Types of Double Dutch Sports

Double Dutch sports are games that use two jump ropes and require multiple participants. In the basic games, a person on each end holds a rope and turns it in an eggbeater fashion while one or more jumpers hops inside the ropes. Many double Dutch games for children coincide with a rhyme that rope turners repeat for the jumpers. Although thought to be mostly an urban game, double Dutch became an official sport in the New York City school system in 2008.

  1. Basic Double Dutch

    • In the basic double Dutch game, one person jumps into the ropes and skips between the swinging ropes. The jumper tries to see how long she can jump without missing a step; each made skip is worth 10 points. The player with the most points wins.

    Crisscross Double Dutch

    • In crisscross double Dutch the players holing the ropes join in on the jumping. The game is the same as basic double Dutch but the the rope holders swing their bodies into the jumping while another player jumps in the middle of the swinging ropes.

    Down Mississippi Double Dutch

    • Jumpers skip between the ropes individually while everyone else sings a rhyme. Rhymes tend to vary by group of players. Each player skips in the ropes for the duration of the rhyme and skips out when the rhyme is over. Players are eliminated for missing a step. The last player left is the winner.

    Helicopter, Helicopter

    • In this double Dutch game, one person holds two ropes and swings them over his head. He slowly lowers them to the ground while spinning them as other players jump over the ropes. Players sing a rhyme for this game and are eliminated if they touch a rope. The basic rhyme is, "Helicopter, helicopter please come down/ If you don't we'll shoot you down/ Bang bang."