Do you feel your conditioning sucks, but a lot of workouts are too intimidating? Here’s a solution: try jumping rope for basketball conditioning.
Here’s a story of this guy. That’s it.
Okay, just kidding!
Anyway, this guy loved basketball. He loved playing it with his friends, watching it on TV, and reading about it in magazines.
But there was something that held him back from enjoying the sport even more –he kept tripping on his own feet when he played.
In addition to that constant embarrassment, he fatigued quickly and wasn’t strong enough to play on a regular basis. He lacked stamina.
And this not only hurt his feelings…okay, it only hurt his feelings.
Frustrated and upset one day after his friends teased him for being a “fragile twig,” he went online to find a solution to his problems.
He came across this article that talked about how jumping rope can help him.
Without thinking critically about the arguments made in the article, he naively followed the workout plan.
And good thing he did.
After 4 weeks of implementing the regimen to the tee, he became a super athlete.
He dominated all of his friends in King of the Court and HORSE. He was moving coordinately and quickly. And his cardio was off the charts.
Unfortunately, his story is fake. Pure fiction. I made the entire thing up.
However, rope jumping can improve your basketball conditioning. It just won’t turn you into King James, who often jumps rope for warm-ups and general conditioning.
Jumping Rope Basketball Workout
Gear Needed To Do Workout:
(These are affiliate links from Amazon. What this means is that I will get a small commission if you use them to buy anything from the site, at no extra cost to you.)
Here’s what you need to do:
Warm-Up
Jump rope in place for 30 seconds (3 rounds)
Workout
(Watch this video to learn the different jumps)
For the jump rope workout, you will do 1-minute rounds for 5 rounds.
During each round, you will do various types of jumps. I will share a sample of what you could do -and feel free to copy it- but you should get creative and make your own routine.
Here’s a sample rope jumping workout:
- First 10 seconds: Standard two-feet jump
- Next 10 seconds: Forward and backward jump on two feet
- Next 10: Stepping/jogging in place jump
- Next 10: Side-to-side jump on two feet
- Next 10: Standard two-feet jump
- Next 5: Left foot jump
- Next 5: Right foot jump
Do this for 5 sets. After that, go work on your fundamental skills. I suggest you do this basketball post-moves workout, but it’s totally up to you.
I’m not your dad. You don’t have to listen to me.
Benefits of Jumping Rope
Anyway, jump roping is great for basketball conditioning. Through this simple exercise, you can improve a lot of things.
You can improve your coordination, leg strength, cardio, and breathing efficiency. And if you use a heavy rope, it can improve your upper body strength as well.
Rope jumping can also prevent foot and ankle injuries as it flexes and stretches those body parts.
Now, I want to talk a bit more about coordination.
Jump roping will force your body to work as a single unit. You have to swing a long rope around your body as you jump over it.
This will teach you to be aware of how your body is moving and how to move efficiently.
This translates to basketball because basketball requires your body parts to move jointly (no pun intended… okay, pun intended).
For instance, you have to jump with your legs as you flick a ball with your fingers and wrist.
So, I’m pretty much just saying that jumping rope will teach you how to move better for basketball.
And that’s awesome!
Final Thoughts
Rope jumping is one of the best exercises for improving athleticism.
And it’s simple (and inexpensive) to do.
But, like the game Othello (or Reversi), it may be easy to learn, but it’ll take a lifetime to master (well, it’ll take a long time to get good at, anyway).
Thus, start jumping rope and see how it improves your conditioning and footwork for basketball.