Criterion A

1. Is Rope skipping a sport? Justify your answer.

The definition of a sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or
others for entertainment. Rope skipping is an activity that requires strength and energy and people can participate in it for
entertainment or competitive purposes. Therefore, by definition rope skipping is a sport. Rope skipping can also improve ones
physical performance and health like many other sports and has both physical and psychological benefits on the participants, thats
why skipping rope should be considered as a sport.
2. Is Rope skipping more popular in the USA high schools amongst students than in Hong Kong schools?
Although rope skipping is quite popular among Primary students in Hong Kong, it seems that the among high school students, the
sport is more popular in the USA than in Hong Kong. This may be due to two reasons, the culture and the education system. Children
from the US are often encouraged to take part in sports and outdoor activities since childhood while children in HK have more
exposure to electronics such as mobile phones and tablets and tend to stay indoors more than participate in outdoor activities,
developing an addiction to technology. The second reason is the education system, the education system in Hong Kong focuses more
on academics and students spend a majority of their time studying and attending tutors. The US education system on the other hand
focuses more on a balanced lifestyle, and that students should have sufficient sports and play time so that there is not too much stress
for the students.
3. What are the benefits of rope skipping?
In terms of physical aspects, rope skipping can increase bone density like running or weight lifting through positive stress, however,
rope skipping puts less stress on your joints as the impact of each jump is absorbed by both legs. The sport also improves
coordination as your mind has to be constantly conscious of the movements in both your hands and legs, especially when different
moves and tricks are performed. Finally skip rope is an effective aerobic exercise which helps one burn calories at an extremely high
rate, about 1300 calories/ hr.
In terms of psychological aspects skipping rope, like most exercises, can make us a happier person. Endorphins are created when we
conduct aerobic exercises like skip rope which helps us relieve stress and lift our mood. Skip rope is especially effective in helping
children relax as it is a fun activity with many different variations to it. It can help develop cooperation and socialisation skills as it can
be done as a group activity, giving children the opportunity to make new friends and learn how to work collaboratively with others to
complete a task. Finally it helps us develop perseverance, to perfect the different tricks and skills in skip rope, skippers must practice
repeatedly, overcoming different challenges and failures.
4. What have you learnt after conducting this research? Has it changed your attitude towards this sport / physical activity?
I originally thought that skip rope was only a type of entertainment for children which I had enjoyed in primary but after research I
realised that skip rope has much more benefits than I thought and can greatly improve my physical performance and health. I found
through my research that skip rope can actually prevent certain diseases and is perhaps even a better sport than jogging or sprinting
as it puts less stress on your knees and has a lower risk of causing joint problems. There are actually also a lot more variations to skip
rope than I thought. I found that there are many skills and tricks that can be performed in skip rope which are much more complicated
and advanced to those I am used to seeing. I think that skip rope can actually be a type of performance much like equestrianism and
extreme cycling or skateboarding. I will try to incorporate skip rope into my daily routine to ensure that I can have exercise everyday
and make the most out of this highly beneficial sport that is simple and efficient.
5.i. Discuss the reasons for the lack of popularity & media coverage in rope skipping championships. ii. If you are the
organizer or sponsor for the Rope skipping championships, what would you do to attract more attention in the society? How
would you promote and market this sports event in the future if HK is going to hold the championship again in 2016?
Most people in Hong Kong only think of skip rope as a game or entertainment for children and not as a sport that can be done
professionally as a competitive sport. They also The media only reports on more popular sports such as football or horse racing and
on popular championships such as the NBA or Spanish cup. To promote this type of activity in HK and attract more peoples attention I
would use methods such as online videos on websites like Facebook and Youtube which is a major communication method in this day
and age and perhaps more creative methods such as getting professionals from the HK rope skipping club to perform in the streets or
in areas like the East Kowloon cultural district in the form of flash mobs which will attract more peoples attention, especially people of
younger generations. Having more media exposure would also help therefore getting performers to perform on popular variety shows
on TV would greatly help increasing the popularity and level of attention for skip rope in the society.
6. Discuss (i) from different aspects (social, family, school and government), give 4 reasons for the significant improvement
and achievement of HK rope skipping. (ii) why is there a change in media attitude
The skip rope team originally had no government support but after their impressive achievement at the world championships the
support for them has improved greatly. The reasons are:
Social - They had a lot of media coverage on their achievements which brought attention from the general public and changed many
peoples opinions on the sport. More people are willing to support the sport and perhaps try it out themselves. The media coverage
has increased the popularity of the sport and made the sport more mainstream.
Family - As many parents in Hong Kong are result orientated, they may give their children who enjoy skip rope more support as it has
been proven that achievements can come out of the sport as well. This will give more people, especially children and teenagers more
chances to try this sport out, meaning that the number of people enjoying the sport will increase, guaranteeing a increase in the
chances of future achievements in this area.
School - It is not uncommon for schools in the US to have a rope skipping team but in HK it is rare, as the education system changes
and there is more attention on a balanced life for teenagers and students, schools may encourage those who enjoy this sport to create
clubs or teams which will make the sport more mainstream and gain popularity.
Government - After the world championships the government has seen that there is potential in this field for HK to develop therefore
there is a great chance that they will give more support to teams like this and perhaps set up a professional HK team to promote the
sport and help HK gain more achievements in the future.

