Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: Mrrzy
Date: 17 Jun 23 - 10:50 PM

In French school it was called élastique. Never associated it with anyone other than the French.

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: meself
Date: 12 Jun 23 - 02:40 PM

I've been trying to figure out if 'Yogi' and 'Chinese jump rope' are the same thing - I don't think they are, based on on what I see in the linked videos. As I recall Yogi in the 1960s in Ontario, two girls would put the long elastic around their ankles, then one girl would do the in-and-out and over and back - taking a foot out then catching the elastic on the inside of the ankle and carrying it overtop the other side of the elastic - in various combinations. One or both girls would chant in time, although I can't remember any of the rhymes. A girl could play it by herself by stretching the one end of the elastic around, for example, chair legs.

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST,Melissa W
Date: 12 Jun 23 - 12:51 PM

I played this as a child growing up. I had just done a search, trying to figure out what it was called. I actually made the rubber band string a few years back to show my family. I recall being able to make many of those jumps! Today not so much.. Haha!!
I did see another post as well with the N out side by side that I know recall after hearing.
This was a nice jot down memory lane!
Melissa

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Mar 12 - 05:03 AM

We played in the late 70's early 80's a game we called Shing Shang it sounds like your description of Chinese jump rope except we used string. I don't remember the figures or most of our rhyme except it went Shing Shang one etc... This was Cincinnati Ohio

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Nov 11 - 07:31 AM

To Crowhugger in Ottawa - we also called it Yogi (Toronto, early 70's), but I vaguely knew it was also called Jumpsies. There doesn't seem to be much reference to Yogi on the internet.

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST,Guest T
Date: 05 Sep 10 - 04:58 PM

I played 'Jingle Jangle' with a length of long elastic (tied into a circle) that would be stretched out between 2 friends at their ankles. the 3rd person would jump 'Jingle' feet either side of one elastic, 'Jangle' either side of other elastic, 'Centre' 2 feet in middle, 'Spangle'feet either side of both elastics, Jingle, Jangle, Out.

If carried out successfully you'd go up to knee level, thighs, hips, armpits.

I loved it so much would play it on own when no friends about using two chairs!

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST,Hi
Date: 29 Aug 10 - 12:56 AM

Inside outside middle on twist and continue on untill u mess up

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST,lynster
Date: 23 Jul 10 - 11:41 AM

Hi,
I remember playing Chinese jumprope in gradeschool, but we played with a chant that I can't find any mention of anywhere. I can't completely remember it, and would love it if somebody did remember it. It went something like this:
itsie
me
psalm
she
local
?
yahtzee
kill it!
I'm not sure of spelling of above and am spelling as close as I can to how I remember the sound. ? was something like hockel.

I remember the jumps that corresponded to the words:
itsie-straddling the first rope-
psalm--straddling first rope again
she--straddling second rope again
local (sp?)--inside
?--inside, but with legs spread so rope is stretched
yahtzee-inside again
kill it!--on the ropes

Does anybody remember anything like this?

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST,M.J.
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 01:53 PM

Hey Chinese jumpers!I'm in grade 8, and in grade 3,4, and 5 my friends and I use to play this game. I just got one of these rope recently and I kind of forget how to play this but one thing i do remember doing is the game calles MISSISSIPPI. So here is how you play...

M- Jump to the middle of the rope with both feet
I- Jump to the either sides of the rope with your feet
S- Jump with your left foot in the middle and your right foot on the outside
S- Jump with your right foot in the middle and your left foot on the outside
I- Same as before
P- Jump with both feet on the two sides of the rope
P- same as before

And finally jump out.

Thanks for reding!
I

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Oct 09 - 02:08 AM

So which one ws the one where you just jump over it and it goes higher and higher til head then you cartwheel?! There were levels too. First level was that, second level was criss crossing. Darn I forgot how to play XD

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: Uly
Date: 28 Oct 09 - 06:57 PM

Jenn, that's not Chinese Jump Rope - that's cat's cradle. You can *do* it with a Chinese Jump Rope, but it's cat's cradle.

