Jump rope has been practiced for centuries around the whole world.
Rope was used for skipping in Phoenicia, and ancient Egypt. The Greeks jumped a pole in the early days of the Western civilization, and several painters in the Golden Ages painted children playing jump rope. In addition, China was known for its manufacturing of jump ropes.
Jump Rope originated in the Netherlands and was brought across the Atlantic in the 1600s by the Dutch settlers, which became America's first jump-ropers. The Dutch children would play the game in front of their homes singling songs as they jumped. The English found it ridicuous and could not understand the songs so they called the game "Double Dutch". The name was a derogatory term because anything associated with Dutch culture was considered absurd and inferior to the English.
Not until the twentieth century did double dutch hit the uptown streets of New York City. It quicky became a cost effective past time for African American children living in the inner cities. Girls would head to the sidewalks with their mothers' clotheslines and cable cords to jump for hours.
Rope was used for skipping in Phoenicia, and ancient Egypt. The Greeks jumped a pole in the early days of the Western civilization, and several painters in the Golden Ages painted children playing jump rope. In addition, China was known for its manufacturing of jump ropes.
Jump Rope originated in the Netherlands and was brought across the Atlantic in the 1600s by the Dutch settlers, which became America's first jump-ropers. The Dutch children would play the game in front of their homes singling songs as they jumped. The English found it ridicuous and could not understand the songs so they called the game "Double Dutch". The name was a derogatory term because anything associated with Dutch culture was considered absurd and inferior to the English.
Not until the twentieth century did double dutch hit the uptown streets of New York City. It quicky became a cost effective past time for African American children living in the inner cities. Girls would head to the sidewalks with their mothers' clotheslines and cable cords to jump for hours.
By the late 1950s, Double Dutch nearly became extinct as it was overshadowed by the popularity of television and radio among youth. In1973, two NYC Police officers; Ulysses F. Williams and David Walker chose to use Double Dutch as part of their outreach programs. Their focus was to keep girls off the streets and out of trouble. The amount of organized Double Dutch teams increased during the 1980s reaching over fifteen hundred jumpers in NYC alone.
Before long, the American Double Dutch League (ADDL) was created. ADDL inspired teams to join the league from all over the US, Canada and nearby Islands. Shortly after ADDL's inception, McDonalds restaurants began sponsoring tournaments locally and nationally. This, not only provided much needed financial support for these events, but helped Double Dutch gain a wider audience and legitimized it as a sport. When McDonalds severed ties with ADDL in the late 1990s it collapsed the network of double dutch leagues. ADDL continued but struggled as it carried on without McDonalds' strength and resources. Double Dutch never went back to the streets as it did prior to the birth of ADDL.
Before long, the American Double Dutch League (ADDL) was created. ADDL inspired teams to join the league from all over the US, Canada and nearby Islands. Shortly after ADDL's inception, McDonalds restaurants began sponsoring tournaments locally and nationally. This, not only provided much needed financial support for these events, but helped Double Dutch gain a wider audience and legitimized it as a sport. When McDonalds severed ties with ADDL in the late 1990s it collapsed the network of double dutch leagues. ADDL continued but struggled as it carried on without McDonalds' strength and resources. Double Dutch never went back to the streets as it did prior to the birth of ADDL.
IDDL's founder was part of the first team out of New Jersey to advance to the final round at ADDL's World Invitiational Championship. She and her team were also the first team from NJ to become world champions, gaining her team national and international recognition. Laila Little became a coach and quickly realized the decline of ADDL. This inspired her to take an attempt on bringing the sport back to the inner cities. She founded IDDL in May of 2015. Check out their launch tournament in the this NY Times article. In addition, take a look at Laila speak on the history of Double Dutch
The Birth of IDDL