There amount of media coverage on skip rope has increased since the teams achievements as we can see that there are more
reports on the news about such events and there are more teams performing on popular variety shows. This is because skip rope has
become a more popular and mainstream sport that many people know about and enjoy. The general opinion about skip rope has
changed greatly and HK citizens now view it as a proper sport that can be done competitively. More people enjoy the sport and more
people are trying it out meaning that there are and will be more achievements and awards in the future as the sport becomes more
and more popular among the people, especially the younger generation, of HK.
Move Photo/ diagram Description
Simple jump over rope once, lift
single rope jump right knee up at a 90 angle
skill and jump over rope with left
Can-Can leg. Lower right knee, jump
over rope with both legs
once, kick right leg and
jump over rope with both
legs. Repeat process once
with left leg and then repeat
once more using right.
Intermediate Traveler starts in basic jump
partner jump position, jump twice moving
skill sideways jumping beside
Traveller the first jumper on the
second jump. On the third
jump, the traveler jumps
behind the first jumper and
together they jump over the
rope. The traveler jumps
sideways moving between
the two jumpers and jumps
twice sideways moving
behind the second jumper
on the third jump for the two
to jump over the rope
together. On the final jump,
the traveller jumps
sideways once more so that
he/ she is beside the
second jumper.
Complex two turners hold the rope.
Long rope jump One turner swings the rope
skill while running in a circle
Around the around the turner in the
world middle. The second turner
stands still and swings rope
while turning on the spot,
acting as the centre of the
circle. The jumper skips in a
running motion, jumping
over the rope as he/ she
moves in a circle between
the two turners.
Complex jumper enters double dutch
Long rope jump on one side at the side of
skill turner 1 and jump over to
Double dutch the other side until he/ she
with turner is in front of turner 2. Then
switch following the rhythm of the
rope, the jumper will take
the ropes from the turner
and turn around to take the
turners place so that the
turner can move back and
enter the double dutch from
the side.
purpose/ justification
This individual skill
increases the skippers
coordination, rhythm and
balance. The alternating leg
movements require
constant and lasting
concentration from the
skipper to ensure that the
order of the movements are
correct and that he/ she
does not trip over or step on
the rope as they are
performing the leg
movements in the can can.
Improves the individuals
coordination and agility and
their ability to estimate
distance and timing. As a
group it requires the
different members to have
good cooperation and
collaboration skills as it
must be timed well for all
members to jump over the
rope as the traveller moves
across. Through practice
the required skills will be
improved along with
perseverance.
This move improves both
the first turner and jumpers
agility and all members
coordination. The jumper
and first turner also has to
have good timing. The
second turner has to have
especially good
coordination as he/ she
controls the pace and has
to turn while swinging the
rope without tangling it.
This move aims to improve
the agility and coordination
of the jumper and the
cooperation between the
two turners. The jumper
must have a good sense of
rhythm and timing to be
able to jump and travel
inside the double dutch and
take the place of the turner
without disturbing the swing
of the ropes. The two
turners must work together
to keep a steady pace for
the jumper.
efficiency
Through practicing the skill, it is evident that over
long time practice it will improve arm, leg
coordination greatly and ones ability to follow
the rhythm and time their movements. The move
also proved to be harder than it seemed and
required a lot of practice meaning that it can help
improve ones perseverance and patience as it
takes determination and practice to perfect it.
Also, although it is an individual skill, when
performing as a group, group practice is required
to ensure that the performers are in sync and at
the same pace. This will help improve the teams
collaboration skills.
This skill requires some practice as a team as
the timing is hard to get right and the members
must work collaboratively in order for the move
to be a success. The jumper improves his/ her
ability to time their movement and the ability to
estimate distance as he/ she is required to
perform consecutive basic jumps while travelling
sideways. This helped improve the jumpers
coordination, agility and rhythm counting skills.
The process of practicing this move also helped
the members develop as an open minded
communicator as we had to listen to each others
advice and ideas on how we could work together
and improve to compete the move.
This skill is relatively easy to practice however
one of the key points to note was the
collaboration between the members, the first
turner must run in a consistent circle so that the
rope does not get longer or shorter and the
jumper does not trip over the rope. The timing
between the two turners and jumper must also
be good to ensure that the jumper can keep his/
her rhythm while jumping over the rope and
running in a circle between the two turners. In
conclusion this move effectively improves ones
agility, coordination and timing and also
cooperation and coordination skills.
The move proved that it is very challenging and
requires lots of consistent practice. It greatly
improves the jumpers timing and rhythmic ability
as entering the double dutch, traveling across it
and going with the rope to take hold of the
turners position requires a high level of
concentration. Coordination and agility is also
improved as the jumper has to jump over two
ropes instead of the traditional one long rope.
The two turners improve mostly in terms of
rhythmic skills and collaboration and cooperation
between the two. They must swing the two ropes
at a even pace and keep the pace as the jumper
jumps through the double dutch. Therefore we
can see that this move can not only help the
jumper improve all roundly, it can also help the
turners improve therefore this move can be
considered as on of the most effective in
improving physical performance and health.
 Criterion D

