Ten days after she discovered skipping while in self-isolation, Naomi Barrett decided to document her progress on Instagram, “just to track” how she was doing.
The 29-year-old had recently come in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 and was quarantining at home.
“I couldn’t go to the gym or for a run, and I had this really cheap PVC skipping rope lying around the house,” she recalls. “So I picked it up, headed to my building’s terrace and began skipping.”
Barrett, it turns out, was a natural. Inspired by videos of others she’d seen on Instagram, she began to post her sessions daily last October.
As her posts grew, so did her followers. And it wasn’t long before brands took notice and sponsorship deals started to come in.
"I really don't know how it all happened. I don't understand algorithms or how any of it works. All I do is just post videos and interact with as many people as I can," Barrett tells The National.
Her account, @rai.jumps.rope, now has more than 7,400 followers.
Barrett, who works as a school teacher in Dubai, says she chose the name so her students wouldn’t find her.
“My fiancee calls me Rai so I picked that name to be more discreet. But some of my students have found me anyway,” she says, laughing.
Barrett fell in love with skipping because “it’s fun and there’s always something new to learn”.
“I do find going to the gym boring. Skipping is almost like dancing. It might look like just jumping up and down on a rope, but there’s a lot more going on in your brain because co-ordination is a huge part,” she explains.
The health benefits are another positive byproduct of the activity.
“It’s good for your endorphins. Even if it’s just five minutes, it makes you feel happy. And skipping for 10 minutes is apparently equivalent to 30 minutes of running,” Barrett says.
“If you have a short amount of time or no access to a gym, it’s something you can do at home if you have the space. You can do it anywhere.”
Instagram has also introduced Barrett to the UAE’s growing jump-rope community, which includes members such as Fatima Joy Ablen, who also discovered the activity last year.
Ablen, 30, started skipping at home in July because she didn’t feel safe going to the gym yet. She also began to record her progress through her Instagram account, @hophop_hurray.
"I never thought it was possible to make cardio look so cool until I saw people posting their Instagram videos," she tells The National. "Jump-rope workouts are so broad and a lot of fun; you will not easily get bored because there are a lot of things you can do.
"You can do it as HIIT workout, make flow sequences, tricks, releases, shuffles, wraps and dance sequences, and a lot more.”
The Filipina hotel administrator says skipping helped take her fitness to the next level.
“It not only helps me test the limit of my physical skills but also my mental strength, especially during these stressful times,” she says.
Skipping is great for socially distanced workouts, she adds, as you can do it alone.
“It’s a low-maintenance workout; you just need that rope and enough space to jump,” she says.
Ablen skips two to three times a week, for at least 30 minutes, and often joins meet-ups with fellow jumpers on weekends.
A growing community
Friends Airaj Isaacs and Michael Latti started Jump Rope DXB in June last year, a few months after the coronavirus pandemic broke out.
“A lot of my friends and family were not able to go their usual gyms and play their normal sports because everything was closed. I encouraged them to start skipping at home so they could preserve their fitness until they were able to go back to their gyms and participate in their normal sports,” Isaacs recalls.
“Michael and I then discovered that we were part of many global online jump-rope communities and there was not one in Dubai. We decided to come together and start a community of like-minded enthusiasts.”
Starting with just five members, the group now has more than 50 active jumpers who meet up for weekly sessions around Dubai.
"We organise group workout sessions for jump-rope enthusiasts, as well as people who are new to the sport. We aim to do a weekly session which happens over the weekend,” Latti says.
Sarah Mirza, a school teacher in Dubai who has been skipping for three years, says she’s been encouraged by the growing number of jumpers in the UAE.
"When I see this huge community on Instagram, it inspires me to do more,” she says. “I’ve already convinced my sister to get into skipping. I have also been pushing my friends to start and I'm not giving up.
"It’s such an exciting form of exercise and the fancy footwork can make it challenging, too.”
Barrett, whose followers include fans from the US and her home town in the UK, as well as the UAE, says she wants to make her Instagram page more educational.
“I get so many messages from around the world with people saying ‘you inspire me’ or ‘you encouraged me to buy a rope’ or that they didn’t know you could do so many things with a rope,” she says.
“I’d like it to be a place where people can learn. I want to be able to inspire and teach people.”
How to start skipping
Naomi Barrett shares her top five tips for beginners
1. Purchase a beaded rope and a PVC rope as they are both useful for different skills
2. At first, jump only for five to 10 minutes a day until you train your muscles (trust me, your shins will thank you)
3. Work on your form before anything else. Your hands should stay in ‘pocket position’, that is, in line at your sides, where trouser pockets would sit
4. Interact with other people in the jumprope community – they are all friendly and supportive.
5. Try not to compare yourself to others. You are on your own journey and it’s your progress that matters
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Read more:
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
Stage result
1. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 3:29.09
2. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto-Soudal
3. Rudy Barbier (FRA) Israel Start-Up Nation
4. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Luka Mezgec (SLO) Mitchelton-Scott
6. Alberto Dainese (ITA) Sunweb
7. Jakub Mareczko (ITA) CCC
8. Max Walscheid (GER) NTT
9. José Rojas (ESP) Movistar
10. Andrea Vendrame (ITA) Ag2r La Mondiale, all at same time
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BABYLON
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Damien%20Chazelle%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Brad%20Pitt%2C%20Margot%20Robbie%2C%20Jean%20Smart%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Brief scoreline:
Wales 1
James 5'
Slovakia 0
Man of the Match: Dan James (Wales)