String games, actually, are a worldwide phenomenon and you can find several one-person string figures online.

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST,gandblyons
Date: 13 Oct 09 - 10:32 PM

We played with the stages clapsies, hopsies, blindsies, . . . before moving on to the knee level. What were any other stages??

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST,JENN JEN
Date: 03 Sep 09 - 09:08 PM

Does anybody remember playing a game with a Chinese jump rope using your hands? I recall playing a game when I was in elementary school, but can't quite remember it. The jump rope is looped and held a certain way... then the partner pinches, pulls and loops to create a new type of hold... this goes on and on and on for ever.

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: Azizi
Date: 02 Aug 09 - 07:54 PM

Here are two links to YouTube videos of Chinese Jump Rope (Elastics):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WimvdaXOfEM&feature=related

**

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YGZiTExwOU&feature=related


Note that older boys are playing this game along with girls.

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 17 Jun 09 - 06:45 PM

Klutz Press sells a book about it:

http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Jump-Rope-Klutz-Johnson/dp/1570540985/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245278559&sr=1-3

I learned to make jewelry from a Klutz Press book. They did a good job of explaining things.

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: paula t
Date: 17 Jun 09 - 03:30 PM

Souter ,

I've just posted some instructions on the "Elastics" thread. Hopefully they are easy to understand.

Becky,
I just happen to include "Twisty" and "diamond" on it.

Sorry to you both - I hadn't seen this thread!

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jun 09 - 01:33 PM

What I mean to say, Azizi, is that that style of jump rope was something I - at the time - had either never seen or had seen so rarely that I thought I'd never seen it.

It's not the singing rhymes that surprised me (although that was part of it) it was the whole parcel. People didn't do jump rope where I was, or if they did it must have been alone, not a social thing. So they might have all sung rhymes when jumping rope (the kids I know now say jump roping), but since they didn't do it on the sidewalk or at the playground (and we didn't have recess at my school, which was a different part of Brooklyn entirely) I had no way of knowing.

For that matter, a heck of a lot of what people call "jump rope rhymes" I think of as exclusively hand rhymes, so that's like a double surprise.

And thank you :)

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: Azizi
Date: 17 Jun 09 - 11:15 AM

Uly, Thanks for responding!

I appreciate reading that additional information, and am particularly interested in your comment that "when we moved here I was surprised to hear people jumping rope with rhymes - I thought that was something you did in books, not real life!" That's interesting because I thought that singing rhymes was an integral part of jumping rope and am sorry to find that there's much less chanting while jumping rope nowadays-at least where I live (in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).


BTW, I like the conversational style of your posts.

:o)

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST,Uly
Date: 17 Jun 09 - 10:40 AM

Sure, let's see...

I'm 26 now, so I would have learned Chinese Jump Rope... *thinks hard* Late 80s, early 90s.

We moved to Staten Island when I was 10, but I probably started doing Chinese Jump Rope with my sister when I was six or so... so... 1989? I very specifically remember doing it when I was in Bluebirds. (They're not called Bluebirds anymore, but at the time it was the youngest age group of CampFire Girls. Which now is co-ed.)

To be very specific, this was in Bensonhurst, and now I live on the North Shore of Staten Island :)

Bensonhurst at the time was still a very Italian neighborhood (might still be, I haven't been back in ages - but I know for a fact that some of the big stores there, like Alba's, moved to Staten Island specifically because so many of their customers had moved here), and had a lot of Hispanic kids as well, at least where we were, so most of the people in my neighborhood were either white or Hispanic... but visiting other playgrounds, I don't recall seeing anybody doing jump rope jump rope until we moved to Staten Island. If they did it was probably double dutch or so. In fact, when we moved here I was surprised to hear people jumping rope with rhymes - I thought that was something you did in books, not real life!

These were all girl things. (And I do apologize for the run-on sentences. Eek!)

