Monthly Archives: August 2011

Aug 27

Basic Trampoline Moves

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Trampolining – Getting Started

When you first get on a trampoline, it can be very tempting to try and imitate others, by doing bounces then dropping on to your bottom or back.  But these maneuvers require skill and practice.  If you want to become good at trampolining, and avoid the risk of serious injury, then it’s better to start with the basics.

The most basic maneuvers in trampolining involve changing positions in the air, rather than altering which part of your anatomy you bounce on.  The six basic movements all involve bouncing on your feet, and performing the maneuver while airborne.  Mastering them helps you to get a feel for using a trampoline, as well as developing your skills.

Tuck Jump
For this jump, you take off from the trampoline, arms high in the air, and just as you reach your maximum height, draw your knees up to your chest and hold on to them with your arms.  It’s generally best to lean forward slightly at the same time.  As you drop back to the trampoline, extend your body fully again.

Piked Straddle Jump
Bounce up from the trampoline, and as you reach maximum height, spread your legs out in a v-shape, at right angles to your body.  The hands reach forward to rest on the ankles, although a variation is to hold your arms out straight between your parted legs.  The body curves forward slightly.  Return to the extended vertical position as you drop back to the trampoline.

Piked Jump
This is very similar to the previous jump, except this time your legs are held together, toes pointed.  The hands rest on the ankles.  It’s very important to keep your legs firmly together; otherwise the jump becomes untidy very quickly.  Return to the vertical as descending.

Splits Jump
Generally more popular with women, in this jump one leg is raised forwards, one backwards as maximum height is reach.  So basically the trampolinist is performing the splits in the air, hence the name.  Arms can be held in a variety of positions, including out to the side, or one up and one down to form a cross in the air.

Half-Twist Jump
This jump is slightly different to the previous four, because the movement commences as soon as you leave the trampoline, rather than at the height of the bounce.  As you push off from the trampoline, turn the upper part of your body in the direction you wish to twist.  This creates torque, and the rest of the body will follow in the same direction.  It’s important to control the amount of torque you create in your body; otherwise you will over rotate the jump.  Your arms can be in a number of positions, including by your sides, one in the air and one across your stomach, or one behind your head and one across the stomach.

Full-Twist Jump
This jump is basically the same as the previous one, except that more force is applied when leaving the trampoline, causing extra torque and forcing the body to do a full rotation in the air.

These jumps may sound quite simple, and they are certainly the most basic maneuvers on the trampoline, but it will still take some time to get them exactly right.  It’s particularly difficult to apply exactly the right amount of force in the twisting jumps.  Once you’ve mastered these basic skills, you can move on to some of the more complicated movements.

Aug 27

How Trampolines Can Be Used In Competition

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by Jeb Taylor

The first competitions were held in colleges and schools in the USA and then in Europe, with the first World Championships being held in London in 1964. Kurt Baechler of Switzerland and Ted Blake of England were the European pioneers and the first ever televised National Championships were in England in 1958.

Soon after the first World Championships, the inaugural meeting of prominent trampolinists was held in Frankfurt to explore the formation of an International Trampoline Federation. In 1965 in Twickenham, the Federation was formally recognised as the International governing body for the sport.

By 1969, the first European Championship was held in Paris and Paul Luxon of London was the winner at the age of 18. The ladies winner was Ute Czech from Germany. From that time onwards, European and World Championships have taken place in alternate years-the European in the odd and the World in the even.

At first, the Americans dominated the World Championships, but due to many lawsuits over trampolining, less was allowed in educational institutions and the high level of performance of the Americans went down. The Europeans gradually began to dominate the sport and in recent years, athletes from the former Soviet Union have almost completely dominated the sport.

Germany, France has been the other strong nations in trampolining and the first four ranking places in World Trampolining would go to USSR, France, Britain and Germany. Although in most countries trampolining started about the same time in the fifties and sixties, some countries have not been able to develop as strongly as the major European countries.

Physical benefits

In the US, it was quickly realised by the Physical Educators that the trampoline had something new to offer by observation of the physical benefits which trampolining had produced during the war years and also the enthusiasm of those who participated, and trampolining was introduced into school physical education programmes.

There were, of course, the detractors who felt that the activity was dangerous and reduced the strength of the legs because the springs assisted the jumping. However, the threshold of skill is low so that almost anyone of any age can get on and do something which is fun, exhilarating, aerobically effective, and caters for the highest level of skill and daring which some are capable of.

It is particularly popular amongst the very young, who now have something better than their parents’ double bed to jump upon; although many parents complain that the kids jump even more on their beds to try to reproduce the fun they have in the gym. It is also a form of plyometrics-a form of strength training.

Find out all you need to know about trampolines. How to use them for best exercise results, and which models to buy. Daily updated blog of news & articles. Clickhttp://www.trampolines-101.com/

Aug 27

Always Practice Toddler Trampoline Safety

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Kids absolutely love to jump up and down on things. Purchasing a toddler trampoline is a sure way to satisfy this desire and save your mattresses. Sometimes the innocent fun of jumping on a trampoline can turn tragic if a toddler bounces off of the trampoline. There are more than 100,000 people treated every year for trampoline related injuries. There are some ways for your kids to have fun and stay safe from injury at the same time.

