YINCHUAN, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- In a gym in Yinchuan, the capital city of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, 19 kids, aged between 6 and 12, were jumping up and down under the instruction of coaches. They were not warming up for popular sports like basketball, football or table tennis but practicing jump rope in a youth camp.

Jump rope has already been a part of PE class in China's primary schools. This sport might seem to be a piece of cake at first sight, but in fact, it is a tough challenge for many kids. Among the participants of the camp, some were fairly uncoordinated and some could not even jump over twice without the rope tripping them up.

Cheng Boyi, 11, could hardly do over 30 jumps per minute before joining the camp. Given that 45 jumps per minute is a pass for fifth-grade boys, Cheng was not remotely close to passing the rope jumping exam. Now, after four days of intensive training, he can easily do over 100 jumps per minute and be graded Good in exams.

"It is definitely challenging, and all I thought was to stick to it for a while longer and the practice would be over," said Cheng.

Ma Xiaoshuang, chief coach of the youth rope jumping camp, said many kids nowadays were obsessed with their smartphones and tablets, and they can stay at home all day unless they need to go to school. "We are worried about their health when they barely do any sports," said Ma.

Her concern echoes with many parents. "Kids are now under overwhelming academic pressure. With so few PE classes arranged in schools, kids don't exercise enough and their health is affected as a result," said Yi Lei, father of an 8-year-old boy, adding that he hopes his child can develop a habit of physical exercise and make some friends through this camp.

Compared with running, swimming, and basketball, jump rope does not require as much space and no physical confrontation. So it is quite suitable for promotion among students.

"Jumping rope helps to improve children's concentration, confidence and physique as well as keep them energetic in their daily study," said Tang Xiaoliang, organizer of the camp.

Tang Xiaoyu, who is in her fifth grade, has got used to tiredness after four days of intensive training. In return, her jumping rope score has soared from barely Passing to Great. More importantly, she starts to enjoy jumping rope and persists in practicing for as long as an hour every day.

"Jumping rope helps me lose weight, enhances my physical coordination and enables me to be tougher in the face of other adversities in my life," she said. Enditem

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