Have you heard about Double Unders Pro? It’s our double under coaching program that’s helped hundreds of athletes learn unbroken double unders. Today I’m going to let you in on a little secret from inside of the course…
Single unders are more important than you think.
In fact, if you’ve been struggling to master double unders for the longest time, and things just don’t seem to “click”, then read on.
Since I started coaching with WODprep in 2017, I’ve been fortunate to be part of countless of athletes’ success stories in their journey to unlocking double unders. I have a lot of love for the 8 week Double Unders Pro program, especially as one of the original graduates of the program myself.
Prior to the course I struggled for years with DU’s and it wasn’t until I invested in WODprep coaching and a heavy rope that my world changed. So, trust me, if there is anyone who understands you wanting to breakdown to tears when it comes to double unders – it’s me. You can read all about my Double Unders Hollywood story here if you’re interested.
One thing I’ve observed since reviewing hundreds of attempts as a WODprep coach is that if jump rope foundation isn’t there – DU’s don’t magically appear. This has led to a strong conviction that the secret to double unders – for many – can be found in the penguin drill.
DU’s and The Penguin Drill
The penguin drill, often referred to as penguin claps, is when you simply jump in place and at the apex of your jump, tap your hips twice with your hands – like you are doing a DU. That’s it. You’re not even holding a jump rope.
Much like the air squat being the king of all squatting movements, the penguin clap is an unloaded movement with all the components of the double under built in. It trains tempo, timing, jumping and even hand position. Back in 2016, Coach Ben was praising the penguin drill as the number one DU drills for beginners and he was right.
Yet the real star of this show is the single under since it requires a jump rope – and moves us a step closer to DU success.
I know what you’re thinking. Your gym probably makes you do double the amount of single unders for every DU you can’t do. You’re doing hundreds of single unders already… so then how come you can’t already double under?
The same reason that despite driving everyday, we’re not racing cars in the Indy 500.
If I asked you right now, you could probably bang out a near world record set of single unders without mechanics playing any issue. Once we get the hang of jumping over a moving rope as it gets close to our feet, it no longer challenges us.
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Single Unders: What’s the Catch?
Here’s the thing: there’s a good chance that we’re performing all those reps on autopilot without much regard to form. From then on, every time we jump rope we’re actually reinforcing bad mechanics.
Think about it, when was the last time you thought about how well you were performing your single unders? Which is understandable. Single under form only becomes an issue once we start adding the complexity of DU’s to it.
Now, any underlying issues in our single under mechanics compound and multiply and that easy single under now becomes a trainwreck at a bottomless pit of double under misery. That’s the exact reason DU’s show up in every CrossFit Open®… it demonstrates that you’ve crawled yourself out of the depths of hell (or haven’t yet).
Even Dave Hunt, Crossrope CEO and a Jump Rope expert echos the same sentiment:
“The upper body mechanics of a proper single under and double under are identical. If you are unable to perform proper single unders, then double unders will be at worst, impossible to learn and at best, tremendously inefficient.”
If you’re an athlete who has tried ‘everything’ and still nowhere close to getting consistent DU’s… then there is a good chance that perfecting your single unders could lead to the DU breakthrough you’ve been dreaming about. 
Change how you think about single unders
It’s not a simple jump over the rope any more. It’s optimal patterning for DU’s! As Malcom Gladwell notes in his book Outliers, it takes 10,000 hour to reach mastery. However, it’s not simply accumulating 10,000 hours that makes an expert. It’s accumulating 10,000 focused hours.
We’ll need focused single under training to move us forward. Secondly, understand our journey may need an investment in heavy ropes. In our experience, cables heavier than 4 ounces help us feel and control the rope as it turns around us – and the sheer weight challenges our form while strengthening our core, bound and wrist mechanics. It’s a whole lot of awesome rolled into one.
However before we do any of that, let’s see if you’re someone who could use a single under makeover. To check this, we’ll need space, a phone camera and a jump rope.
If you’re a WODprep Jump rope user, use your 2oz cable. Set a camera up at waist height and record footage of your penguin clap, single under and double attempt from a 45 degree angle with the full movement in frame.
- Record 20 seconds of the penguin claps
- Record 20 seconds of single unders
- Record 20 seconds double under attempts
Here’s an example of all three movements, filmed back to back. After filming, review your video and screen grab the top of each bound. You should have 3 pictures, like so.
What do you notice from my pictures above? That’s right, my form is nearly the same for each movement. If we have strong mechanics all three pictures should look relatively the same. Let’s examine your screen grabs now.
