Tim and I have a camper and we travel all over the US teaching jump rope clinics.
About 7 years ago or so, we were at a gym with our table set up with our products and the gym owner asked if we could teach a little. Having not thought of this before, but glad to have the opportunity and idea….we quickly said yes! Actually, I said “yes, Tim will be glad to” (Big smiley grin!)
So, over the years, our clinics have changed somewhat as we learned about different techniques and ideas. What our typical day looks like when we spend the day at a gym is for each class time we have a 20 minute clinic. It is the first 20 minutes of class. A few times, our clinics were at the end of class and athletes are unable to focus after a workout. We call it “WOD brain”.....sort of like the “Fran cough”. It’s a result of a hard workout and hard to focus.
At the start of class, we introduce ourselves and then hand out jump ropes based on the athletes height (we add three feet to their height) and ask how many double unders they can do and hand out jump ropes based on that. We have three different weights of cables. Throughout the class it is common to switch out jump ropes to make sure they get the best recommendation for length and weight of cable.
Tim starts by discussing the key notes of a single under and progressing into a double under. If everyone in the class has the ability to do double unders, the dynamic of the class changes a little. He talks about jump, consistency and wod strategy and we work on triple unders or getting more double unders.
Throughout the class, we work individually with each athlete multiple times. Everyone is at a different level and needs to work on specific things. We have taught many how to jump rope and even taught a few people how to do quads.
It is very exciting to see someone get a double under for the first time! It’s even more exciting when an athlete walks in the room with their head held low, nervous and beating themselves up and THEN, they progress! They get better at jump rope. Their heads lift up, they SMILE and feel a sense of accomplishment. That’s what makes our clinics fun and successful.