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: Azizi
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 10:16 PM

GUEST 16 Jun 09 - 10:04 PM, thanks for sharing your interesting recollections.

If you are still reading this, for the historical (folklore) record, it would be great if you would add what years or decade you learned Chinese jump rope in one borough of New York, and then moved to the other and the kids there did regular jump rope instead. Also, were the "kids" girls only and what race/s/ethnicity (with ethnicity meaning "Hispanic/Latino") were the kids? And do you recall any differences in the types of jump rope (and jump rope rhymes) that children of different races/ethnicities played?

Thanks again!

Ms. Azizi, who collects children's playground rhymes, including jump rope rhymes (as shown here but never even heard of "Chinese jump rope as an African American girl growing up in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the 1950s

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 10:04 PM

I got the Klutz book of Chinese jump rope - Klutz usually having some good stuff to work with - and they boast that they have "all the traditional games". Closer inspection of the book itself reveals that they have games traditional to two schools in San Francisco instead - coming from NYC, not one of those games is one I know to play Chinese Jump Rope with!

But if you can't remember a single thing you did with Chinese Jump Rope you won't likely mind that :)

What we did most of the time, btw, is go in, out (that's a straddle, not jumping out), in, on, in, out (out means out here), over (jump and catch the closer end of the jump rope over your feet as you do so), out (jump and release the jump rope entirely).

But then we moved from Brooklyn to Staten Island. You wouldn't think such a little move would make such a big difference, it's the same city even (and everybody here, all the grown-ups, are not only from Brooklyn but often from the same neighborhood we were!), but here the kids did regular jump rope instead of Chinese Jump Rope.

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: Crowhugger
Date: 02 Jun 09 - 01:31 AM

In Ottawa in the mid 1960s we called it "Yogi" but after reading past posts that is likely a corruption of the word "Yoki" from one of the chants. I don't recall the chants we used, just vaguely the steps if that's what they're called. We made up our own sets of steps as well as doing version everyone knew. Since my mother sewed, that's type of elastic we used, the 1/4" wide kind, as I recall. I begged her for black elastic so it wouldn't look like it came from underwear--what did I know in grade 4? She only ever provided white elastic.

What a trip down memory lane!

~CH~

Subject: RE: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST,trish
Date: 01 Jul 08 - 04:31 PM

I played chinese jump rope back in the 60's. I, too, am trying to remember the chant we used. The only thing I can remember is "on 'em, in 'em, out'em, twist 'em, then "out 'em. Next you caught the first rope with both feet and crossed the second rope so that both feet are now inside the ropes and moved feet to"criss cross apple-sauce, evy, ivy, over", then "criss-cross apple sauce, evy, ivy, out. You somehow ended by taking one foot back and forth across the first rope then grabbing the second rope and letting it go, which was called "bow and arrow".

Subject: RE: BS: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: KT
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 01:01 AM

Hi MommyBe.look here for some directions. A google search turned up several sites including some on You tube. Have fun!
KT

Subject: BS: Help with playing 'Chinese Jump Rope'
From: GUEST,MommyBe
Date: 18 Mar 08 - 12:12 AM

Hi. Does anyone here know how to play any of the variations on "Chinese Jump Rope"? I know many of the jumps but cannot remember some of the rope-holding patterns or positions. I want to teach my kids how to play and I don't know anyone around me who remembers any more than I do. Thanks in advance.

---

Message moved from another thread on the same subject.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Mo the caller
Date: 15 Feb 08 - 10:12 AM

Chicken got the chickenpox
The chickenpox the chickenpox
Chicken got the chickenpox
What dyou think of that.



The last line is invented not remembered (but rhyming verse is self correcting, maybe)

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Feb 08 - 06:38 AM

My mum used to play it and she would always say this...maybe some1 knows it......

Cats got the measles
the measles
the measles,
Cats got the measles
and the measles got the cat.



hopeyou like it!!

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: aussiebloke
Date: 30 May 07 - 05:13 AM

Here is a link to a previous thread: Child's Game: Elastics
and here is a blicky to a photograph of some kids playing it...

