The CrossFit Open reveals everything: strengths, weaknesses, nerves, and grit. Every year, we’re challenged with some familiar — and some not-so-familiar — movements, testing not just fitness, but confidence under pressure. If you want to thrive in the Open, it comes down to preparation and understanding the fundamentals.
In this article series, we’re breaking down the movements most commonly seen in the CrossFit Open with clear tips, smart training progressions, and insights from CrossFit’s expert trainers. Whether you’re chasing Quarterfinals, a higher leaderboard spot than last year, or simply showing up to put in honest work, these articles are designed to help you move better, train smarter, and step into the competition with confidence.
If this series inspires you to dive deeper and learn more about training and movement, check out our course library, including the foundational Level 1 Course (available online or in person), or other online options on nutrition, anatomy, scaling, and more. See all available courses here.
Registration for the 2026 CrossFit Open, presented by Air National Guard, starts Jan. 14, with the first workout being announced Feb. 26. It’s proving season — will you be ready?
Common Faults in Double-Unders
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.
Not to be forgotten, there is also a large neurological component, CrossFit Affiliate Programming Lead Content Creator and former Seminar Staff Trainer Spencer Hendel says.
Imagine learning to ride a bike. The first time you get up on the seat, there are a lot of other things you need to do to ride a bike. You need to have balance, you need to pedal your feet, you need to steer the handlebars, and you may need to brake. In other words, neurologically, there are a lot of components that go into riding a bike. With the double-under, there is no difference.
Most athletes will have the capacity to jump and spin their wrists effectively, but training the coordination, accuracy, agility, and balance needed to complete a double-under requires a consistent commitment to practice.
Jumping Too Early
Oftentimes, when athletes are told they are jumping too early, their feet are leaving the floor when the rope is behind them or directly over their head. Ideally, athletes should wait until the rope is out in front of them (they can see the rope before jumping). The longer the athlete waits, the lower they need to jump, and the less energy is expended.
The fix: Start with the single-under. Perform these reps as slowly as possible and watch the rope as it shows up in front of your body. Aim to begin jumping when the rope is about chest level and begin to develop the timing of when the feet leave the floor. The difficulty of this strategy can then be increased by adding speed to the single-under and eventually the double-under.
Using the Elbows Too Much
When the elbows get involved in the rotation of the rope, it can shorten the length of the rope and create more shoulder and upper-body fatigue. Aim to keep the elbows closer to your sides. Then focus on spinning the rope with the wrist and the forearms. Another way to think about it is to imagine you were using a whisk to scramble some eggs.
The fix: Think about flicking the rope handles toward the ground as you jump off the floor. As your body goes up, the arms should not follow. The body goes up, but the wrists and forearms flick the handles down to the ground.
Excessive Bending at the Knee (the Tuck Jump)
Related to the incorrect arm mechanics is its close cousin, the high knee or tuck jump. This occurs when the athlete excessively bends the knees, similar to performing a small tuck jump during each repetition in an effort to avoid the rope contacting the feet and stopping the rotation.
The fix: Focus on jumping through the balls of the feet to create tension in a straight-body position. Think jumping tall as though you are being pulled up by a strap attached to the top of your head. Legs can have soft angles at the ankle, hip, and knees, but should be globally straight. As mentioned before, ensure your elbows are positioned close to your trunk, driving the rope with your wrist motion. Excessive use of the arms can create a shortening effect on the rope, causing you to perform a tuck jump to avoid tripping.
Double-Under Progressions
Beginning with effective single-unders is an appropriate place to start a double-under progression. Focus on an efficient two-foot jump while staying on the balls of the feet and rotating the rope with a wrist-initiated turn.
When performing double-unders, the main differences from single-unders are a higher jump and a faster flick of the wrists. 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. Try the single-single-double sequence to get used to feeling the difference.
Once you've 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.
Suggested Progressions
- 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. Use the “walk-before-you-run” approach to help alleviate some of this frustration.
Frequency is going to be your friend here. Frequent, small doses of practice have a cumulative impact over time. Grab that rope during your cool down or for a few minutes before class begins. Perhaps substitute a machine during a warm-up with a jump rope. Can’t it make it to the gym? No problem. Get some practice at home. Practice is important; however, we need consistent exposure to the correct mechanics. Don’t hesitate to ask a coach for feedback. You can also record yourself to see if you are exhibiting any of the faults listed above. Rinse and repeat, and with time, the elusive double-under will be yours.
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. In this circumstance, athletes who are new to the double-under could 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 reps right off the bat when they started CrossFit, but in general, practice is key in developing this skill. Good luck in this year’s Open — we’ll see you on the leaderboard!
