ooo - I'm too heavy right now to do any jumping rope - but in college and after (when I was thinner) I was OK with just double hopping and single hopping. it got my HR up and that was the point - I never jumped as a kid and it took a college fitness & conditioning class to learn how to jump rope as an adult without tangling my feet every 10 or so turns. I never did manage to get that even that cool heel-toe that you see the boxers doing in the movies It is a great exercise - and portable too ! I do remember that it is important to get a rope that spins well - we had a great leather rope with good handles - but it would leave a wicked welt if you let it smack your calves in a turn -