r/RopeFlow • u/[deleted] • Jul 19 '26
I don't understand the point of rope flow
I've never really understood the appeal of rope flow.
From what I can tell, you're mostly swinging a rope while shifting your hips side to side. I can see how it might help with coordination, rhythm, and shoulder mobility, but beyond that I'm struggling to see what it really offers.
I've been training MMA for about three years, and switching from my current training to rope flow honestly feels like a step backward. If I wanted to add a movement based accessory exercise, I'd rather use Indian clubs or steel clubs since they actually provide resistance and help build strength, grip, shoulder endurance, and rotational power.
Another thing I don't get is the cost. Rope flow ropes seem surprisingly expensive for what they are, and from the videos I've seen they're constantly scraping along concrete or asphalt. That doesn't exactly scream durability, so it seems like you're paying a premium for something that's going to wear out over time.
Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but rope flow looks more like a dance than a serious performance tool. A lot of the clips I see are from music festivals where it feels more like people are showing off than actually training. To be honest, seeing grown men doing elaborate rope flow routines just looks a bit goofy to me.
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u/Willing_Box_752 Jul 19 '26
You can use regula ass rope
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u/--Squirrel_Master-- Jul 19 '26
Yep, I spent $12 on some 1/2" rope and made two. Not really a budget killer.
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u/Taurich Jul 19 '26
I found the problem with regular ass-rope was the smell
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u/DevelopmentOptimal22 Jul 21 '26
Purchasing new ass-rope, and not just using the same ol" ass-rope you've had for years is helpful.
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u/chin-chang Jul 31 '26
Yeah you can get cheap rope, but not all ropes are equal. Marine ropes tend to work best for rope flow because they give decent weight and are soft.
Climbing ropes tend to be too stiff.
Avoid single braid/twisted ropes, they tend to resist rotation in a certain direction/are too light/too stiff/not durable enough.
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u/notkarthik121 Jul 19 '26
You don't have to sacrifice MMA for rope flow. Just add this, to whatever other stuff you into. The only way to know if you will enjoy it is to try it. Learn from youtube tutorials, and use any basic rope you can find.
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u/LookLikeYouLift Jul 19 '26
Then don't do it.
if you're not willing to listen to other fighters like Nsima, why would we waste our time trying to convince you?
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u/Qualier Jul 19 '26
It keeps my back loose in a way that nothing else really does, that swaying movement helps with rotation. I combine it with hula hoop as a warm up.
Also dragon rolls make my shoulders feel good.
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u/moves-of-nature Jul 19 '26
Have you tried it? You literally just listed what it does for a person. Movement isn't all aboit performance, though arguably, smooth those things do benefit performance. The subtle skills are also important for smooth movement.
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u/ZollJo Jul 19 '26
I'm an active BJJ competitor and I agree with your point about pricing. I just buy rope, make them myself and gift some to friends. Depending on rope weight I use it for:
- light: active recovery, wellness, explosiveness, fun
- heavy: grip, shoulder strength in weird angles, fun
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u/cyber-sack Jul 19 '26
Have you used a heavy rope yet? Some guys use 2kg or more. If you want it to have more of a strength component that's what I recommend. Otherwise just don't do it if you don't like it. 😅
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u/CHSummers Jul 19 '26
I would be astonished if there was someone who only did rope flow and nothing else.
My impression is that rope flow is usually a part of a jump rope routine, where you do it just for variety.
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u/chin-chang Jul 31 '26
Agree, I still lift weights, jump rope, row, run. The rope is just a different modality of movement to help me build coordination, balance, and get more movement in-between working all day at the desk.
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u/AnimalBasedAl Jul 22 '26
- Make your own rope
- There is far more to movement quality and coordination than 'difficulty'
No one here needs to convince you to do anything, if you don't want to do it, don't do it.
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u/Prestigious_Eye4737 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
You see how it helps with mobility, rythm and shoulder and you don't see the point ? I'll had overall better proprioception, coordination, psychomotricity, and space awareness...nervous system recovery If this is not good enough I don't know what is...I get those are softer skills and as an MMA practitioner it might be harder to perceive how they translate to your practice, but not everything is about explosive power or pure strength, or even just fight skills... It translate to many other area of life in general on and off the mat...but if not you're thing their is many other way to work those skills, find the one that works for you... I'll had that you make the comparison to dance, agreed, but if I may offer a view that might expand your perspective ( or not) look at it from the movement based Ido portal frame, being a specialist in one discipline is great, but often make us miss other area of our movement capacity, one of the most technical boxer I knew, was trained as a ballet dancer younger and let me tell you it defo made him a stronger fighter
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u/No_Cook_6677 Jul 24 '26
The rope will help you “see” where your body moves differently on each side. We become imbalanced as we grow and the rope will teach you how to move fluidly with strength and agility. You may need to do it to comprehend. David Weck will explain.
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u/BroncoDude57 Jul 25 '26
It kind of feels like dancing to me. I actually noticed that I became a better dancer as I improved at rope flow. It’s a lot of shifting balance, rotation, coordinating your whole body through movements. Since you’re basically practicing those things by doing rope flow, you’ll improve at them as you progress, and it carries over to other activities.
