by Madison West

Created on: June 10, 2009   Last Updated: June 22, 2009

Free style jump roping can mean different things to different people.

To a competitive jump roper, freestyle is a category of competition that involves integrating jump roping with dance routines and music. Competitive freestyle includes single rope freestyle, single rope pairs freestyle, Double Dutch single freestyle, and Double Dutch pairs. And its possibilities are only limited by the physical condition and imagination of the jumper.

Nawatobi is a Japanese form of freestyle jumping that uses springboards in the routines. The springboards help the athletes with arm moves. While it may not be as common among American competitors, some Canadian jump roping teams use this style.

During competitions - and these events are certainly competitive - participants are judged on power, finesse, strength, dance, and arm rope skills. Singles pairs and Double Dutch teams are also judged on synchronicity and interaction. Routines usually average between 45 and 75 seconds.

Competitive freestyle is far more than child's play. Participants take their sport very seriously and often seek professional training, just as a competitive gymnast would. Competitions are held yearly on a national level by organizations such as AAU Sports and USA Jump Rope.

Freestyle jump roping could be considered an art form as well as a sport. The combination of choreographed dance routines, music, and challenging skills, in freestyle jump roping, all come together to form a beautiful sight. And it's not only the competitors who must be skilled. Judges must be highly trained to score competitive freestyle jumping accurately.

When you are speaking to a fitness enthusiast, freestyle jump roping can take on a different meaning.

Fitness expert Louis Garcia, often called the world's greatest jump roper, is the creator of an exercise method called FreeStyle JumpRoping. This workout, just like competitive freestyle, combines jump roping with music and dance.

In Louis Garcia's FreeStyle JumpRoping method, a combination of neutral and resting moves and his three-step breakdown is used to teach novice athletes how to jump rope effectively. Jump roping is a great cardiovascular workout and can be used for interval training, as well as speed and power drills. The way FreeStyle JumpRoping incorporates music and dance keeps everything a little more interesting. It is a total body workout that many folks even consider fun.

And that's where everyone seems to agree. Freestyle jump roping is fun.

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