Cheers all

aussiebloke

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,lucy
Date: 29 May 07 - 05:54 AM

can anyone tell me any songs for french skipping because i have got some ropes but i do not know what jumps to do e.g jump in then out and then on?

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,rain
Date: 07 May 07 - 03:27 AM

i remember, playing this kind of game but we call it ten twenty...
there are different levels to this game and now thinking about it, i think its a good exercise... i used to play this game on my own, i would get two chairs and i would place the garter around both! hehe! pra nd ako it! hehe!

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,Patricia
Date: 03 May 07 - 01:21 PM

I remember playing the 'rubber band rope jumping" game! But the rhyme we used was different from all I have read here! We had no idea what we were saying but it went like this:

Yoki and the Kaiser, Yoki addy ay, Tamba, so-ba, Sa-du, sa-day. :Yoki in the Kaiser, Yoki allee-ah, Kick him in the so-po, Sa-du, sa-day!

I read in the book :Sally Go Round the Sun: by Edith Fowke, that this was a Korean children's game and the children of missionaries brought it back to Canada in 1939. Original words: Riojun, Kayo, Yaku navide atc.

This song was taught to commemorate victory of the Russian-Japanese war of 1905 and written by a Japanese poet (after this war the Japanese occupied Korea).

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Azizi
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 06:48 PM

Also, visit http://streetplay.com/discus/

Streetplay.com Discussion {specifically, the Chinese Jumprope sub-section in the Girls Games section}

Here's one comment from that discussion that was posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 17, 2000 -01:14 am:

"I remember playing Chinese jumprope when i was like in the 4th and 5th grade, and I remember making it out of rubberbands....you would make it long enough to make it into a huge circle so you could wrap it around your ankles and someone elses, standing at least a yard away. You would be in teams and both members of the team had to win to go to the next level. You would jump in with both feet, then jump out with both feet, synchronized of course, then move your right foot in so you would only be over one side of the ropes, then jump to the other side with both feet. Then jump up with both feet and land on the rope, at the same time. At that point the other member would do the same. If both members passed, then you would go to the next level.

The levels would be from:
ankles, knees, right below the behind, then waist, underarms, and neck. i don't think it got that far, but just in case some girl who could jump high, I think that was the last level.

If one member missed, then they would switch and if it became your turn again, you start all over again.

this was the version I used to play...=) "

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: open mike
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 08:08 AM

there are other threads on here about jump rope and the rhymes to go with it... the search engine will find them.

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Myrtle
Date: 08 Dec 06 - 04:59 AM

Wow, that's a bit more upbeat than the very serious and sedate Chinese skipping I remember!!
I could never do double dutch, but used to do single rope skipping. We called the people holding the rope 'twiners', poss from'twine' (string or rope) or more likely a Yorkshire version of 'turn'...we used to say "I'll twine".I remember my grandmother, who was from Hull, doubling up laughing at me using this expression!
Regards, Myrtle.

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Azizi
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 07:25 PM

Here's a very short YouTube clip of Chinese jump rope:

Me and Ariana doing chinese jump rope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu3Y1LD5m3M&search=chinese%20jump%20rope

Added July 17, 2006; From adriennexxo

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Azizi
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 07:20 PM

Myrtle, thanks for sharing your memories of playing Chinese jumprope.

I can't remember this activity when I was growing up.

I do remember jumping single's rope {with two others turning the rope, or me being one of the "enders"}. And I remember enjoying watching others jump Double Dutch. But I could never get the hang of how to turn those two ropes used for jumping Double Dutch. Nor could I ever master the art of jumping Double Dutch.

Btw, I can't remember if kids recited rhymes while jumping Double Dutch-if so the jumpers didn't say the rhymes-maybe it was the people twirling the rope {I can't remember. It was toooo long ago}. I seem to recall that the two enders turning the rope for [single]jump rope were the ones who said the rhymes. And I think that other kids waiting for their turn would also join in. But Double Dutch-I just can't remember. Maybe I was too focused on trying to 'get' the technique of turning the ropes and doing the jumps that I didn't focus on whether rhymes were chanted or not.

