Why is Skipping good for Boxing?
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Skipping or jump rope has been a staple exercise for martial artists for decades, it is a valuable conditioning tool, is relatively simple to learn and can help your boxing ability, here is a list for why you should include skipping in your boxing or martial arts training.
Skipping helps build rhythm
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As skipping helps build your rhythm it is a valuable tool for learning the basics of footwork for boxing and striking. It helps you to learn how to shift your weight in the most effective and efficient manner which helps your strikes land with fluidity and power. This is why Skipping is one of the staple exercises with beginners, it helps to build that muscle memory that allows for good solid foot movement, as the age old adage goes, Boxing starts from the feet.
Skipping is a intense conditioner
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Skipping is a full body workout that involves your calves, legs, wrists, back and shoulders, almost your whole body works to jump rope and as such, you can get very fit by just jumping rope, in fact one hour of jumping rope can burn between 800 and 900 calories, with just 10 minutes of skipping burning over 150 calories. Skipping also conditions the aerobic system, allowing you to work out harder and faster for longer, many boxers use skipping as a warm up exercise, a cool down exercise AND as cardio. However almost no one skips for one hour straight, as it can get very monotonous, it is almost always broken into 3-5 rounds of 3-5 minutes, normally to simulate the length of a spar or Boxing match.
It builds mental toughness
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Skipping is hard work, it doesn’t seem it for the first 5 rounds as a warm up, but when your legs ache and your into your tenth round it might take a bit of digging deep to get through it. It also teaches you how to keep moving despite being in pain, to keep focused on moving despite being in pain. which is a useful skill to learn for a boxer.
