Jump rope?

I often hear of boxer's doing jump rope to improve their footwork. I suppose footwork in boxing is somewhat similar to tennis, though I never hear anyone mention jump rope as a 'must do' workout for tennis. I would think the jumping would be great in regards to the sport. I did 3minutes on, 1minute off x15 a couple days ago and I've never had my calfs worked like that. I also imagine it to be a great pre-match workout.
I've yet to do it for any amount of time to see how it translates on-court, but I'm curious what other TW posters think about jump rope related to tennis? Is it a part of your routine? If not, is there a reason why not?
 

benne

Semi-Pro
jump rope is great for getting your half-step back. I use it all the time when i feel my feet are being lazy on the court. Once you get the hop back in you then you need to push yourself while you hit as well.

Just my opinion.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Used jumping to warm-up and after tennis for cardio, especially where space is limited like a lockerroom. Curious, why sets instead of continuous skipping?
 

ayuname

Semi-Pro
Sorry for saying this, but Prince of Tennis reintroduced a character in its series where he quit tennis and did boxing for awhile.

Its Episode 139, if you are interested.
 
Jimmy Connors was a big exponent of jumping rope. Of course he also needed an artificial hip replacement in 2006. So for tennis players who play on hard courts, and therefore give their hips and knees quite a pounding already, do you really want to add the shock and trauma of an intensive rope jumping regimen?
 

joe sch

Legend
Jimmy Connors was a big exponent of jumping rope. Of course he also needed an artificial hip replacement in 2006. So for tennis players who play on hard courts, and therefore give their hips and knees quite a pounding already, do you really want to add the shock and trauma of an intensive rope jumping regimen?

You can jump rope on a soft surface, even carpet, just makes it a little more difficult. Also, hip injuries are mostly a result of all the lateral movement in sports like tennis and basketball, not up/down or forward movement. The lateral movement is not natural for man, breaks down the labral muscles and causes arthritis. Do not use this a reason for not jumping rope, on the contrary, do less shuffling side to side and grinding from corner to corner on the hardcourts. Also, correctly jumping rope is done on the toes and has little or no heal contact which results the most shock/trauma in sports.
 
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Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Guys who are serious skippers create their own cushioned board and seriously wax/coat it. Skip to the Lou. Keep a smooth board, a jump rope, and a bongo board in family room.
 

maverick66

Hall of Fame
i used to jump rope for 30-60 secs in between lifts in the gym. great way to really work on your footspeed plus it kept my heart rate up. its one of the best tools you could have for actual footspeed improvement.
 
I jump a lot, with different types of footwork while jumping, instead of just normal straight jump roping. I think it is very good, it gives your whole body a workout, as well as improving your footwork/foot speed
 
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