1. Evaluate the benefits and limitations of set plays

For our routine, we had many different moves involving different members. Some strengths about our routine is that we had a good
use of performance space and we had both individual skills and partner skills. We also use different levels as you can see in at the
start and end of our routine. Finally we have moves of different complexity to fit the skill level of each member in the team and our
routine was effective in improving ones physical performance and health as it improves agility, coordination, perseverance,
collaboration and cooperation as we can see in the evaluation above. The limitations of our routine was that it required a lot of practice
and it was hard to be in sync with the music and each other. there was also a lot of room for mistakes and trip overs therefore it is very
time consuming and requires a team effort to complete it. My strength during the final performance was that I had good confidence and
smiled during the performance, and also moved on even when I made a mistake during the performance. I also worked well with my
team members to cooperatively complete the performance. An area I would like to improve on is my agility and balance. I saw in my
final performance than my actions are quite rough and stiff, I would like to improve my balance, agility and flexibility so that when I
perform my routine I can perform the tricks with ease while looking lighter and more elegant.

2. Give specific feedback on technique that will improve the performance of others
I think that we worked very well together and developed our collaboration skills well. I think that Ashleys strength was that she
controlled the rhythm well when turning the rope, she kept the rope steady for the jumpers to jump through without changing the tempo
and rhythm. However, her weakness is her jumping ability as she cannot do very complex moves, this is due to the way she jumps
where she kicks back with every jump. However I think that she tried her best and that she did well moving on with the performance
even when she tripped and made mistakes. Sze Hang has good perseverance, leadership and collaboration skills as she was the one
who counted the rhythm while we skipped and she swung the rope with a steady rhythm throughout the performance as well. However
her weakness is that she does not have enough confidence and cannot really complete her move in the double dutch. She improved a
lot though as she was also smiling in the final performance and almost succeeded in completing her move. In terms of other groups I
think that one of the strengths they have is the skill big wheel, our team also tried to incorporate the move however we found that it
was quite hard as it required a high level of cooperation and coordination. It is a good partner skill of complex level which helps
improve coordination and collaboration skills. Another strength is their use of space. I saw that many groups stood in different
formations and levels and switched spots throughout the performance. For example, standing in a triangular formation, or a circle
instead of a line. This makes the performance seem more organised and is a good use of the performance space. A weakness would
be that some groups transitions were awkward, for example we tried to incorporate a pin in our routine when I exchanged spots with
Ashley during the double dutch moves to make the performance more interesting and have a better use of performance space, while
other groups simply change spots which may make the performance lose its fluidity.

3. Develop systems of non-verbal communication to execute team movement effectively

During practice we counted the beat and moves much like how you do in dance, this helped remind us of each others pace and the
