How is jumping rope just like life?
A few weeks ago, I hired a coach with a specific goal in mind, cut 10 min off my 10K time at Ancient Lakes in April 2023. That is roughly five months to reduce 10K by 1 min per kilometer. I didn’t think those numbers through, and in retrospect, it may be a bit aggressive. But I know I can do it.
So, where does the jump rope come in? Part of my prescribed training plan includes jumping rope one day a week. there are two options 45 double unders or 90 singles. Since I can’t do double unders, yet, I am doing singles. Oh, and I get to do ten sets of that in 30 minutes. Easy I thought.
I haven’t jumped rope in forever. I never played at that when I was a child. FOREVER
The first week, I started the jumping, and every 7-10 jumps, I would tangle myself up in some way or another. Then start again, for each set, I had to start over ten times or so to get to 90. I was so frustrated, and the more frustrated I became, the worse my jumping became. It was frustrating.
The second week I was able to do 20-30 without the tangle. Progress.
By the 3rd week, I could do 40-50 consecutive jumps. It felt so good.
Now, something happens to me when I get up there, I get tired. When that happens, I start focusing on the jumping, paying attention to the slap of the rope as it just barely hits the ground, feeling the tightness in my shoulder, wondering if I’m at the right cadence to keep it going, counting, 45, 46, 47 oops., dammit! UGH, I suck at this! Frustration, anger, all being stirred up inside me.
When I’m focusing on all these things, I inevitably tangle myself up.
The more I pay attention to what I’m doing, the less I can do it successfully.
This makes no sense initially.
So I stop, I unfocus my mind and my gaze from what I am trying to do, and just let go.
70, I just did 70 consecutive jumps. YES!
Why is it that when I don’t focus on the jumping, I can jump rope?
I think it’s this. Our minds are wonderfully analytical machines, able to analyze multiple things simultaneously, processing and prioritizing myriad things simultaneously. That’s all well and good. But when you have no idea how to do a thing, how can the mind/brain help you? You are analyzing things without enough information. So basically, I’m analyzing my jumping and have no idea how to jump. So whatever I think I need to be doing is probably on shaky ground, to begin with.
By taking the time and feeling my way into it, I develop a cadence that works for me. The more I focus on the task, the less capable I am of doing it. When I let go and “Do” instead of “Try,” I struggle less with the rope and my movement. Things begin to flow naturally.
90, I just did 90 consecutive jumps.
So now I can jump rope without trying to jump rope.
Just Like Life….
Try it sometime.