Jump Rope Cross

It’s fitness season! What? Is there actually a season for that? Gauging how full the gym becomes for the next 2-3 weeks, it must be. In case you have a fitness goal of learning how to jump rope, I want to help you learn how to do a jump rope cross (or criss-cross, cross-over, whatever you want to call it). Why the jump rope cross? After the basic bounce, this would be in the running for the most widely seen jump rope skill. Check out the video below for our 60 second version of how to do it. For the video impaired, you can check out the written version below.

Skill is Mastered Mark Skill Completed Skill Needs More Work

i did this one Criss-Cross < 60 Seconds

Criss-Cross < 60 SecondsVideo Title: Criss-Cross < 60 Seconds
Video Length: 0:50
Difficulty:

6 Steps ==> Jump Rope Cross

  1. Arm Position

    2. The first step in doing a proper jump rope cross is figuring out what to do with your arms. Put the rope in front of you and cross your arms. Take a look at how large the hole is in front of you. If you cross your arms at your wrists, you probably won’t fit through that hole. Cross your arms at your elbows and look at how much more room you have to work with. Focus on touching your elbows together when you cross. Once you’ve got it down, you might find that crossing at your forearms is more comfortable, but start by touching your elbows together.

  2. Starting Position

    3. Put the jump rope behind you with your arms apart. Drop your arms by your side then pull them out in front. This is the starting position that works best. Don’t put your hands up by your ears, you might end up hitting yourself in the back of the head with the jump rope.

  3. Don’t Jump

    4. What? The first few times you try doing a jump rope cross, don’t jump. Get into your starting position and swing the jump rope over your head by bringing them down and then up and over. Cross your arms before the jump rope hits the ground and see if you can catch the rope under your feet by leaning back on your heels. Try this a couple times so that you are used to getting into the jump rope crossing position.

  4. Jump…but don’t Shadow Cross

    5. Once you’re ready to try jumping, go through the same steps above, but take one jump through the cross. The thing to watch is that you don’t pull your arms apart before you jump through the cross. I’ve seen a lot of people cross their arms, but pull them apart before they ever get through it. The shadow cross sounds cool, but isn’t what you are going for here.

  5. Use Them Wrists

    6. Your wrists are the power house for everything you do in jump rope. When doing a jump rope cross, you want to use your wrists to keep the rope going. One way to practice this is to go into your jump rope cross, but don’t pull your arms apart. Once you jump through your first cross, continue turning your jump rope in a crossed position with your wrists. This will help you learn how to control your jump rope with your wrists. It’s also a great way to help you avoid the shadow cross we talked about earlier.

  6. Bring Your Arms Apart

    7. Once you can go into your jump rope cross and jump, it’s time to come out. After you jump the cross, when the rope is in front of your face you bring your arms apart and then continue jumping rope like normal. Practice going into your jump rope cross and out without stopping.

Switch which arm you have on top after every cross!

^A little bonus tip is that you don’t want to be stuck only crossing with one hand. Make sure you can do it with either hand on top to be a true Jump Rope Cross Master! To learn more jump rope crossing skills (or if you need the more detailed version of the above video), check out our basic and advanced crossing sections here at Jump Rope Secrets!