Anyway, it seems that nowadays folks {female and male adults, teens and children} don't do Double Dutch to chanted rhymes. Instead, it appears that folks usually jump without any music at all. Or-for competitions, they may jump to uptempo R&B or hip-hop music.

Plus the routines are much more acrobatic {if that is a word}.

For an example of what I mean, see these two YouTube clips:

Silver Medal Double Dutch Pairs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u96P9ikF0I&mode=related&search=

Added July 10, 2006; From purduemo

**

freestyle skipping

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSn3i4vsGeY&search=jumprope%20jump%20rope%20skipping%20double%20dutch%20USAJR%20Super%20Skippers

Added March 06, 2006 ; From OLIANA

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Myrtle
Date: 07 Dec 06 - 02:57 PM

Just been scanning some old family slides onto cd, and coincidentally found some of myself 'chinese skipping'. We used to play this for hours, and at home when there was no-one to play with, I would stretch the elastic between the wooden slats of the open garden gates!
Can't remember any rhymes, but the game I remember is a s follows: First pattern was: jump to land between the elastics, jump and straddle them, holding the elastic between ankles, jump and twist (so that both elastics held in an 's' between ankles), jump and kick legs to free elastic, and land with both feet between elastic. Jump out and repeat facing opposite way.
Next pattern we did was diamonds: standing outside elastic and feet tog, toes under one strand, jump over second strand, carrying first strand with you, so that you stand in a diamond of elastic. Jump to free elastic, landing between both strands, then jump to outside, opposite side from start.. face opposite way from previous time and repeat.
Next came a more intricate diamond; standing r. side to elastic, jump both feet, gahering nearest strand with r foot, and carrying it over second strand so that r. foot is in an elastic diamond and L. foot outside both strands. Jump to free R. foot, landing with both feet between strands Jump out and repeat from other side.
Last pattern was like the one described by Becky, but after landing on furthest strand, you jumped backwards onto strand behind you and off. You then jumped across both strands and repeated the pattern from the other side. Every pattern was done mirror wise, from each side, or facing each way.
Sorry for long post....my longest ever, but I LOVED Chinese skipping, and always thought it was specific to 60s york (UK). I only ever made it up to knee high, and nearly drove my Mother demented with constant wingeing for more elastic!!!
Thanks for reviving happy memories!
regards, Myrtle.

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 08:35 PM

I remember the MISSISSIPPI version now that someone mentioned it...we use to play it so often but a lot has slipped my mind...thanks for the reminder.

Anyone remember playing regular jump ropes...the songs like Cinderella dress in yellow went upstairs to kiss a fellow.......and Mickey Mouse built a house, and Bluebird...and all those imaginative songs you use to sing as kids.

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Dec 06 - 08:31 PM

Here are some chinese skipping games I remember....

Starting at the ankle level, then up to knee level, then up to bum level, then up to waist level, and surprisingly we went up to armpit level and the on odd occassion of shoulder level. The rope is stretched between two people and we normally started with chanting 2,4,6,8 (going from one side to other side with your feet straddling the rope) and then in (both feet inside) out (both feet outside) on both feet on top of rope.

Then there was the skinny version that we move up to once that level has all been achieved where the rope is stretched between two people each with one leg. And once again chanting the 2,4,6,8 in out on.

With each succession we change the play a little bit, such as playing where your feet was not allowed to touch the rope while jumping back and forth except for the final "on". And then a version where we shake the rope making it a little harder for people to jump.

We also played a version called high jump where the rope was held by hand where the players goal was to make it over the rope where anything below the waist was not allowed to have the body touching the rope. We went as far as "sky" where we would just hold the rope as high as we can reach. Being young and agile the moves where definitely possible...now they pose to be quite a problem.

