Long Rope: Front Door and Back Door

Students learn the two ways into a long rope: front door, when the rope is coming down toward you, and back door, when it is coming up in front of you. It trains reading the rope and timing the entry.

How to play

1. Groups of seven per rope. Watch where the rope hits the ground and say "Now!" on every hit (4 min).
2. Front door: the rope comes over the top toward you; run in right behind it as it hits the ground, jump three times and exit on a diagonal (7 min).
3. Back door: the rope is coming up in front of you; wait for it to pass over the top, run in, jump three times and exit (7 min).
4. Challenge: alternate doors; turners rotate every three jumpers (7 min).

Rules

• Always enter and exit on the same sides, marked with cones.
• Nobody enters until the previous jumper is out.
• Turners keep the rope brushing the ground; no whipping.
• Waiting jumpers stand two meters from the rope.

Variations

Adaptations

• Blind or low-vision students: turners call "Now!" at the right moment and the rope has noisy tape.
• Wheelchair users: turn from a fixed spot, or roll through under a high "wave" rope.
• Students afraid of the rope: start inside with the rope still and leave whenever they want.

Learning goals

• Tell the two long-rope entries apart.
• Anticipate the rope's path.
• Work together as turner and jumper.

Equipment for a class of 25

• long jump ropes: 4
• cones: 8

Teacher tip

Four long ropes (about 5 meters) let the whole class work at once; no long ropes? Tie two individual ropes together with a solid knot. The typical mistake is running in when the rope goes by instead of when it hits the ground, so have them say "Now!" out loud.

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