Your jump rope size will change as you improve, so it’s important to understand how and when to make changes.

If you’ve just started jumping and you’re working on your basic jump, intro footwork, and maybe some Crosses, then you should start with a rope length that’s about 3 feet/92 centimeters + your height.

If you step on the rope with one foot, bring your feet together, and pull the handles up, you should see the rope stop roughly around your lower pecs or sternum. You should ONLY be looking at the length of the rope, not including the handles.

Here’s what this looks like:

But as you get better, you want to shorten your rope. You should remove about one jump rope bead length at a time (or 1 inch/2 centimeters). This is a small amount, but it’ll make a huge difference!

Do NOT cut your rope right away! Leave extra slack on your rope so you can change your size any time.

The next rope size you want to work towards is a rope length of 2.5 feet/76 centimeters + your height. This is a good length for freestyle skills, and it’s where most jumpers end up.

Using the same measuring method as before, you should see the cable stop around the middle of your ribs like this:

But keep in mind that these are all general suggestions. As you learn more freestyle, you’ll find categories of skills you like the best. And different skills work better with different rope lengths.

For example, releases feel more snappy with a shorter rope, but Crosses usually require a longer rope since they’re a bit harder to get around the body.

So use this information to check your rope length, and remember that the goal continuous adjustment and testing! Not just blindly sticking to one static option.

If you have any questions on this, just let me know!

Keep up the great work 💪