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,guest MHHI
Date: 22 Nov 06 - 08:50 PM

When we played Chinese jump rope we had a chant that used the words ching chang one, ching chang two and so on. Does anyone remember the complete chant and the progress of each footwork step to go with the chant?
thanks

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: NH Dave
Date: 12 May 06 - 01:19 AM

Sounds a lot like the Phillipine Tinikling Dance, done with two bamboo poles that are held at both ends, and alternately struck on small wooden blocks and against each other, while the dancer dances in and out, and over the two poles. http://tinyurl.com/mfyh3 - The linkmaker is down right now. The story that I was told was that the dancer imitated the step of a Tinikling bird, something like a stork or heron, as it walked around getting food.

Dave

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,Deuce
Date: 11 May 06 - 07:48 PM

Check the thread "Child's Game: Elastics" which also has related stuff...

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,Teda
Date: 13 Oct 05 - 03:26 PM

don't forget about mississipi: M STANDS FOR THE INSIDE OF THE 2 ROPES
                               I STANDS FOR THE OUTSIDE OF THE ROPES
                               S STANDS FOR STRADLING ONE SIDE OF THE ROPE THEN THE NEXT
                               P STANDS FOR STEPPING ON THE ROPE
So you would sing M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I When you complete this you are to raise the rope up to your knees then under your butt waist arm pits neck heaven.

hope this was alittle bit of a help to any one.

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Cool Beans
Date: 03 Feb 05 - 02:26 PM

In 1995 I wrote a story about a man, a musician no less, who made a Chinese jump rope video that was quite good. I just looked him up and he's still around (in the Detroit, Michigan, area). I bet he has a few copies he'd be willing to part with.
He is
Larry Prentiss [phone]
[e-mail]


And here's the story I wrote:

Chinese jump ropes
Aerobic exercise meets cat's cradle.
That's what the game Chinese jump rope looks like. "Game" is a misnomer; there are many different games to be played with a Chinese jump rope. A new video by Michigan songwriter-turned- producer Larry Prentiss teaches, very clearly, how to play 11 of them: Skinny Americans, Diamonds, Sailboats, Colors, Snap Back . . .
Wait. We're getting ahead of ourselves. A Chinese jump rope is a closed elastic band about three feet long; it easily stretches to twice that length.
    You could loop it around your hands and play cat's cradle, but it's more commonly looped around the ankles of two people while a third, stationed between them, jumps in and out and over and on.
There are lots of variations. In Prentiss' video, which features children as demonstrators, the games look like fun and good exercise.
And, yes, the game really originated in China, says Prentiss. Originally from Livonia, Prentiss plays bass, writes songs and has worked with Rare Earth, Johnny Rivers, Anita Baker, Jose Feliciano and other popular entertainers. How did he make the jump, so to speak, from music to producing a video about playing Chinese jump rope?
"I saw my kids doing it. I saw the thing in stores." Prentiss' daughters, Melissa and Amy, are among the children featured in the video. Prentiss says he can play Chinese jump rope, too. "I had to practice it." He worked with a Chinese folk dancer and other jump rope savvy Asians in California to make sure he had everything right.
The 28-minute video, which comes with an instructional booklet and a
Chinese jump rope, sells for $14.95. It's not in stores yet but can be ordered from MelAimee (as in Melissa and Amy) Productions

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,Becky
Date: 03 Feb 05 - 02:01 PM

This is great!! I'm in Japan and I am teaching the children here. I didn't know it was Chinese? We play it the same way in England and call it French skipping.

I want to know how you do twist and diamond? I know only swapsies (English name) where you stand with the elastic between both feet and jump so that you are in the same position on the parallel elastic. On the way there you cross your feet in mid-air. Is this twist? And if so what is diamond.

There is also somewhere in Asia (I forget where) and they play by jumping from outside both ropes, but perpendicular to the ropes not parallel like we usually do. Their feet go under the first side and they land on top of the second side. They then have to jump out from between the two ropes and I believe they have to end up on the opposite side. I have only ever managed to end up in the middle, but then I am an aging 24...

