IT frazzles four times as many calories as jogging. It costs less than £10 to get started. And it can be done in the privacy of your own back garden.

The sport has only minimal requirements - a rope - with a starting price as low as £7.95 - a pair of trainers and a few metres of ground space.

After just a couple of weeks, participants will see an improvement in all-round fitness, including stamina and muscle tone. Skipping is great for cardiovascular strength as it gets your heart rate pumping fast.

"Many schools then went on to start clubs for their pupils and some are now successful in skipping competitions held nationally and internationally.

In Scotland, the only official BRSA skipping club, Skip 2 the Beat, is run by Silvanna Matheson in Portsoy, Aberdeenshire. Although the club is for junior skippers, Silvanna, a qualified skipping coach, also runs adult workshops across the country.

For Erica Sample, it was a Glasgow boxing circuit class that sparked her interest in skipping. Part of the warm-up for the twice-weekly session held in the west end of the city included 10 minutes of rope jumping.

"With the two children to look after, I needed a quick workout I could do while tied to the home in the evening," said the university administrator from Bearsden.

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