This morning I shot a quick video explaining an important lesson I re-learned yesterday while training for the May 5th Rugged Maniac obstacle run to benefit the Cabal Fang Temple Fund.
I’m a crappy runner. But guess what? You can learn a lot by being crappy at something.
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Robert Mitchell Jr. 
Hi Robert,
Over the years I have engaged in a range of physical activities – my favourites are Latin dancing (viva bolero!), swimming and Wing Chun which I learnt for four years before a recurring rotator cuff injury put paid to that. In my view, swimming is the best because the body is supported through potentially the whole range of actions but for me the problems include time spent driving to and from the pool, chlorination (which burns my skin) and assorted lane idiots (do you have the expression ‘lane Nazi’ in the States?). The problem with jogging, irrespective of how good your shoes and posture are, is the result of repeated striking of the feet on a hard surface (I once watched a slo-mo of a group of joggers running towards the camera and was amazed to see their quads floating back and forth as their feet struck the ground).
So now I do skipping/jump rope most days for 1/2 and hour and love it. I have thoroughly researched it to learn the moves and protect myself from repeat injury (excellent shoes, 1/2″ thick rubber mat and a beautiful set of weighted ‘ropes’ – actually sheathed steel cables – from the US company Crossrope. My favourite is the 1lb ‘rope’. One of the reasons I could never get into it before is that all the ropes I had or saw were crap. The ropes from Crossrope, although expensive, are something else (if you want to learn anything, never buy a crap instrument to learn on or with – e.g. with music, you never play an instrument, you make love to it).
I can do a number of steps and moves (I love doing the boxer’s skip and the crossover) and look forward to the time that I can skip/jump rope without break for 5 mins. and more (Mayweather is my goal!). I have watched videos of a lot of the top boxers and think that one of the best at skipping/jumping rope is Tyson. His precision in his footwork on the basic step is astonishing. If the width of the rope he was using is 1/2″ then I’m sure the gap between his feet and the floor is no more than that! For someone who sold himself on brute skills he had tremendous finesse.
Also skipping/jumping rope obviates a number of problems experienced with other forms of exercise – no time lost in transport (while you’re gettin’ there, I’m doin’ it!), no fancy equipment, no idiots etc. and also, when done properly, excellent benefits (cardio, co-ordination, aggression, etc, etc.).
All the best, Phil
I like to jump rope too! I should shoot a video about that and share it. One of my favorite training regimens is to set my Timex Ironman Triathlon watch for 10 boxing rounds of 3:00/1:00. I jump rope for the 3:00 and do Push-ups for the 1:00, jump rope for 3:00 and do Squats for 1:00, alternating back and forth. Another good one is to jump for the 3:00 and hit the heavy bag as hard and fast as you can for the 1:00. You mentioned Tyson jumping rope, so this may interest you. Sonny Liston was the Tyson of his day. He took men apart in the ring, instilling the same sort of fear Tyson did in his prime. Well, Liston was famous for jumping rope to the song “Night Train,” starting slow and building up speed until he was at a fever pitch. Here’s a video montage of this very scary heavyweight…https://youtu.be/WIxox24A4Vo
I hope you do make that video – I’d like to watch it. 10×3:00/1:00 (not resting) would put you in the champion class! I’m sure I’d learn a few pointers. I watched that video and Liston’s massive hits then I watched his second fight with Ali and Ali’s amazing right that came from nowhere and put Liston straight on the canvas. I then watched their first fight (Ali was 22 and Liston 10 years older) and Ali’s extraordinary ability to read a punch. But his developing Parkinson’s shows that even one of the greatest boxers couldn’t avoid the physical toll of his profession.
Thanks but I’m no champion! Boxers and MMA fighters are amazing athletes and I used to enjoy watching the fights. But a couple of years ago I just reached a point where, knowing what we know about head trauma, I could no longer enjoy watching men destroy each other’s brains. My hope is that we will see the gradual return of genuine, non-theatrical professional wrestling to replace it. Either that or old school Knockdown Karate (full contact bare knuckle fighting with no head strikes allowed).
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