Jumping rope is a well-established method for building a solid foundation of good footwork and agility for tennis. The repetitive jumping motion helps players develop better coordination, timing, and rhythm. It can also improve the ability to change direction quickly, react faster to incoming shots, and maintain balance during intense points.
As a bonus, jumping rope is also good for building cardiovascular fitness, which is essential for tennis. It elevates the heart rate, boosts stamina, and enhances overall endurance. All that allows players to maintain form and a higher performance level throughout long matches.
Many years ago, I was compelled to jump rope as a very young Junior player. The target number of daily jumps established by my coaches was 1000 per day. As an adult, my jump rope practice has evolved along with advances in tennis training. Until a couple of months ago, I used the “Seconds Pro” App and a custom interval training program designed for jump rope. In fact, I still use Seconds Pro to step me through my foot and ankle preventative rehab, as well as various other strength training circuits.
When jumping rope, my interval construction revolves around “points.” The average length of a point in tennis is 35 seconds, so that is how long I jump during each interval. The rest period is 25 seconds, which is the maximum amount of time allowed between points. The result closely mimics the cardiovascular profile of competing in a tennis match. It is an efficient system that works well for me.
As I was able to resume jumping rope after recently recovering from my grueling two years of plantar fasciitis, I started obsessing over the number of jumps completed in each interval and the overall session. I was frustrated with surprising variance that made me doubt the accuracy of my manual counting.
Fortunately, modern technology has solved that problem for me. Through the Reddit r/jumprope community, I learned about the YaoYao App. I was initially skeptical of Yao Yao as the official website and Apple App Store product page have obviously lost a lot in translation. However, the App itself is solid. It also enjoys a dedicated following on r/jumprope, which is a community I recommend for anyone who wants to feel wholly inadequate in their jump rope journey.
Through the YaoYao App, I have learned that I nominally jump 2600 times across 30 intervals. It confirmed the variance that I was experiencing through manual counting. Through the data collected, I have also learned that the underlying surface changes the metrics. The harder the surface, the faster my jump rate.
The YaoYao App leverages my Apple Watch to count jumps. Apparently, it can also work with AirPods, though I have not tried that. There also appears to be a Google Play Store version, but I don’t have an Android device either.
My use of the YaoYao App has been transformative. Through push notifications, it pesters me about skipping days and blowing my streak. It also generates a tremendous amount of data. It is perfect for anyone inclined to overthink this aspect of tennis training. Used in conjunction with the “Cordless Jump Rope,” the YaoYao App has propelled my jump rope training to unprecedented consistency.
Incorporating the jump rope into your tennis training can produce remarkable results. Perhaps this is your time to embrace this foundational building block for higher on-court performance. Once you decide to take that leap, the YaoYao App can make a significant difference.