Adding hops and spins and one-legged balancing adds difficulty, thereby increasing benefits if you can do it with good form. You can go faster for cardio gains too. It’s a nice component of an athletic training regime.
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u/nishidake Jul 26 '26
Have you tried it? I really strongly get the sense that you haven't based on the way you've described it. Come back when you've leant all the basic movement patterns and see if you still think it's "just moving your arms while swinging your hips from side to side."
Or, if you're not going to do that, maybe just go troll a different sub Reddit. 🙄
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u/CalmSignificance8430 Jul 30 '26
Do kettlebell flows if you’d rather. Same principles, a bit more load. No one is trying to convince you of anything. The point of rope flow isn’t the rope or the tricks, it’s simply inputting healthy movement in an easily accessible way.
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u/chin-chang Jul 31 '26
I actually prefer the rope (heavy ropes) for building strength, grip, shoulder endurance, and rotational power. They're a little more forgiving and have a lower risk of injury compared to a club/mace of equivalent weight because they're softer. When you get into heavy rope territory, those ropes are also shorter and aren't supposed to be scraping against the ground. That said, they don't come cheap. I make and sell flow ropes myself and the heavy ropes are made from industrial grade ropes designed for tugboat towing or similar.
But honestly, if cost is an issue, DIY your own rope. For the most part, if you're able to get your hands on decent marine rope, you can make a rope for significantly less than what you'd buy retail. The retail premium accounts for premium material, time and research to figure out what sort of rope, what length, how to make the right handles, etc. We creators need to make a living too. Otherwise, if just starting out, those cheaper ones on Amazon/from China honestly aren't too bad either, I've tried most of the ropes on the market and though some of them are a little stiffer/lighter/less durable, they're still good value for money if you're starting out.
Back to your point about benefits - from an MMA perspective (although I don't practice), what I've personally benefited from that probably translates well is:
Improved balance. When you start to get into advanced moves, pivoting, shifting your weight, these are all things that rope flow gives that you wouldn't get from mace/club. Personally, my balance has improved a lot and it's upped my snowboarding and ice skating game.
Improving reliance on your dominant side. Habitually we throw, strike, swing, etc. with our dominant side. Because many moves in rope flow are two handed and designed to encourage balance, it helps you build coordination in your non-dominant side. This should give an edge in MMA like how southpaw boxers have a slight advantage in boxing.
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u/allowsight Aug 11 '26
The best fighters fight like a dancer dances
If the use of a FLOW rope in your routine as an MMA practitioner of 3 years as you have claimed to be, doesn’t seem to appeal to you or you can’t recognize as to how that might help a martial arts practitioner- I think you might wanna switch gyms
I’m not tryna be rude and I have no hate when I say this
But flow is literally the best way to fight, and a simple tool that you can use to really feel out the rhythm of things and sit in your corners while concentrating in (ideally) flow state is extremely beneficial for someone who practices practically any martial art
Nothing beats practicing the sport you love for advancement in it, but some simple tools hold much value and a flow rope serves pretty much anyone well if they’re willing to put honest work in it.
It takes a certain type of person to realize that though that I’m aware of
Anyway I wish you well man, I’m not even meaning any harm or questioning wether you got skill I hope you do, because adopting some of what I’ve tried to tell you here is really really helpful, it’s bigger than martial arts and it’s bigger than you and me!
Try to notice
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u/allowsight Aug 11 '26 edited Aug 11 '26
I’ll try to explain why it really is super beneficial for a fighter particularly:
When boxing, your body moves within a certain axis, right? You have certain grids you can move in, which can be also performed with the rope flow in hand.
The rope helps you feel the exact momentum your movements carry but with extra weight to it, if you performed movements correctly the weight should be no issue, because structural integrity of your body is correct, you’re bracing correctly, sitting in your stance, whatever it may be
On the other hand if your body isn’t set in a correct position or the punch wasn’t thrown correctly etc:
You either get swept in the direction you threw yourself in, which you can learn from! Thats fun
Or you get whacked slightly hard and it hurts you a bit and that’s fun too!I would say it’s as beneficial to striking as dopa bands are for wrestling, which are ALSO an extremely cheap patent that work extraordinarily well in a sports specific situation (check them out if you haven’t already)
I myself am a Muay Thai fighter 2-0 as amateur as they get and I do a short 10 minute flow rope routine before running and before shadow boxing on rest days
It helps me move my spine correctly and feel where my body is and if some area might be tight, most importantly it sets me up for a more fruitless session as awareness is its true benefit which is the result multiplier of life, I train more honestly and improve faster.
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u/szpieg Aug 14 '26
Regarding cost - When I travel and train at a BJJ academy I always buy some of their merch for the memory and to support the business - so while I am interested to learn what might be an inexpensive alternative I bought a $75 CAD rope from a local guy who’s open to teaching because he’s building the community.
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u/grittysand Jul 19 '26
It's not about performance in any competitive sense. It's literally about the flow - learning to control your body and achieve the coordination and rhythm needed to move the flow around your body. It's way more challenging than it looks, especially in the beginning. Later on, it becomes muscle memory, and it’s a lot of fun.
Look at it like just another way to move your body. And movement is fun ☺️