Jump Rope terminology explained: skills, combos, routines & more

Like any sport, jump rope has its own glossary of terminology and jargon.

It’s a bit like a whole different language!

What does “combo” mean?

What are the differences between combos and skills?

What are the different categories of jump rope movements?

It can sometimes be a little tricky working out what’s what when you’re first starting out, but I definitely don’t want anyone to feel confused.

So, I thought it might be helpful to give you a little breakdown of some of the jump rope terminology you’ll find me using across my website, social media, and the Fancy Feats app.

What are jump rope skills?

Jump rope skills are the individual movements that you can perform with the rope.

These include things like the Basic Bounce, high knees, the Side Swing, and everyone’s favourite: the Mic Release.

All of the crucial skills you’ll need to know to become a jump rope master are listed in the Skill Map area of Fancy Feats.

What are the different jump rope movement categories?

There are ten main types of jump rope movements (or categories of jump rope movements) that most skills fall into, and that I use on the app:

1. Crosses: There are many different cross movements, all of which involve placing one wrist/ arm over the other so your rope crosses as it swings.
2. Footwork: These are skills where your rope and arms stay in their normal position (like in the Basic Bounce), but your feet and/or legs become the movement's focus.
3. Swings: In swings, the rope is taken out of its natural position and swung to the side of your body.
4. Leg crosses: Any movement where the rope’s shape is manipulated or crossed under your legs.
5. Double-unders: You might not know this, but you can turn any skill into a double-under! A double-under is simply where the rope passes twice under your feet in each jump. It could be a crossover or a swing – anything you can do one of, you can turn into a double!
6. Wraps: These movements involve wrapping the rope around a part of your body (like your arm) and then unwrapping it again.
7. Handle passes: These are when you have both handles in one hand, then pass one back to your other hand so you have one handle in each. There are lots of variations of these – I like passing the handles behind my back, or while performing a turn.
8. Turns: Turns involve moving your whole body through either 180 or 360 degrees while jumping.
9. Backwards: Just as you’d expect, backwards movements involve doing a regular skill but with the rope moving backwards over your head.
10. Stalls: Stall movements involve stopping the rope, before changing its direction of travel – for instance, going from backwards to forwards or visa versa.

And, of course, you can put movements and skills from all of these together to make cool combos and routines.

What is a “combo” in jump rope?

A question I often get is: “What does combo mean in jump rope?”.

Well, ‘combos’ (short for ‘combinations’) are created when you link two or more skills together consecutively.

For example, the 360 Running Man is made up of a 360 Turn, Forward Straddles, High Knees, and the Running Man.

There are well over 100 combos on the app at the moment, so you’ll definitely be able to find something which suits your ability level.

The difference between combos and routines

It might not be immediately obvious what the difference is between jump rope routines and combos.

Combos are short sequences which involve a few different skills performed back-to-back. Usually they involve around 2 - 5 movements.

Whereas routines are full, choreographed performances which include several combos and skills. They’re often done to music – and I absolutely love them!

Jump rope drills explained

‘Drills’ are movements that you do to help you learn a skill.

I start all of my step-by-step video tutorials with these – they’re things like Penguin Jumps, or Rope Swings.

They’re also great to add to your warm-up to get you ready to jump.

Jump rope footwork skills

‘Footwork skills’ are skills where your rope and arms stay in their normal position (like in the Basic Bounce), but your feet and/or legs become the focus of the movement.

Your lower body could move forwards or backwards, side to side, up or down, or even in a crossover position.

It’s no secret that I love footwork skills – The Running Man is my absolute go-to.

What is a jump rope trick?

‘Tricks’ are skills where you manipulate the rope out of its normal movement pattern, such as putting it into a swing or a crossover position.

The Swing EB Open and Arm Wrap Crossover are some of my fave tricks!

Time to put your knowledge of jump rope terminology into practice!

I hope this breakdown of jump rope terminology helps you feel more confident as you explore new skills, combos, routines, and tricks.

All of these movements – from footwork to wraps – are organised into clear categories inside the Fancy Feats app, making it easier than ever to learn and build your own style.

Now that you understand the basics, have a scroll through the app and see what new combos you can create!