SPEED ROPE [Jumping Rope Blogrimage: Day 14]

Slept in today and felt good about it. Because Amreitha and I traveled light in Busan, Korea, sleeping in bath-house jimjilbang (see the video posted above), we carried our luggage with us at all times. The jimjilbangs only hold belongings while the owner is present. This combined with jumping led to extremely tired legs (though I can’t complain considering there are blogs like this). Resting today helped my legs recover.

Additionally, to continue the journey safely, I bought a knee brace and a new jumprope. Wearing a brace feels safe and supportive and the new rope is extremely fast, but also short. I wish it was one to two feet longer. The length is perfect for my short girlfriend (who will now primarily use the rope).

My old rope is ghetto and causes the tips of my fingers to bleed (the metal tips catch my finger during rotations).

I’m excited to get back into a routine tomorrow, and hopefully a new rope.

PROGRESS:

1. Bought a speedrope (a very short and light rope)

2. Jumped first thing in the morning (1300 revolutions)

3. Bought a knee brace 

KITE FESTIVAL [Jumping Rope Blogrimage: Day 13]

Finally back home in Daegu after a nice break in Busan. With all the speedos, bath-houses (with no speedos or anything at all), seeing sites, shows and subway rides, I felt ready to head back.

Today I went to the largest bath-house in Asia (Heoshimcheong Daechung Hall). It has over 30 different pools, including a champagne and restaurant pool (I ate ice cream!). Still, with a capacity for 3,000 men and 3,000 women, I did not see one substantial six-pack. Amreitha and I saw a show called Jump (A comic martial arts performance) and one of the actors had a six pack. They are hard to find, elusive even.

My father told me that once you get a belly it's very difficult to get rid of and that I should try now. I heed those words dearly for I'm realizing how elusive the defined six pack really is. Funny how much I treasure my father's advice, in big and small issues, as life progresses. Little quotes, mannerisms and expressions constantly flow unintentionally through my life, all birthed from his demonstration. He's a great guy.

Anyways, I got a radicalish haircut today--fairly Korean. It's a mowhawk fade with racing stripes. Surprisingly, I like it a lot. I don't have pictures to put up yet. Take a look at the video if you really want to see.

Keep it real.

PROGRESS:
1. Jumped on the beach of a Kite Festival
2. Got a mohwawk mullet haircut with racing stripes
3. Jumped 1000 times
4. Went to the largest bath-house in Asia

KOREAN FABIO IN SPEEDO [Jumping Rope Blogrimage [Day 12]

DEFINITELY WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE.

Speedo. Today I jumped with a famous Korean man in a speedo. While jumping by the beach, I saw a man running in the waves with a camera crew following and old grandmas (ajjimas) laughing in the background. His clothing consisted of a gold speedo and a necklace (watch the video posted above). The show is called, "Surprise Me" on the SBS network. It looked to be something like Candid Camera or Jersey Sure.

I felt a little odd jumping on the beach. The cold harsh sea wind beat against my legs and Koreans gawked and tried holding conversations with me while I jumped. A Sri Lankan american wearing shorts in frigid weather and unimpressively jumping rope is apparently strange to these people. Though my actions seemed strange enough, it did not compare to this man, this Fabio. 

He possessed the aura of a famous man. He possessed the hair length and build of Romance Novel cover model. He possessed a speedo. 

As I watched him rhythmically running down the shorelines, I noticed a wave. Not the normal kind of wave you'd expect to see at the beach, but a wave from Korean Fabio, or Kabio. He waved and change course to approach me. "Hello! Would you like to try my jump rope," he said. A weighted jump rope! I was so excited to try one of these. They are surprisingly easy to use but hard to sustain. 

Surrounded by a film crew, old ladies and Kabio I realized that I found primary excitement in holding a weighted jump rope. I feel like such a nerd to be excited by such things in such circumstances. Have I taken this BLOGRIMAGE too far in my heart? Probably, but I like it that way.

I asked if Kabio would jump rope at the same time as me. It turned into a battle of America verses Korea. He yelled things like, "Behold the power of Kimchi!" and I lost. And on Thursday, all of Korea can watch on SBS. 