One of the major causes of a child falling off of a toddler trampoline is jumping at the same time as another child. When multiple children are jumping and one comes down before the other, the stretchy material in the toddler trampoline becomes rock hard. This loss in elasticity can cause the second child to fall off the trampoline and possibly become injured. In order to avoid injury only one child should jump on a trampoline at a time.

Some toddler trampoline models come with safety netting as part of their design. This safety netting surrounds the trampoline and decreases the risk of a child falling off the trampoline. If the trampoline has already been purchased, there are safety cages that can be purchased separately from the trampoline. Safety cages are similar to safety netting and also protect the child from falling to the ground.

Jumpers should always be supervised. Children should never jump on such a trampoline without adult supervision. The adult supervising should be aware of the manufacturer’s safety instructions. A trained supervisor can spot activity that could lead to an accident and stop it before injury occurs.

Children should only use the toddler trampoline under appropriate weather conditions. In cases where there are strong gusts of wind, a jumper can easily be swept off the trampoline onto the ground.

It is up to the parent or guardian to make sure that the child is safe on their toddler trampoline. Following these safety steps will help make sure that children can have fun and be safe while doing so.

Aug 17

The Benefits Of Rebounding

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The Benefits Of Rebounding
by Gerald Cohail

Rebounding is arguably the most efficient and effective exercise devised by man. It’s a zero impact exercise that provides numerous benefits for you and your body. Rebounding will:

  • improve your blood circulation;
  • boost your lymphatic and immune systems;
  • increase your energy and vitality;
  • educe stress and tension;
  • improve your muscle tone;
  • lower your cholesterol levels;
  • improve your co-ordination and balance;
  • increase the capacity of your heart and lungs.

Suitable For All Ages
Rebounding will place no strain on the joints of your body. Your feet don’t even have to leave the surface of the mat for you to notice health benefits in a very short time. Even if you can’t stand on the rebounder, sitting on it and bouncing will have pronounced benefits. Just put on your favorite up tempo music and bounce along. If you need to hold onto something when you first begin to rebound, place your rebounder behind a high-back chair.

 

Rebounding For Health
Your risk of dying from a degenerative disease, including the number one killer, heart disease, and the number two killer, cancer, increases without regular daily exercise. Every cell in your body depends on a rich supply of oxygen and essential nutrients. Rebounding will increase the circulation of your blood and stimulate the flow of lymph throughout the lymphatic system, thus increasing the delivery of oxygen to cells throughout your body.

In addition, rebounding is an exercise that can be adjusted to your current level of fitness. It’s easy on your joints and back and can be performed in your home at your convenience, meaning no more trips to the local health club. Because rebounding is sufficiently gentle, participation by the elderly and pregnant women is entirely safe.

Rebounding burns more calories than jogging. In a study conducted at the University of Kentucky, in conjunction with NASA, it was found that “the magnitude of the biomechanical stimuli is greater with jumping on a trampoline than with running.” In plain English, in any given amount of time a person will burn roughly 15% more calories bouncing on a rebounder than they will if they jog at the pace of five miles per hour.

Toxins Released By Rebounding
According to Dr. Arthur C. Guyton, “During exercise, the rate of lymph flow can increase to as high as 14 times normal because of the increased activity.” The change in gravitational forces experienced during rebounding allows for greater blood flow. This helps the body rid itself of toxins, dead cells, cancer cells, trapped protein, infectious viruses, heavy metals, and other cast-offs the body no longer needs.

Anti-Aging Benefits
Studies have shown a strong link between exercise and mortality rates. To lower your risk of early death and keep your body from ‘wearing out’ you need to exercise on a regular basis.

Exercise helps prevent heart disease. Rebounding helps keep your blood flowing. This helps to prevent your arteries from clogging and improve your cardiac performance. The contraction of muscles during rebounding acts like a pump to circulate your blood back up to the heart for fresh oxygen. Working your heart harder on a regular basis improves its overall function so it doesn’t have to work as hard during normal activities.

Rebounding increases your red blood cell count. This allows for faster oxygen transport throughout the body, which can help lower elevated blood pressure.

The capacity of your lungs also increases which enables you to process more air. This replenishes the cells in the tissues and organs of your body quicker. As a result, your metabolism is enhanced and you tend to absorb nutrients from your food more efficiently.

Looking For A Quality Rebounder?
You should look for a rebounder that:

  • is at least 40 inches in diameter;
  • has six legs for stability;
  • has a frame that is constructed from square steel tubing;
  • is rated for 300 pound user weight or more;
  • has a solid spring system featuring high-caliber, wide-bellied springs that provide a soft, resilient bounce;
  • has a Permatron mat – the mat of choice for all quality rebounders and trampolines.

An Investment In Your Health
Purchasing a rebounder for your health should be thought of as an investment. A club-quality rebounder will cost you upwards of $180 for a non-folding model. Folding models are even more expensive, but keep in mind this can be less than the annual membership at many health clubs. Plus, you save on the cost of gas and the time required to travel to and from the gym.

For a comparison of the three leading rebounders, visit http://amgona.com/compare.php

“Lymphatic blockage is the leading cause of weight gain.”
Andreas Moritz

Gerald Cohail is the owner of AMGONA Research & Publishing. His web site is located athttp://amgona.com He is also a researcher for Advanced Scientific Health, an association devoted to eliminating disease. Their web site can be found at http://ashnow.com/amgona