Article: Your stance is highly important in maintaining your balance. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. This will allow you to move your arms freely without throwing yourself off balance. Make sure you don’t inadvertently move in towards the middle when the jumper joins. Your feet should stay still. Having a solid grip will allow you to move the ropes at speed without them slipping. Hold the rope with your thumb and forefinger and curl the rest of your fingers under the thumb. Your grip should be firm, not clenched. If you hold too tightly, this can hinder your movement. Decide which rope will start and begin to rotate. To ensure you and your partner begin rotating at the same time, one of you can say, “Ready, set, go.” The first rope can start on “set” and the second on “go.” Keep your elbows near your sides with your forearms extended. From the elbow, move your left arm clockwise towards the center of your body in a circle, and move your right arm counterclockwise towards the center in the circle. The circles should not overlap, but should just barely touch in the middle. Your hands should be opposite one another so that when your right arm is up high, your left arm is down low. The circles should span from about your chin to your waist.  It is important for the circles to be the same size. Oftentimes, beginners struggle with one arm and are more comfortable with the other. Work on consistently making the same circle with both arms, even though these circles move in different directions. If you are struggling to learn the movement, practice without a rope. Use pencils or sticks or anything that is similar to a jump rope’s handles. Practice the movement against a wall, tracing the circles on the wall. This will help you to get comfortable with the rotation without having to worry about the rope or your partner’s timing. This will be best accomplished by listening to the ropes. You are looking for a consistent sound. Try counting 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, and stay on beat. When you and your partner hear the same rhythm, you will be able to stay in sync. Make sure the ropes go high enough to encircle the person who will be jumping. The ropes should be taut and graze the ground each rotation. Try turning the ropes at different speeds once you get comfortable with your initial rhythm. The turner will often say, “Ready, set, go.” Then the jumper enters on “go.” If the jumper is new to Double Dutch, you may want to slow down a bit for them to enter. You can practice it a few times as well so that they get comfortable with the entrance. Once the jumper(s) join in, it is the responsibility of the turners to adjust to their speed. This is why the role of turner is so important; the outcome rests largely on the turner's ability to adapt to the jumper and stay on beat. Just be sure to keep a consistent rhythm as you change pace. Continue to listen to the ropes and to the jumper so that everyone is in sync. Turners often rhythmically chant rhymes. You can recite one such as, “Ice cream soda pop cherries on top, how many boyfriends have you got? Is it 1, 2, 3…" You can also make up your own! These chants add to the fun and help you stay on rhythm.

What is a summary?
Stand properly. Grip the ropes. Rotate the ropes. Find your rhythm. Have the jumper join. Adjust to the jumper. Incorporate Double Dutch rhymes.