The 2021 CrossFit Open is underway! During yesterday’s announcement, we learned Open Workout 21.1 is made up of two movements: one that’s never been seen in the Open — the wall walk — and one of CrossFit’s classic skill movements that's appeared in every Open since the competition's inception: the double-under.
Depending on who you ask, double-unders are either one of the most difficult movements in CrossFit or a rudimentary skill that should be mastered early on in one’s CrossFit journey. The movement is commonplace among CrossFit affiliates and generally practiced routinely in programming. Double-unders challenge accuracy and lung capacity, and whether you’re proficient or still learning, we’re all subject to the faults often seen in this common movement.
Let’s explore further with the help of CrossFit Seminar Staff Flowmaster Michele Mootz and master the movement before we attempt Open Workout 21.1!
Common Faults
The points of performance in a double-under are met when an athlete holds their hands slightly in front of their hips as they grip the rope’s handles, jumps a few inches off the ground while keeping their torso upright and body straight, and spins their wrists so the rope moves forward and passes under their feet twice with every jump. Feet should stay close together with elbows held close to the body.
There is also a large neurological component, Mootz says.
“One of the most common mistakes in double-unders is underestimating how neurologically based the movement is,” Mootz says. “Because of that neurological foundation, this movement requires a lot of practice to become proficient.”
Most athletes will have the capacity to jump and spin their wrists effectively, Mootz explains, but training the coordination, accuracy, agility, and balance needed to complete a double-under can be tricky.
“Double-unders come with a long list of faults,” Mootz says. “We will touch on the most frequent faults that most trainers see.”
Jumping Too Early
“Because the timing component of the double-under is necessary to be successful in this movement, the timing of when to jump is critical,” Mootz says. “Generally, if the rope hits the shins or front of the feet, it is due in part to not waiting long enough for the rope to make it under the feet.”
The fix: Waiting until you can see the rope in front of you can be helpful here, Mootz says.
“You can also try to hit the ground in front of you to slow down the rope speed and correct the timing issue,” she adds.
Using the Elbows Too Much
“The rotation of the rope in a double-under should be generated primarily from the wrist and not the elbows,” Mootz says. “When the elbows bend too much in the effort to rotate the rope, the athlete ends up shortening the rope. This generally will also result in the rope hitting the shins, because there is not enough length to make it under the feet.”
The fix: Master using the wrists in single-unders first, Mootz suggests.
“Working on the position of the arms and hands using single-unders can be very effective. Take the timing component out of the movement and make adjustments with this less-complex movement,” she says. “Once you gain competency in the positions with the single-under, you can reintroduce the double-under.”
Double Jump
When first learning the double-under, Mootz says it’s common to confuse a quick double jump with an actual double-under where the rope is going under the feet twice with one jump.
The fix: Practicing a higher jump instead of a faster jump helps correct this fault, Mootz says.
“Do single-unders with a higher jump to remove the tendency to want to jump quicker.”
Double-Under Progressions
Beginning with effective single-unders is an appropriate place to start a double-under progression, Mootz says. Focus on an efficient two-foot jump while staying on the balls of the feet and rotating the rope with a wrist-initiated turn.
“Once you have good single-under capacity, the attempt for one double-under can be tackled,” Mootz says. “Working on a single-single-double sequence and then a reset can be effective.”
When performing double-unders, the main differences from single-unders are a higher jump and faster flick of the wrists, Mootz says. All other mechanics of the jump should stay intact (upright torso with the body in a straight line, hands slightly in front of the hips, elbows close to the body.)
Once the athlete has accomplished getting the single-single-double sequence, remove the second single jump, making the sequence single-double-single-double. When you’re proficient in that sequence, remove the single-under, Mootz suggests.
Progressions Mootz Suggests
- Single-under
- Single-single-double-under (or attempt)
- Single-double-single-double
- Consecutive double-unders
Overcoming Frustration
Because of the neurological basis of this movement, the frustration level while learning double-unders can be high, Mootz says. Use the walk-before-you-run approach to help alleviate some of this frustration.
“Make sure your single-unders are proficient before even attempting double-unders,” Mootz advises.
When you’re ready to incorporate double-unders into a workout, set a time domain to work on the movement rather than a rep count.
“For example, if the rep scheme is 50 double-unders per round, someone who is proficient at double-unders would complete that in 30-45 seconds,” Mootz explains.
In this circumstance, Mootz suggests athletes who are new to the double-under work on the movement for 1 minute per round.
Practice
For most of us, a movement like the double-under takes time to master. Of course, we all know someone who was able to perform consecutive double-unders right off the bat when they started CrossFit! But in general, practice is key in developing this skill.
If you’re going to take a stab at Open Workout 21.1 this weekend, and you’re worried the double-unders may trip you up (literally), consider using one of Mootz’s progressions to attack the workout. Although single-unders are not permitted in the Rx’d division, athletes may perform single-single-double, or a similar variant in which only the double-under reps will be counted toward their score.
Good luck!