If you’re someone whose penguin clap and SU looks similar (especially with your hand position) but your DU look different, you’re likely an athlete that can move right into our 8 week Double Unders Pro course. However, if your penguin claps or SU doesn’t look like mine above, then single under training could be our missing piece.
However, don’t put your rope away just yet. Let’s breakdown single under mechanics so we can perform them better. It could be that your dependance on single unders that’s holding you back and now it’s time to go for it! With the proper DU drills and focus, it’s time to make your single under skills work for you.”
Hold high on the handles
With a handshake like grip, hold the handle between your forefinger and thumb. This should be closer to the top of the rope.
A higher grip also gives us much more control over the rope and vital for flicking the rope when we get to the DU. Often athletes will grip closer to the bottom of the rope, thinking it makes the rope longer but actually creates a flatter arch that shortens the rope.
Look ahead not up
Keep your head and eyes forward. Looking up will compromise our positioning by giving us a proud chest and setting our shoulders back.
Jump straight up and down
Jump up and down like you’re on a pogo stick by jumping lightly through the mid-foot while remaining long and tall with our feet under our hips. Remember, the key is to keep our core and glutes turned on. If we lose that positioning we’ll lose our jump mechanics.
Keep your hands by your hips
Aim to keep the hands inline with our hips by keeping the elbows back with a slight bend in them. This should keep our hands 6-12” from our sides. When in doubt go back to your penguin claps as they set your best hand positioning.
Move the rope through your wrists
Here’s where so many athletes fail. We want to move the rope primarily through our wrists and forearms. Not the elbows and shoulders. Often we’ll see either big hand circles here or completely locked out arms with the rope being moved through the shoulders.
Following those cues will help you perform flawless single unders.
Here’s a quick recap:
- Hold high on the handles
- Look ahead not up
- Jump straight up and down
- Keep your hands by your hips
- Move the rope through your wrists
Now, let’s double knot our laces and do a simple EMOM to reinforce these new SU mechanics.
6 Minute EMOM
- Min 1 • 20 seconds Penguin Claps
- MIn 2 • 20 seconds Single Unders
Let’s finish up by filming our last set of 20 second single unders. How does it compare to the first set we filmed earlier? Were we able to make changes in our mechanics?
If not, no worries it can be a hard thing to correct in just a few minutes.
This article’s part of a series to help you go from 0 to 100 double unders – and beyond! Continue reading today:
- My 6 Best Tips to Learn Double Unders FAST
- Double Unders: Fix These Jumping Mistakes (to hit a PR!)
- How To Learn Double Unders Before The CrossFit® Open!
- How to do Heavy Rope Double Unders from the CrossFit® Games
- What Exactly Are Double Unders? The Mystery Solved
- From Basic to Awesome: A Guide to Jump Rope Variations Plus Benefits!
- Jumping to New Heights: Step By Step Guide to Crossover Single Unders
- Master the Art of Triple Unders: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Double Unders: Go from 10 to 100 UNBROKEN! (5 Tips)
- How To Do Double Unders – 3 Dynamite Tips!
- Single Unders: Your Double Unders Missing Link
- Double Unders For Beginners: A 7 Step Progression To Mastery
What are single-unders in CrossFit®?
Single-unders are standard jump rope passes where the rope goes under your feet once per jump. They are the foundational jump rope skill that all athletes learn before progressing to double-unders. In CrossFit®, single-unders are commonly used as a scaling option for workouts that Rx’d double-unders.
How many single-unders equal one double-under in a CrossFit® workout?
The standard scaling is 3 single-unders for every 1 double-under. So if a workout calls for 50 double-unders, the scaled version would be 150 single-unders. Some athletes and coaches use a 2:1 ratio, but 3:1 is more common in most gyms.
Can single-unders help you learn double-unders?
Yes, but only if you focus on the mechanics during your single-unders. Practice keeping your elbows in, wrists moving rather than full arms, and timing your jump consistently. Sloppy single-unders with big arm circles and erratic jump timing will actually slow down your double-under development.
What is the best jump rope for single-unders as a beginner?
A slightly heavier, slower rope is better for beginners learning single-unders because it is easier to feel where the rope is. As you develop, transitioning to a thinner, faster cable rope will prepare you for double-under training. Avoid extremely cheap ropes that tangle easily.
Should you use single-unders long-term or focus on getting double-unders?
Learn double-unders as soon as you can – they will serve you far better in CrossFit® workouts. Single-unders are useful as a warm-up tool and a fallback scaling option, but the time invested in learning double-unders pays off quickly. Most athletes can learn a consistent double-under within 4 to 8 weeks of focused practice.