A jump rope catching your shoes can make the next double-under attempt feel like a race to turn it faster. CrossFit’s skill plan offers a quieter starting point: put the rope aside and practice the jump. The first drill on its first training day uses no rope at all.
The 2025 CrossFit Affiliate Programming plan opens that day with three 10-second bouts of jumping in place. It separates one piece of the skill before adding single-unders, changes of rhythm and double-under attempts.
The plan assumes a basic bounce already exists
The four-week document lists two prerequisites: at least 20 unbroken jumps and at least 20 unbroken single-unders. The drill belongs to a progression for someone who can already repeat that basic pattern.
After the no-rope work, Day 1 adds single-unders, two singles followed by a higher jump, and practice changing between faster and slower singles. Double-under combinations come later in that session. The same no-rope opener returns at the start of later weeks. The document places this work after the main workout.
A double-under means two rope passes during one jump. Repeating the jump alone cannot complete that skill. Its practical value here is giving the athlete something simpler to rehearse without a missed rope turn interrupting every attempt.
Jumping, turning and timing are separate pieces
That component approach also appears in Hilary Achauer’s original CrossFit Journal interview with Dave Newman, published in 2015. Newman, the RX Smart Gear owner who taught double-under workshops, divides the movement into bounding, rotational mechanics and timing.
One of his drills uses a partner or video recording to compare lower jumps, like singles, with higher jumps intended for doubles. The athlete first does this without a rope, then repeats it with the rope. A visual reference makes the height change easier to notice.
His other coaching checks include the position of the hands and rotation from the wrists. The point is that turning the rope faster cannot, on its own, explain every missed repetition. Jump height, the rope’s path and the moment of takeoff all have roles.
If you’re choosing jumping rope instead of running for cardio, building a repeatable basic bounce and learning an advanced rope skill are separate training decisions. A session intended to develop double-unders can include rehearsals that look less like a continuous cardio workout.
For your own practice clip, include your head, feet and hands in the frame. Filming only the rope crossing the floor leaves out much of the jump and arm position. Review the recording between attempts, rather than watching a screen while you jump.
Use a short recording or a coach’s observation to focus on one part at a time. Can you repeat the intended jump without the rope? Does the pattern change as soon as the handles return to your hands? That comparison gives the next practice attempt a specific question to answer.