Thanks Kabio.

If it wasn't for this BLOGRIMAGE, none of this would have happened!

PROGRESS:

1. Jumped with a famous Korean in a speedo
2. 1500 Reps
3. Lost a jumping contest with the Korean fitness man
4. Various double unders and cross overs
5. Lost 4 pounds.

BY THE BEACH [Jumping Rope Blogrimage: Day 11]

Hello, I can't really blog a lot right now. I'm in Busan besides the beach again. Busan is hosting a Kite Festival this weekend so Amreitha and I decided to check it out. Tonight we are sleeping in a Korean Bathhouse (Jimjilbang). Cheap and luxurious.

Anyways, jumping is going well and so did this cheat day. I didn't go crazy (I learned from K. Schmidt). 

I jumped today in the morning and it felt good. I was barefoot in my room with the hard floor. My knee started hurting again. Most likely the pain originates from hard floor surfaces. 

Well, gotta go!

PROGRESS:

1.1100 jumps

2. Jumped in the Morning

3. Cheat day today

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Blown Mind [Jumping Rope BLOGRIMAGE: Day 10]

ROPESPORT QUOTE:

"Just like jumping backward, virtually every Rope Turn and Resting Move can and should be done backward!"

My mind is blown with Jumping Rope as I ponder a cross-road. Looking at different jumpers around the world (competitive, freestyle and dance), blew open the limits of my jump rope perspective. Because of this, my abs may or may have not found an enemy. Trick jump ropers are like the bboys of dancing. The raw cool factor in their possession is lethal—like Joe Schmidt.

Plainly stated, a world of jumping rope is inhabited by tricksters, super athletes, incredibly cool looking people, normals and me.

You know how I am struggling with double-unders? Some people can do sextuplet unders. Six revolutions in one jump! Incredible. These highly skilled guys must have like 10 girlfriends each. So lucky!

For something that seems so lame, competitively, jumping rope is really impressive. Don’t believe me? Check out this video. Extreme!

Thus, my newly gained ab enemy. Because of all this extreme coolness, I kind of want to spend my BLOGRIMAGE learning tricks instead of defining abs. This would set everything off course! There are a lot of performing jumpers that possess undefined abs, probably because of an unhealthy diet or robbing God in tithes and offering—unlike Joe Schmidt.

In reality, the type jump rope style probably doesn’t determine the ab level. Food, water, rest and timing all play their parts. Maybe abs and tricks aren’t enemies.

In that case I’ll do both, it is a BLOGRIMAGE afterall.

PROGRESS:

1. 32 Double-Unders!

2. 1300 revolutions

3. 1 Double-Under Criss-Cross Jump

4. 1300 jumps

5. No issues with Knee (think the wood is making a big difference)

TRIVIA:

Alternate foot jump (speed step)

This style consists of using alternate feet to jump off the ground. This technique can be used to effectively double the number of skips per minute as compared to the above technique.

CHEWING ROPE [Jumping Rope Blogrimage: Day 9]

ROPESPORT QUOTE:

Just throw a jump rope in a suitcase, briefcase, backpack, or purse, and you have the “greatest portable workout in existence.”

All day my knee felt fine. In the back of my mind, I wondered if it’d hurt while jumping. Though feeling weak, the pain of yesterday disappeared. To where? Jump rope Heaven—or Hell?

My kids in class keep asking to see my six pack. Instead of pulling up my shirt, I give them a six pack of Miller Lite. They are only about 9 so they don’t know the different between MGD and Lite. Suckers. JK. LOL. TTYL.

Back.

Thanks for the advice on tips. I’m figuring out to incorporate them all, thereby sucking optimal life out of the Blogrimage.

Speaking of sucking life, I chewed up part of my jump rope and now it feels balanced. Guess I’m really sinking my teeth into this whole sport. ROFL!

PROGRESS:

1. 15 Double-Unders in a row

2. Criss Crossed a bunch

3. Gnawed off part of my jump rope

4. Knee felt okay

5. 1300 revolutions.

TRIVIA:

Basic jump

This is where both feet are slightly apart and jump at the same time over the rope. Beginners should master this technique first before moving onto more advanced techniques