The Cordless Jump Rope...The Secret Weapon for Jump Rope Training

Dec 03, 2021Erisson Lima

by Matt Hopkins: Elite Jumps Founder

What’s so special about the Cordless Jump Rope?

It consists of a set of whiffle balls attached to two Spark handles with 21” length pvc cord. When Elite Jumps founder, Matt Hopkins, began coaching a competitive jump rope team, he realized he needed to lead by example and demonstrate how to jump properly. Out of necessity (and a whole lot of frustration), he developed the cordless jump rope for speed jump rope training. Here’s how he tells the story.

“At first, I had no problem maintaining good and proper body position and technique while jumping. But, as my speed increased to about 5-6 jumps a second, I realized my left hand stopped working. When I looked over at my hands while jumping, I realized my left hand was like a stick just sitting in one place ….. no movement. My right hand was doing all the work. As hard as I tried, I could not get my left hand to turn properly at high speeds. Out of necessity, I developed the first Cordless Jump Rope prototype. I began to practice using the speed balls and through time and practice, my left hand became stronger and more coordinated. A noticeable improvement in my jumping ability transpired.

After seeing how it improved my performance, I made a set of cordless jump ropes for all the jumpers on my team. We incorporated them into our workouts with outstanding success. Our little team from Leavenworth, WA. (Population of 3 - 4,000 people) began to dominate the speed events at the US National Championships. We were winning gold medals and setting speed records.

Why the success? When speed jumping, it is not the legs that tire first while jog stepping 5-7 jumps a second. The jumpers’ arms and shoulders become fatigued, and the body position changes to compensate. The change in arm or hand position is what causes jumpers to miss.

Other athletes took notice of our success, and we began to share this product with jumpers around the world. Cordless jump ropes have become a common tool for many top competitive and CrossFit jumpers worldwide.”

Practical Uses for the Cordless Jump Rope

Although the Cordless Jump Rope was originally developed for speed jump training, they are also super helpful for many everyday training situations.

- For CrossFit athletes learning double unders:

It’s common knowledge that the key to doing Double Unders is having the ability to do single jumps correctly with proper form. Not only does the Cordless Jump Rope strengthen and help with coordination of the jumpers’ hands, but they do not lie. Here’s what we mean: An athlete cannot turn these balls correctly unless they have good and proper form. With proper form the balls will turn in perfect circles at perpendicular angles to the jumper.

Improper form is shown by the balls turning at crazy angles and often hitting the jumpers’ legs.

The following are a few of the areas of form that are correctable revealed by the Cordless Jump Rope.

The hands being too high or too low.
The hands being too far out to the sides.
One hand farther in front of the other or higher than the other.

When these problem areas are straightened out the balls will turn perfectly.

- Physical Education Teachers & Personal Fitness Trainers

The Cordless Jump Rope can be a great jump rope workout for the general population.

After a little practice, turning and proper form is learned. People can turn the balls and move their feet in place or jump in place and get a great workout. They also do not have to deal with the frustration of constantly missing and having the rope hit them as would somebody learning to jump rope with an actual rope.

Children may turn the Cordless Jump Rope and receive a great arm workout while jumping to the beat of the turn. They get a great work out and never miss a jump! We’ve found this rope can be a great option for children who:

Struggle to learn how to jump rope due to poor coordination
Are considered special needs
Are in wheelchairs or with injuries
Who are overweight

- Disabled athletes or Injured Athletes

Athletes in Wheelchairs or with leg injuries can turn the balls and get an arm workout without having to turn a rope over their heads.

- The Elderly

While turning the Cordless Jump Rope, different movements of the feet can be done. Walking, jogging, jumping etc.

We are just now scratching the surface for all the applications the Cordless Jump Rope has in physical fitness training and jump rope training. It truly is a secret weapon and the balls do not lie. Give it a try and see for yourself.