haven’t been able to do yet? If so, what are they?
AP: I’ve been working on the money maker (kind of close but not really), and a trick i thought up. You basically do a backwards kamikaze and land in a freeze, then pull the freeze.

JRV: What does it feel like to be the first person to land the 900?
AP: It feels great!

JRV:Thanks Adam! Way to go!

The folks at Spout got a chance to sit down with director Stephanie Johnes and USAJR All Star and World Champion Tim Martin to talk about their new Jump Rope documentary Doubletime. This video was taken the same day that Doubletime premiered at SxSW. They even got some footage of Tim jumping and showing off his amazing single rope freestyle skills.

Today we have a special treat… an interview with USA Jump Rope All Star Nick Woodard. For those that don’t know, Nick is a superstar in the Jump Rope world. He is a three-time USA Jump Rope Grand National Champion and current member of the USA Jump Rope All Star Team. Last year Nick became the first person in the world to do a trick called “The Money Maker” (also referred to as a Kamikaze Frog), and he has graciously answered some questions for us about landing this insanely difficult trick. Also, be sure to check out the video of “The Money Maker” after the invterview. A big THANKS to National Champion and All-Star Lee Reisig for providing the video.

UPDATE 4/17/07: This trick was incorrectly called a Kamikaze Frog in the original post. There is an informal tradition in the world of jump rope that the first person to land a trick gets to name it. Nick won a $100 bet as a result of landing this trick and therefore it has been dubbed “The Money Maker.” Thanks to Lee Reisig for bringing this discrepancy to our attention.

JRV: When and where was this video taken?
NW: The video was taken at the North Carolina Workshop hosted by the Bouncing Bulldogs during the first weekend in November. It was a Saturday evening.

JRV: Was this the first time you landed the Kamikaze Frog?
NW: This was the second time I landed the trick.

JRV: In total, how many times have you landed it?
NW: I have landed it two times.

JRV: How long had you been working on this trick before you finally made it?
NW: I had been working on the trick for about a year and a half off and on not hard all the time but when ever I felt it I went for it.

JRV: What was the secret to landing it? Do you have any pointers for others that are working on it?
NW: The secret to that trick is there really isn’t a secret. I muscle that whole trick through. It would be a little bit easier if I were to use my legs to get me a boost up but I use all my upper body which is the way I do it. Well for others trying to do it just push off hard and turn the rope extremely fast, that’s what I have to think about.

JRV: Did anyone else give you any pointers that helped you land it?
NW: Jeff (Mauss) has helped me with the trick. He tells me where my legs are and if I need to keep them in some more or if I need to spin the rope faster, so he has been a big help for that trick.

JRV: I know a few people have been working on this trick. Are you the first person to make it?
NW: I am the first person to be able to land this trick in the world.

JRV: Do you know if anyone else has been able to do it?
NW: Nobody to my knowledge has ever really tried the trick or even thought about it.

JRV: Do you think this is the hardest trick you’ve ever done?
NW: This is by far the hardest trick I have ever done. Once I did it I was really excited but hurt at the same time, I hurt my wrist but it was all worth it.

JRV: Are you working on any tricks that you haven’t been able to do yet? If so, what are they?
NW: As of right now I’m working on a trick called the “death wish”. I have gotten close to it but not landed it yet. Lee (Reisig) from Summerwind came up with it but neither one of us have been able to get it. The trick is a double under A.S. frog. You jump your Double Under A.S. and land in a frog. I have gotten close just haven’t hit it just yet but give me a little more time I will get it.

JRV: Do you plan on putting this in your freestyle routine this year or is it too difficult to try in competition?
NW: I do plan to put it in my routine. I have to get more consistent at it but the second I can do it all the time it will be in there.

JRV: Is this your new favorite trick? If not, what is your favorite? If it is, what was your previous favorite trick?
NW: I would say that yes that is my favorite trick because that is one I had been working on for a long time and I finally got it. So any trick that I finally get after a lot of work that is my new favorite trick. My previous favorite trick would have to be my back flip with a full twist with a rope. Nobody can do that trick right now so I love being able to do those type of tricks. It’s a big crowd pleaser.

JRV: In the video, you do a belch frog immediately after landing the Kamikaze frog. Was that planned or was it an accident? Can you describe what happened at the end?
NW: At the end yes I did do a belch because I was on my way down and I didn’t have enough balance to stay up right so I needed to get another trick so I wouldn’t just fall so a belch was the only thing I could think of at the time. It wasn’t planned but it added a nice little ending to it I thought.

JRV: What was it like to land the kamikaze frog for the first time?
NW: To land the kamikaze frog the first time was amazing. I actually did it at worlds. I was in the back with Jeff (Mauss) and Shaun (Hamilton) and they remembered me trying it a while back and they were like “come on Nick you got it”. So I went at it for about 20 min and on one of my final tries I hit it. There were a lot of people in the back from other countries watching and they all saw it and applauded. It was awesome. It was funny because the competition was going on at the same time so I hope we weren’t to loud.