How?

With your hands in pocket position, turn the rope to jump once with both feet together. Then on your second jump, clear the loop of the rope with your feet and land with your one foot directly ahead of you and one directly behind you. Keep your feet at hip's width apart, and avoid landing with your feet directly on a line (like a tight rope through the middle of your body) since this will allow you to lose your balance much more easily. Alternate between landing with your feet together and feet apart in the straddle.

Why?

Footwork is a very good way to build up your coordination and timing whilst still developing your technique in the Open. More than that, the forward straddle forms the basis of turns, which will explore later when we discover direction change.