how good is jumping rope for mid distance cross training?

If you’re already doing hard running training and suddenly throw in a bunch of jump rope, you might be risking a calf or achilles injury

I like to jump rope once or twice a week for a few minutes as a part of my lifting warmup. I think it's good to get you kind of primed for more explosive efforts and get your heart rate up. But I don't think it will take you to the next level or anything. It's basically mid-level cardio with a low-level plyo, over and over. To get seriously faster and springier, you need to be working closer to. max effort.