Why use a Muay Thai heavy jump rope for training

Should You Choose a Muay Thai Heavy Jump Rope?

Jump rope is a staple of fight training everywhere. Regardless of your location, training level, or martial arts discipline, chances are you’re jumping rope!

Most fighters worth their salt will put time in with a skipping rope.

The skipping rope is a cheap tool. Easy to travel with and usable anywhere. All you need to get a killer workout in, is a bit of headroom and no expensive breakables in range! No gym required, just some basic technique and gas in your tank.

And the benefits are truly plentiful: theres speed of footwork, calf strength, and ability to remain on the balls of your feet. Along with agility and cardio endurance, and a bonfire of calories, there are many benefits of the ordinary skipping rope.

A Muay Thai heavy jump rope is basically the same kit with two minor differences. These small difference – weight and size – are real game changers!

Remember how people felt about Apple vs. PC products a couple of decades ago? It’s an inkling of how people often feel about the Muay Thai weighted jump rope. Users are divided!

People either love them, swear by them (and think you’re a wimp if you disagree). Or hate them, avoid them (and think you’re a masochist or a caveman for thinking the opposite)!

So, who is correct? Let’s find out by looking at the pros and cons of a Muay Thai heavy jump rope.

Muay Thai Skipping Rope Weight

If you’re used to a regular skipping rope, the weight of the Muay Thai jump rope is going to be a wake up call.

The obvious drawback is going to be upper body fatigue, reducing your ability to maintain as much time under the rope.

The benefits are that you will improve your upper body endurance, a sport specific skill. This is highly beneficial for clinch work, and it will improve your overall ability to keep your hands up during sparring or on fight night. These benefits cannot be underestimated!

For those seeking to work on speed and agility, the weight of a Muay Thai jump rope will almost inevitably be a drawback. You’re just not going to float like a butterfly when swinging a weighted rope designed for upper body endurance. It’s not going to happen! That’s not to say that it isn’t a useful piece of equipment for you.

You may find that some time under a Thai weighted rope feeds into improved speed and agility when you revert back to a regular skipping rope. The compliment of both styles may improve your overall skill set.

But all of that is just a sideshow to the main talking point – the advantages and disadvantages of using a heavy rope for Muay Thai training. 

Nak Muay Conditioning

A Muay Thai heavy jump rope is that piece of equipment which separates the weak from the strong, … or the sensible from the masochist, depending on how you see it!

The first time you learn to skip with a regular jump rope, you may be surprised at how frustrating it can be! Three successful rotations of the rope and it gets tangled in your toes or legs and you have to reset. It can be a frustrating grind and takes time and patience.

Now imagine that for every rotation, your timing was off and the rope hit your shins or toes and it hurt like a barefoot collision with the furniture! That changes everything!

For the seasoned Nak Muay, this is a non issue. If your game involves swinging your legs as a weapon like a baseball bat, the crack of a weighted Muay Thai jump rope on your toes or shins is nothing to worry about. We suggest a traditional style Thai rope with wooden handles, like this one here.

But, if you are a Western boxer and don’t plan on checking any kicks shin bone to shin bone, why sacrifice speed and agility for lower leg pain?

Here then are the Pros and Cons for using a Muay Thai jump rope: 

Advantages of using a heavy rope	Disadvantages of using a heavy rope
Shoulder and arm endurance	Less speed
Increased calorie burning	Less agility
All round toughness	Painful

Ultimately Nak Muay’s tend to prefer a weighted rope and Western boxers prefer a regular jump rope, both for very good reasons. You can make your own decision. Which tool best suits your training needs?