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Apr 04 - 08:36 PM

I remember one that my sister and I used to do:
in, out, side by side, in, out, on
Hope this helps!
~Chrissy

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,Wa Ban Zhou
Date: 24 Dec 03 - 03:58 PM

I Taught Chinese 4th, 5th and 6th graders for two years in China, and that is how my kids did it!

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: SINSULL
Date: 24 Dec 03 - 11:21 AM

I had forgotten about playing Chinese Jump Rope and will have to try to remember some of the rhymes. HMMMM It was fun.

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Sonnet
Date: 24 Dec 03 - 09:44 AM

Thanks for bringing back childhood memories. I loved playing Chinese Skipping! If I remember correctly, the elastic would be raised up the legs of the two people on the ends (or up the buffet legs if no-one was playing out)on completion of a full correct sequence. We also referred to the game as Lastics, probably because we played with knicker elastic rather than rubber bands.

The descriptions so far tally with how we played here in Penistone, South Yorks, in the late 60's.

Jay McS

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 24 Dec 03 - 04:42 AM

we used to play it all the time in primary school but I can't remember for the life of me the rhymes we used!

Thanks for bringing back an old memory!

Subject: RE: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,sara
Date: 23 Dec 03 - 11:14 PM

we always played that as kids, and would say...
inside, outside, side by side, on it, off it, chizzle

Subject: RE: BS: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,Souter
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 02:31 PM

I just managed to get back on today. Thanks, especially for the website, which I'm checking out now.

Subject: RE: BS: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,cleod
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 07:11 AM

Hey, I'm Asian and yes, I did play Chinese jumprope (called Chinese garter, since that was what we used instead of rubber bands) in my grade school years... I remember pestering my mom for shoes without buckles so I could get past the tricky bits...

Chinese jumprope - in, out, step on, in out, twist, out, twist, out, diamond, out, diamond, out.

Japanese jumprope - i know we called it japanese, but i have no idea what made it so japanese...all we did was jump over a rope (going progressively higher as the game goes one...the really good players were the ones who could cartwheel over the highest part)

There was another variation called 'triangle', but i can't remember the rules anymore.

Hope this helps! cleod

Subject: RE: BS: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 06:01 PM

I was surprised when I recently watched a movie made in China and saw girls playing with that long "rope" made from lots of rubber bands and stretched between their ankles. I had always assumed that "Chinese jump rope" was as authentic as "Chinese" checkers or "French" fries...but it turns out it really is Chinese! We never stop learning...

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: BS: Chinese Jump Rope
From: GUEST,Karen
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 04:05 PM

Yes, mgarvey, that's it! At least that what we played growing up in southern California. Funny, I never really thought actual Asian would play the same game. I thought it was just a made-up name.

Subject: RE: BS: Chinese Jump Rope
From:
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 12:11 AM

is Chinese jump rope what the Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian children would play? I worked with a lot of them in the schools. They would string rubber bands together and have this big stretchy rope and do quite intricate jumps with it.

mg

Subject: RE: BS: Chinese Jump Rope
From: Sorcha
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 06:08 PM

I have no clue, but you might ask here, USA Jump RopeHome page. They have a chat board.

Subject: RE: BS: Chinese Jump Rope
From: JenEllen
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 06:03 PM

Well, no help on the patterns. I'm terminally grace-less, and would probably end up in traction if I tried. But, there is a great collection of skipping rhymes in a book called "I Saw Esau", edited by Iona and Peter Opie, and available through the CandleWick Press in Cambridge Ma.

Best of Luck,
~Jen

Subject: Chinese and regular Jump Rope
From: GUEST,Souter
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 05:48 PM

I know this has very little to do with music, but it kind of has to do with folk. I need/want to know more chinese jump rope patterns. The only one I can remember is the one that goes in, out, in, on, over, out but I remember doing others. I also want to learn more plain jump rope rhymes. If anyone can help me, thank you!