The Best Team Ropes for Beginners

When you’re just getting started team roping, choosing the right rope can seem like a bit of a challenge because there are so many different options available. Each color is not just a different colored rope. That is a rope unique to that manufacturer that has its own blend of materials, whether that be a straight nylon, a nylon poly blend, and the wax and dye involved in making the rope. This gives each rope an individual feel all its own. Then you get to pick how many strands you’d like in your rope; three, four, or five. From there, we need to choose a lay (stiffness) that you’re comfortable with. The order of lays, from softest to most firm is as follows: XXXS (super super soft), XXS (super soft), XS (extra soft), S (soft), MS (medium soft), M (medium), HM (hard medium), MH (medium hard). Taking all of these things into consideration, there are some qualities that are more desirable in a team rope, especially for beginners.

A good rope for beginners should have a good amount of tip weight in order to help you identify where your loop is at in your swing, and it will have enough body to help keep your loop open through your swing and delivery. A good head rope for beginners will kick out to the right just a little bit, helping you break the rope over in your swing. A good heel rope will be more straight hanging than a head rope, but may have a little kick in the softer lays like a soft or medium soft. As heel ropes get stiffer, they tend to hang straight and will even have a touch of backswing in the more firm ropes, which are commonly preferred by many professional heelers.

Head Ropes

Most beginner headers are going to want to use either and XXS or XS head rope. You want one that is more limber to start with because you will most likely not have a lot of power in your swing, and a limber rope will be easier to swing, turnover, and feel your tip.

Powerline Lite - The Powerline Lite made by Classic Ropes, commonly referred to just as a Powerline, since the original full-sized Powerline is no longer in production, is a top seller at NRS because it has an extremely balanced feel with good tip weight to help you identify where your loop is in your swing. The tip weight also helps you get more curl in your loop, helping you keep it on the horns if you’re not as snappy with your slack or if the steer may have a head trick.

The Future - The Future head rope is part of the Relentless line made by Cactus Ropes. This rope was developed by 26X PRCA World Champion, Trevor Brazile. The Future is a very forgiving rope that has a balanced feel of tip and body that leads to a higher catch percentage for the roper. The Future is a bit smaller in your hand and has a fast, smooth feel, making it easier for new ropers to learn to feed and handle their slack.

Spydr - The Spydr, made by Classic Ropes, was the first 5-strand team rope to hit the market. This rope is a tick lighter, but being built around a core, still allows the rope to have a nice body and tip weight. The crowns are smaller since it’s a 5-strand, making it feed smooth and feel snappy from your delivery to when you pull your slack. The lighter weight of this rope allows the roper to get more reps in without tiring out their arm.

Heel Ropes

New heelers tend to prefer a heel rope somewhere in the S to MS range. The heel loop tends to be a bigger loop, and a softer lay makes it easier to manage the loop and place the tip through when delivered.

Powerline Lite - For the same reasons the Powerline Lite is good for beginner headers, it is also a great option for beginning heelers. The Powerline heel rope is a very forgiving rope, which makes it the choice of Jade Corkill, Junior Nogueira, Paden Bray, and many other top-ranked professional heelers. It has a very recognizable tip and good body to help it stay open when thrown. The crowns on the Powerline also lock off on the saddle horn well for the completion of the run.

The Future Lite - The Future Lite packs a lot of feel into a smaller diameter rope that feels great in your hand, is very durable, and stays great in a variety of weather types. Its consistent feel makes it the choice of Logan Medlin, one of the fastest and most consistent heelers going down the road, as well as many of the heelers on the Cactus Ropes Pro Team. Best of all, these ropes are tied to Trevor Brazile’s specs and shipped to the retailers so you can be sure you’re getting the best-feeling rope possible.

The Heat - The Heat, made by Classic Ropes, is one of the most popular ropes on the market, from amateur ropers to the likes of Ryan Motes and Clint Summers. It is a straight nylon rope that takes very little maintenance and has one of the most consistent feels you will find in a team rope. It has the body to stay open and good tip weight that allows you to find the tip in your swing so you can pick up the timing that is so important when heeling. Once thrown, The Heat stays open, and the crowns are large enough to bite into your dally wrap to really lock off and complete the run.

Switchenders

The Future All-Around - For those new ropers who may be wanting to experiment with heading and heeling, The Future All-Around, part of the Relentless line made by Cactus Ropes, is an excellent option. The Future All-Around is longer than a typical head rope, is the diameter of a head rope and has a little more tip than body. It is available in lays ranging from XS to MS, making it the choice of many amateur ropers, as well as top switchender ropers like Miles Baker. 

No matter which end you're roping, you need to find a feel that suits your style, and NRS is sure to have the rope to fit the bill. If you have any other questions, feel free to give us a call at 800=464-6746!