moves we were supposed to do. Later on Ashley bought a beaded rope which made sound when it struck the ground. This helped
both us herself count the pace and rhythm she was jumping at. We matched this to the music we used to ensure that we were on beat.
After identifying the issues we had, for example off beat or wrong move, we would communicated with hand signals during transitions
to remind each other of what was to come and also adjust the positions we needed to be in. We also reflected after each practice to
identify issues and find solutions, this helped us minimise errors and identify reoccurring mistakes we made so that we could pay extra
attention to them. We also communicated through facial expression and eye contact to remind each other of specific areas to pay
attention to.

4. Practice positive thinking to improve mental strength

We faced many challenges during the creation and practice of our routine, for example learning how to enter the double dutch for the
first time was very challenging as the rhythm of the two ropes is much faster than that of one long rope which we are used to. We got
hit by the rope during practice many many times and at times I felt helpless or defeated as I failed time and time again to do a certain
move or perform the tricks and routine. My team mates and I also argued during the creation process when we had conflicting ideas.
However in the end we fought on and kept on trying, accepting each others advice and ideas open-mindedly and improved to create
the final routine. I think that the best way to improve mental strength was to face the challenge head on and try and try again until you
succeed, because after overcoming a challenge there is a sense of accomplishment which encourages you and drives you on to take
on more challenges. Communication and support between team mates was also very important and effective as it gives you a new
point of view on certain problems and challenges and makes you feel less alone or like a failure. I found that when stuck with problems
and feeling frustrated, instead of continuing in an agitated state, it helped to listen to music or work on a relaxing activity you enjoyed
first and calming down before challenging the problem again. I found that calming my mind and creating a cheerful light mood
increased the chances of overcoming a challenge or problem.

5. Make connections between the various aspects of health and how they impact well-being
Our routine is designed to improve physical performance and health, specifically balance, coordination, agility and muscular
endurance. The can can move specifically targeted balance as it required the jumper to jump on one leg while lifting and kicking the
other, this required a lot of coordination as well as the movements were alternate and had to be well timed with the swing of the rope.
These two aspects can greatly hep in daily life, especially for athletes as good balance can help prevent possible injuries when
running or travelling at high speeds and conducting sudden stops. Coordination can help a lot in daily life, making people less clumsy
as it helps us become more in control of our body. Especially for athletes, becoming more in control of our body and its movements,
can help the athlete improve greatly and move with more efficiency at a higher pace. the routine improves agility and muscular
endurance through the double dutch which requires the jumper to jump continuously at a high pace. Being agile helps me greatly as I
play basketball and must move swiftly with sudden turns and stops when I play in a game. having endurance also helps us in everyday
life as improving it will perhaps encourage us to participate in health and sports activities which will improve our well being such as
hiking or jogging. Therefore, the routine is effective in improving overall skills and aspects of health and can impact our well being
positively.