EUR19,94
Mikamax Skipping Rope
28 cm
This wireless skipping rope is a strange solution to an inexistent problem
12.11.2022
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
A jump rope that doesn’t have a rope puts a smile on my face. But as is often the case with love at first click, a reality check revealed that it’s actually pretty rubbish. Yet the solution would be so simple and is even included in the delivery.
Gem or joke? I stumbled across the jump rope by Mikamax while browsing through the sports range, and its absurd existence made my day. Instead of a rope that connects the two handles, there are two plastic balls dangling from them. Diplomatically put, this looks a little strange. It looks like something the world wasn’t waiting for. Curiosity gets the better of me and I order the product that feels like it’s confidently saying: «Well, why shouldn’t the rope be dispensable when you’re jumping rope?» This much chutzpah deserves closer inspection.
It’s true. Cables, cords and ropes can be a nuisance at times. Take the phone, for example. We used to be «hanging on the telephone» with a limited radius of movement of about one and a half metres during calls. Today, we’re caught up in the complete freedom of being connected – anywhere and always. What’s more, cables on computers, TVs, headphones and speakers are also rarely considered an asset. Observant minds will have noticed that the cable was a means to an end in all the products mentioned. However, it has now become dispensable, because new ways have been found to achieve the same goal.
A courageous approach
Rope skipping is no exception. After all, the rope’s a pivotal part of it. Namely the part that’s used to rhythmically jump over, accelerate by the wrists and rotate around your body without getting it entangled. Leaving out the eponymous part is bold, as this means losing a large slice of its raison d’être. In other words, the actual goal of the exercise is now no longer attainable.
Rope skipping without a rope is just skipping. But at least it’s physical exercise that gives you a bit of an idea of what rope skipping’s like. Just like making phone calls without a cable used to simply mean pressing your ear against the receiver and was therefore reserved for small children. Pretending. Not communicating; a type of preliminary stage of it even toddlers can master. The jump rope simulator, however, will have to manage the tightrope act of appealing to an older audience without making them feel fooled.
Solution looking for a problem
To create a problem, this skipping rope relies on a display and a story. The display that spits out information when it detects movement seems to serve as justification for holding two handles but no rope. And the story creates the problem that justifies said solution without a rope.
I’m sure you’re familiar with the following situation: no sooner have you started your indoor workout than your conventional skipping rope takes down a vase before accidentally strangling your cat. Wherever a rope let loose could pose a risk, a wireless version will avert any such accidents. It won’t destroy anything. At most, your self-respect. So let’s get stuck in. Time to unbox this beast.
Less wire, less fun
Admittedly, the elegant blue packaging is appealing. But as soon as it’s open, it exudes that unpleasant plastic odour you’d expect from looking at the picture. The set includes two handles, one of which features a display with four buttons the size of a grain of rice.
With them, you can enter how many times you’d like to jump over the rope that isn’t there, or how long you’d like to jump for. It also wants to know your weight, so it can display a value for the calories you might have burned. As a bonus, so to speak.
In addition, the box includes two cable-like rope replacement bobbles, the ends of which are threaded into the handles. So strictly speaking, the skipping rope isn’t wireless, but simply requires less wire. The best bit seems to be the spare battery. A wee screwdriver completes the package.
My express test reveals that skipping with two pom-poms makes me feel so daft I stop after fifteen seconds. And that was without anyone watching me. Having said that, it didn’t feel completely phoney to be hurling two balls around instead of a rope. You can definitely pretend you’re jumping rope. But it’s void of any joy and therefore pointless.
There’s no whizzing through the air, no slaps to the ground. All the handles do is sit sadly in your hands. It’s a dry run, like swimming strokes on the beach.
Take a running jump
And so, this short test would end with the suspected disappointment. If there weren’t something else in the box – a rope! It’s a rope reminiscent of a power cable and could prove to be a real killer feature. So, after quickly replacing the bobbles with a rope, lo and behold, this thing suddenly makes sense and is also a coordinative challenge. Mikamax should advertise more aggressively that there’s a rope included. It’s a game changer.
But since the selling point is precisely no rope, I’m getting a second opinion and putting the two bobble handles in the hands of my seven-year-old son. He waves them around as he jumps about before stopping dead in his tracks and looking at me with an uncomprehending look: «It’s no use without a rope». This makes me realise that the wireless rope isn’t necessarily for beginners either.
You’ll have to have internalised the rhythm of jumping rope beforehand to avoid feeling completely lost in your hand movements. After this experience, my suspicions are confirmed: maybe there’s nothing to be optimised or digitised when it comes to the skipping rope. Maybe its development is completed and fine just the way it is. Here’s a great selection of skipping ropes. The Wireless Jumping Rope, on the other hand, is primarily suitable as a baby rattle. Unless you attach the rope, that is.
Despite this flop, I continue to look through Mikamax’s range with enthusiasm – from the «Angry Mama» to the branding iron for steaks to the mermaid tail blanket and so much more I’ve never dared to dream of. Bring on the festive season!
Sports scientist, high-performance dad and remote worker in the service of Her Majesty the Turtle.