THE PRINCIPLES
OF RELEASES
The principles of releases can be split into three parts: method, placement and sequencing.
Method
The first principle of releases is the method. There are three subcategories: mics, floaters and handle passes.
MIC RELEASEs
Mic Releases involve the jumper performing a Swing, releasing one handle into the air and allowing the rope to complete a full rotation by their side, before then catching the handle. This can be achieved in any type of Swing (and even a Cross).
Top tip: the term ‘mic’ is often used to refer to the entire Mic Release skill as a whole and specifically the airborne rotation. In notation, this is made simpler by writing the sequence as S, M, O, where M stands for the ‘mic’ rotation.
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All Mic Releases share three common aspects: the release, the rotation and the catch. Below is a drill for each.
Note: it is strongly recommended you start out by learning the Wrist Pop Release first, since it is mechanically the most efficient and so will enable you to understand the physics of the skill the fastest.
The Release
Starting with the rope behind you bring it over your head. As the rope approaches your feet, bring your hands into a Box Swing on one side and place your outermost hand’s handle on the back of the innermost’s hand’s wrist. The neck of the hand should rest comfortably exactly where you’d wear a watch.The Rotation
Starting with the rope on the floor in front of you, point your handle directly toward the floor and draw large circle with your turning hand and create a horizontal C-shaped loop with the rope. If you’re turning with your right hand, rotate clockwise; if you’re turning with your left hand, rotate anti-clockwise.Try out lots of different speeds so you become accustomed to how the rope responds. When you’re ready to, begin angling your hand up and allow the rope’s loop to rotate diagonally next to you.
The Catch
Starting with the rope on the floor in front of you, rotate the rope twice with enough force to lift it from the ground, and bring your turning hand into pocket position as you catch the other handle. Make slow sweeping motions so the rope gets a lot of lift without rotating excessively fast.“Conceal, Check, Reveal” Method
When adding all the three pieces together it can be easy to rush through them as it will feel like the whole skills happens so fast. The “Conceal, Check, Reveal” method is a movement pattern which will ensure you’re more able to catch the handle and jump the rope cleanly, which will set up better for sequencing mic releases later on.After the mic rotation, when you’re ready to bring your turning hand back to pocket position, imagine you’re playing poker. Your turning hand is concealing a pair of aces. As you begin transitioning the hand back across to pocket position, first check your hand for aces by lifting it up to your face so that on one else can see your cards. Then finally as you return it to pocket position, reveal your aces to the table as you catch other the handle.
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A Box Swing Release, also known as a ‘Tissue Box’ Mic, is one of the most common methods of performing a Mic Release.
The jumper performs a Box Swing and releases the outermost hand by tossing it gently upwards, as if pulling a tissue out of a tissue-box - hence the name.
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A Wrist Swing Release, also known as a ‘Reisig’ Release, is a common method of release for long handles due to their extra weight.
The jumper performs a Wrist Swing and releases the innermost handle by letting go whilst the turning hand is covering the wrist of the releasing hand.
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A Wrist Pop Release is one of the most common methods of performing a Mic Release, and the most efficient method of short handles and multiples.
The jumper performs a Wrist Wrap immediately from an Open and releases the top hand, popping it up into the air using the wrapped wrist.
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A Vertical Release, also known as a ‘Strict’ Release, is one of the hardest methods of performing a Mic Release.
The jumper performs an Open or Cross of any type and releases the most restricted hand as the rope’s arc approaches the peak of the rotation (roughly 10-15º overhead).
For any Open Releases variation, the jumper must bring their turning hand across their hips momentarily to turn the Mic Release before catching it.
Learn more.
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A Same-Side Release is second-half of a Mamba, one of the most popular Mic Release variations.
The jumper performs a Box Swing and releases the innermost hand and turns the rope with the other hand - which is on the ‘same-side’ as its pocket position, hence the name.
Floaters
Floaters involve the jumper bringing the rope top a complete pause overhead between two skills, releasing one or both handles leaving the rope to float as they catch the handle(s) in a different placements.
Top tip: floaters enable a jumper to disregard all rules surrounding sequencing and combo building since floating the rope allows for any crossing skill to follow any other skill.
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HANDLE PASSES
Handle passes involve the jumper passes one handles between their hands during a Swing. Mic Releases, Thigh Wraps and Step-Throughs are possible during handle passes before the jumper returns the handle to its original hand.
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Placement
The second principle of releases is placement. All releases can be released from and caught into any Swing or Crossing skill. Once the standard methods have been mastered, the number of variations is seemingly endless.
Fun fact: for just mic releases there are over 40 core variations involving all the Swings and Crossing skills. Since a mic release can be caught into any other Swing or Cross, this means we have over 3,200 possible variations on ‘one side’ - that’s before we include wraps, direction change and multiples.
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Sequencing
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Wrap Releases
