Forget everything you thought you knew about the innocent playground game of jump rope, because these Hong Kong based competitive rope-skippers took it not just to a new level, but a whole new galaxy.
This video of the event, which shows the athletes competing in what appears to be a tournament, has taken over the internet because, as it turns out, watching someone competitively jump rope is absolutely mesmerizing.
It appears the perfect technique involves keeping your upper body stationary while your legs go nuts. What ensues is a hummingbird-esque display of what the human body is capable of, all documented by an “unofficial counter” in the back. The team, which consists of two people holding the ropes double-dutch style, one person jumping, and one person waiting to sub in, gets to an incredible 621 jumps before tapping out. Assuming all members of the team alternate roles, the sport requires both incredible arm and leg strength if a team wants to make it through the competition.
While the video is fascinating, it inspires more questions that answers. How many jump rope teams exist? What do they win? Did they knew they wanted to do this since childhood? Are there jump rope child prodigies?
We won’t get answers to these questions any time soon — not unless this video really catches on in time for jump-roping to be a part of the Olympics. There’s no point anyways, since these guys have basically already won gold.