Skipping is a rhythmic form of

bipedal locomotion Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an animal moves by means of its two rear (or lower) limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a bipedal manner is known as a biped , meaning 'two feet' (from Latin ''bis'' ' ...

that combines the step and hop. Skipping can be performed bilaterally (alternating lead foot) or unilaterally (continual lead foot). Unlike

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...

, skipping is an asymmetrical movement in which successive footfalls are not evenly spaced in time. The

gait Gait is the pattern of Motion (physics), movement of the limb (anatomy), limbs of animals, including Gait (human), humans, during Animal locomotion, locomotion over a solid substrate. Most animals use a variety of gaits, selecting gait based on s ...

is unique in that it has the sustained flight phase found in running and the double support phase found in walking. Skipping is most commonly used by children of around 4.5 years of age. It is unclear why the gait is adopted in early years. Skipping is 150% more metabolically demanding than running performed at the same speed.

Unilateral

In unilateral skipping or bipedal galloping, one foot will always be ahead of the other. To perform the unilateral skip, take a step with the desired lead foot, hop forward on the same foot, land with the backfoot, and repeat. Unilateral skipping is commonly used by humans while descending stairs or maneuvering sharp turns. Astronauts Ed Mitchell and

Gene Cernan Eugene Andrew Cernan (; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. Cernan traveled into space three times and to the Moon twice: as pilot ...

of the

Apollo 14 Apollo 14 (January 31February 9, 1971) was the eighth crewed mission in the United States Apollo program, the third to Moon landing, land on the Moon, and the first to land in the Geology of the Moon#Highlands, lunar highlands. It was the las ...

and 17 missions respectively, both preferred the use of unilateral skipping as a means of traversing the surface of the moon. In lunar gravity conditions, the differences in metabolic consumption rates between running and skipping become marginal.

Bilateral

In bilateral skipping, the lead foot is continuously alternating. To perform the bilateral skip, take a step with the desired lead foot, hop forward on the same foot, land with the same foot, swing the back foot ahead of the lead foot, and repeat with the new lead foot.

Exercise

Power skipping is a plyometric exercise used to increase athletic explosiveness. It can be performed unilaterally or bilaterally with the latter being the more common use case. As the name suggests, power skipping is meant to be a more powerful version of skipping that involves thrusting oneself forcefully off of one foot into the air. Skipping can also be used as an alternative to running or walking. Skipping is more efficient at burning calories than running. It is recommended that skipping not be performed on a treadmill. As a chronologically asymmetric movement, the constant speed of the treadmill poses a risk for injury.

Benefits

The presence of a double support phase in skipping(not present in running) results in lower forces applied to the knee joint, making it a good cardiovascular exercise for those with knee pain.

References

{{reflist Terrestrial locomotion