Jump rope counter: count skips with the camera, or by sound too

Counting skips in your head falls apart quickly, especially when you are out of breath. TouchTally counts them for you, so you can focus on your feet and your breathing.

How the camera counts jump rope

Jump rope is one of the free drills. The camera follows the up-and-down of your body and counts one rep for each jump. While you skip, the live screen shows:

• The count in large type, with a light haptic tap for each jump and an optional spoken count every 10 reps.
• BODY MOTION — Hip height, a chart of the last few seconds where each bump is one jump.
• PACE (jumps per minute), REP INTERVAL (time between jumps) and TIME.

A pause of more than about 1.2 seconds ends your current run. That matters for BEST STREAK on the result screen: it is your longest run of jumps without a stop.

Count by sound

The rope makes a sharp sound each time it hits the floor. Count by sound uses that sound as a second counter next to the camera.

If you do not allow the microphone, the session still runs. The app tells you "Microphone access is off" and counts with the camera instead. You can turn on Microphone for TouchTally in the iPhone's Settings later.

How the two counts are merged

While you skip, the live count comes from the sound of the rope. The camera keeps watching too. When you stop, TouchTally lines up both lists of jumps:

• A jump that the camera and the microphone both caught within 80 milliseconds of each other is counted once.
• A jump only one of them caught is kept if it fits your rhythm, and dropped if it lands at an odd moment between jumps.

The idea is that each source covers the other's weak spots. The microphone does not care if your feet leave the frame for a moment, and the camera does not care about a noisy gym.

Count at the wrist with Apple Watch

If you wear an Apple Watch, TouchTally can also count jump rope at the wrist, without the phone camera. That is handy outdoors or when there is nowhere to prop the phone. See TouchTally on Apple Watch for how it works.

Train your rhythm

Jump rope is all about an even rhythm, so the rhythm tools fit it well.

• PACE and REP INTERVAL tell you how fast and how evenly you are skipping. Read more in rhythm stats and the motion chart.
• Metronome (Pro). Skip to a click at a set BPM. The click is a soft, low tone, chosen so that Count by sound does not mistake it for a jump.
• Keep your rhythm (Pro). With voice form cues on, TouchTally can tell you "Keep your rhythm" when your jumps keep drifting off your pace.
• Workout timer. Run an interval, EMOM, AMRAP, Tabata or for-time session from Session setup. It is free.

For more on placing the phone for rope and push-ups, read the camera setup guide for jump rope and push-ups. If you mix skipping with strength work, the push-up form score is the next drill to try.