Dan Bantell, Territory Manager – Central Pennsylvania
Meet Dan Bantell, one of our Mid-Atlantic Territory Managers, who has been a dedicated member of the team for 7 years. Outside of work, Dan is a force to be reckoned with in the gym… or anywhere he can find to turn a jump rope or smash out some push ups! Keep reading below for Dan’s interview to learn more about how he got started with his fitness journey and how he ended up coaching others!
Getting Started
How did you first get into jump rope and fitness? My interest in fitness, and overall health, started in 2019. I got honest with myself and accepted the fact that I was out of shape, physically and mentally, then took massive action to favorably change both. I started small by paying attention to what I ate, drank, and snacked on. With the help and support of my wife, I slowly started eliminating the bad stuff, making healthy substitutions for other stuff, and being mindful with portion sizes. I paired this with exercise and watched my body change, weight drop, mood improve, brain fog dissipate, blood work improve, and my sleep patterns regulate.
At the time, I was running for my cardio workouts. I was up to 14 miles for my long runs. One day I wasn’t feeling it; I grabbed a jump rope and spent about 3 minutes trying to do it before I was exhausted and soaked in my own sweat. It was super frustrating but there was something about it that intrigued me. I saw and felt the challenge that jumping rope presented and attacked it relentlessly. From there I toggled between running and jump rope while slowing improving my skills and increasing my time. The more I tried to jump rope, the more I realized how beneficial it was and decided to go all-in on it and retire my running shoes to lawn mowing shoes.
What inspired you to turn it into a passion (and even teach classes)? The passion for jumping rope grew from me taking inventory of the benefits I was experiencing from such a novel exercise. I learned patience, breath control, timing, I improved my coordination, increased my stamina, elevated my endurance, lost weight, added muscle, and was doing it all with a $25.00 jump rope.
Teaching my own class was born from jumping rope in the gym. Nothing crazy… just me and my jump rope every day or night slowly improving. People would stop me to ask questions or for a “quick” demonstration. I genuinely enjoy helping others. Additionally, I always felt, and still feel, comfortable teaching, coaching, and answering questions. Person after person, including my wife suggested I launch and teach a class. So, I did… I pitched it to my local YMCA; they loved it and offered me the opportunity. I went home, built out a class and have taught since January 2024 at 4 different gyms. I’ve coached every age imaginable from children to seniors. Amateur boxers have trained with me to better their footwork, competitive figure skaters have trained with me to strengthen their core, moms and dads have trained with me to lose weight and get in shape. Everyone has their own reason for showing up… for some it’s to relive a small piece of their childhood; I’m just there to coach!
Passion & Practice
What do you enjoy most about jump rope? For me it’s become a moving meditation. I’m in my own world when I’m jumping rope. Nothing else exists to me during jump rope sessions. It demands presence. In a world where everyone has a phone or computer in front of them most of the day, jumping rope is an exercise where there is no room for it. It’s not like walking on a treadmill or outside where you can be distracted by phone calls, texts, social media, Facetime, etc. A jump rope session requires you to be 100% present.
How often do you practice, and what keeps you motivated? I train 3-5 days a week, 45-60 minutes per session depending on what I’m working on. Jumping rope has grown to about 25-30 minutes of each session. What keeps me motivated? There’re a few things! I love helping people overcome challenges. The moment they go from “I can’t do this“ to “I can’t believe I did it” is huge for me. I think this ties into my innate ability to communicate and meet people where they are. I love watching and helping people grow, meet and exceed their goals, and the fist bump or high 5 at the end. But motivation is just the beginning. It eventually turns into discipline and becomes a part of you. I’ll leave that for Part 2.
What’s the most challenging trick or skill you’ve learned? The most challenging skill I’ve learned from jumping rope is to keep showing up. The reality of it is simple…there is absolutely no reason to be good at something you have never done or haven’t done in years. To understand that, allow yourself some grace, and keep showing up to improve with a ‘no-quit’ mentality is huge. Most people will try to jump rope and quit because they’re not good at it the first time. I was no different, I was horrible and had 2 left feet, no timing or rhythm, couldn’t catch my breath, etc. The difference is I just kept showing up.
Sharing with Others
What do you hope people get out of your classes and teachings? You are more capable than you think you are in life in general. I’ve helped dissolve self-limiting beliefs in people and watched their confidence increase and their own view of self-worth skyrocket.
Do you have a favorite success story from someone you’ve taught? Everyone I coach has a different goal. Some want to build stamina, some want to improve coordination, others want to lose weight and just be healthy, while a few are about learning tricks and making an art out of it. I have yet to let anyone down. If you come to me with a goal, I’ll help you achieve it…I promise you! With that being said, my entire jump rope journey is my own success story.
Tips & Fun Facts
What advice would you give to someone new to jump rope? Embrace every second of it. Commit to it and understand that it will take time to learn. Start with 3-5 minutes a day a few times a week….you’ll add time as you progress, don’t worry! You’re going to develop your own style, rhythm, footwork, etc. Some people just do the basics, others do tricks. Some people are powerful jumpers while others move fast. If you’re open to a simple exercise that can be done anywhere with a simple and effective $25.00 jump rope, you’ll favorably transform your mind and body in a very short period of time, just don’t quit.
Do you have a favorite jump rope routine or workout song? I can’t say I have an actual routine that I do. Mainly I approach a session with a goal, trick, or combo in mind and attack it from every angle. Sometimes it’s all effortless, other times I question all of it and want to walk away. Yet one thing I realize is the 25 minutes spent today on something makes it easier next time I try it. I used to jump rope with headphones on, then I went to ear buds, now I usually have a Bluetooth speaker going. I don’t have a favorite song to train to and most times I’m so deep in the zone I don’t hear what’s being played anyway. All I hear is my breath, my internal heartbeat, and the snap of the rope.
What’s one fun fact about jump rope that most people don’t know? There are different kinds of jump ropes for different things or goals just like there are different kinds of sneakers for different sports. Heavy ropes, wire speed ropes, mechanical ropes with ball-bearings, bearing-less pvc ropes [my favorite], etc. Properly sizing your jump rope to fit you and your style is just as important. For example, you would hate to play basketball using a football wearing golf shoes that don’t fit. You’d probably say it was a horrible experience and never revisit it. Jump ropes are no different. A specific and properly sized jump rope for your goal makes the experience 100% more enjoyable and the likelihood of continuing much greater.
Community Connection
How does this hobby connect to your overall well-being and sense of community? Jump rope has become an outlet for me. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a moving meditation. I’ve learned and continue to learn so much about myself both mentally and physically. Teaching and coaching either privately or in a group setting has taught me the more I do it, the more I learn and the more I learn, the more I do it. I’ve made friends, connections, and grown as a person in ways that would never exist had I not skipped my run a few years ago and grabbed a jump rope instead.