- Who is Mr Hansen Bay?
Hansen Bay is the Program Director for Vitage Fitness, a service provider for fitness programs in schools, and the corporate and public sectors. A former PE teacher and fitness enthusiast, Hansen was also the first Singaporean to fight Muay Thai professionally in Phuket, Thailand, in 2004.
(The SkipFit Team)
2. How did he get started on rope skipping?
Hansen has been involved in martial arts and boxing since young and rope skipping was always a part of his fitness regime.
- What is rope-skipping all about? Isn't it a children's game more than a sport?
Rope skipping is a fabulous sport that incorporates both freestyle (skills performed to music)
and speed elements (timed events where the skipper’s steps are counted). Skipping includes single rope, partner skills, long rope, double dutch skills and group routines. Also, freestyle skipping which incorporates extreme stunts and hip hop dancing is part of the street culture in countries like Japan, Hong Kong, Holland and United States.
One of the common misconceptions is that rope skipping is child’s play. On the contrary, rope skipping is more than simply getting your feet across a rope. It requires coordination, stamina, timing as well as agility skills. There are also many variations of the same techniques and combinations to master.
Many people give up on rope skipping because they keep missing the steps and tripping over the rope. Some also fear being hit by the rope and many injure themselves due to incorrect skipping technique. Hansen has designed The SkipFit® System to allow participants to learn rope skipping progressively and to overcome these difficulties. It’s the only synchronized skipping program that makes use of rope turns and music to work on beginners’ co-ordination, timing and technique before getting them to jump over the rope. Skipping techniques are learnt progressively according to phrases of 4 x 8 musical beats. This program was one of the most popular Sport Education Program last year and is also being marketed regionally as a uniquely Singaporean PE program.
(Freestyle Double Dutch)
4. How can rope-skipping help me in my other sports (eg, coordination, stamina, etc)?
Rope skipping enhances stamina, upper to lower body coordination, agility, speed, strength as well as endurance. Sports that involve multi-directional changes, running or jumping, eye-hand-coordination, or require grip (racquet sports) will benefit.
5. Other interesting facts about rope-skipping
Rope skipping burns more calories that other exercises. Just 10 minutes of rope skipping is equivalent to a 1.5km run or 20 minutes of high impact aerobics! Rope skipping has got to be one of the least time consuming and convenient exercise ever!
Also, according to the U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Medicine Council, rope skipping is gentler on the muscles and bones than jogging. Each foot typically absorbs up to 5 times the body weight from the force of the impact as the foot hits the ground when running. However, with proper rope skipping technique, the impact of hitting the ground is slowed down and absorbed by both calf muscles.
6. What are the major rope-skipping events that I should attend for 2009?
The National Schools Championships will be in April followed by the Southeast Skipping Challenge in May/June.
The second half of the year will be extremely exciting for rope-skipping. Watch out for a series of novelty skipping competitions that will be introduced to make this activiy even more accesible to all! Freestyle street performances by youths from Hong Kong and Japan will also be invited to perform here. These events will lead up to a grand finale in Nov/Dec. Check out www.skipping.sg regularly for updates.
7. Where can I pick up rope-skipping?
SkipFit® sessions are conducted in many schools and Community Centres.
Also, you may join the Team Southeast Skippers for free rope skipping sessions every Saturday at East Coast Park. For more details, log on to www.skipping.sg
(Hansen with the Jumpsters)