Shuffling with a jump rope is one of the hottest new trends in the sport of jump rope. It’s all over social media. And for good reason! It can look smooth when done well. As challenging as it appears, it can be deconstructed into a simple footwork pattern which is easily learnt.

All you need to get started is the two core footwork skills that make up the movement pattern: High Knee and Forward Straddle. Both are covered on Tricktionary+, my jump rope learning platform made just for jumpers.

In the Running Man shuffle, the jumper performs a High Knee followed by a Forward Straddle, with the lifted foot in the High Knee becoming the leading foot in the Forward Straddle. Then, the jumper switches to the other side and repeats. Alternating back and forth gives us the full combo we call the Running Man shuffle.

Want to spice things up? Try reversing the movement pattern so that the lifted foot in the High Knee becomes the trailing foot in the Forward Straddle, giving the illusion that the jumper is running backwards. Hence, this is called the Reverse Running Man shuffle.