Rope skipping...

This is something I really should start doing. It's a good way to train the muscles in your legs and feet and gain stamina.
When I'm a little bit early for work someday, I decide to ask for skip-ropes at the toy-store directly across the street from work. Unfortunately, they don't have them in stock yet, as the season hasn't started yet.

At the very first class, I ask the teacher for her skipping-rope, which is a so called 'speed-rope'. It's a rope that doesn't look at all like one and is a silicone tube instead, with the inevitable handle at every end of it.

And a speed-rope it is, a speed-rope it will be. In the past, I didn't have that much trouble skipping rope, as long as I didn't have to jump in or turn the rope myself ánd jump over it myself.
The teacher jumps at a very high pace, which makes the tube get into the right shape. I can't match her speed at all, which makes the tube curl up and wrap around my neck after about 3 jumps, which makes further skipping rather hard.

Than suddenly... FLOW!

Allright, let's get back to the dancing. I'm sure that 'the flow' is going to be the part the teacher is going to have some remarks about. But it happens during the side-step! Like my legs suddenly come loose from my upper body I now twirl far more to the right instead of the hopperdyhop-movement I experienced earlier. I still have a long way to go, but this was a very clear improvement.

I now also get the second set of steps from the Single Jig. That should be performed as a side-step, but it doesn't look like that at all when I try it. Even better: when I have to move to the right, I slowly step to the left, and when I have to move to the left, I slowly step to the right.

• Lesson 15. February 24, 2012
• Lesson 17. March 16, 2012

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