Category Archives: Other Trampoline Information

Feb 17

Understanding the Types of Trampolines

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If you’re thinking about getting a trampoline for your backyard, you’re probably interested in a recreational trampoline. Knowing what the basic types of trampoline are can help you in your shopping, because the various terms can be a little confusing if you’re not familiar with them. You might think a trampoline is a trampoline…is a trampoline. But there are several types of trampolines, and you need to know what you are looking for.

A recreational trampoline, made of waterproof canvas, holds up in outdoor conditions. You see recreational trampolines in backyards all the time. They are often circular, but can be rectangular, square, and octagonal. These trampolines come in various sizes, but most are fairly large, and these trampolines are generally set up and left in one place, as they’re not portable unless very small. In your shopping for a backyard trampoline, this is probably what you’ll be looking for.

Competitive trampolines, made of a special fabric, weigh very little and can be transported easily. Competitive trampolines are always specific sizes and shapes based on international competition rules, and use stronger springs than recreational trampolines. These trampolines, which are designed for competitive athletes, are significantly more expensive than recreational trampolines. You probably do not need a competitive trampoline unless you have an athlete in training.

Water trampolines are used only for fun, not really for exercise and not at all for competition. They feature inflatable tubes that keep them afloat in a pool, and kids (and grownups) can jump on the surface of the trampoline. These are popular at pool parties.

Finally, mini-trampolines are designed for indoor use, are extremely portable, and are often known as jogging trampolines. You may have used one of these to exercise indoors, or had one in your home for your kids to play on. They’re great for indoor exercise and fun, and they’re quite inexpensive, in terms of both exercise equipment and indoor play equipment.

The important thing to remember when you start looking at trampolines is that you want a trampoline that is specifically marketed for outdoor use, or labeled as a “backyard” trampoline. Again, unless you have an athlete training for competition, you do not need, nor do you want, a competition trampoline. You want a trampoline designed specifically for backyard use.

Recreational trampolines are great for just jumping around and having fun, which is what most kids use them for. With the proper pads and net, trampolines are one of the safest ways to play in the backyard. They’re also great for grownups wanting to work out and get some great aerobic and lower body exercise while having a good time and getting some fresh air. If you’re looking for water fun, remember the water trampoline is a great way to have fun in the pool, and of course mini-trampolines are fun for exercising and playing indoors.
Whichever type of trampoline you use, make sure you follow basic common sense and safety guidelines, and use caution when playing on a trampoline. You’ll be rewarded with a great time and good exercise.

Feb 05

Trampolines Are Outdoor Fun For Kids

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If you never had a trampoline when you were a kid or teen, you really missed out on something. If you’ve seen kids jumping on a trampoline, you can easily see what a great time they’re having. For some reason, kids love to jump, whether they’re on the bed, on the ground or on a trampoline, and trampolines are the most fun (and usually most acceptable) jumping platforms.

Kids jump primarily because they have a lot of energy. Well, that and because jumping is fun, and they like to jump. A backyard trampoline gives them a safe place to jump (assuming it’s set up correctly), and gets them out of the house and playing outside.

Trampolines for the backyard come in a variety of sizes, which can be a major help when you start looking at trampolines. When you survey your backyard, you may think, “Where would we put it,” but there are many different sizes of trampolines, and you can get them in round or rectangular shapes, so it may be easier to find a place to put a trampoline than you expect.

When you choose a trampoline, it’s a good idea to get a spring-free trampoline, which is safer for the kids. There’s no chance of hitting a spring and getting a pinch or cut, or of bouncing off a spring and hitting the ground. Spring-free trampolines boast a lot more safety than trampolines with springs. And when you choose your trampoline, also add pads to protect jumpers from injury if they bounce into the poles, and a safety net to keep jumpers on the trampoline, where they belong. It’s easy to bounce off onto the ground without a net, so this is a very important safety accessory.

If you’re putting a trampoline in your backyard, you should also consider using it yourself for exercise. Learning to move deliberately on a trampoline, and using it for cardiovascular and lower body workouts, will give you a great, fun way to work out, in your own yard, and also allow you to do something fun with your kids and spend time together outdoors.

Whatever size and shape of trampoline you choose, make sure that in addition to using pads and a net, you also put it on level, smooth ground, with no rocks or roots under the area where jumpers might land in getting off or if they should somehow fall. Good placement is a key to trampoline safety.

A trampoline provides both you and your kids with hours of outdoor entertainment. If you put up a trampoline, you can almost guarantee that your kids will want to spend time outside jumping, more than they want to be inside watching television reruns. They’ll have a blast, you’ll have a great time watching and even jumping with them, and you’ll get the most return on your money of any entertainment item you buy for your kids, possibly in their lives. Overall, there is very little you can do for your kids that they will enjoy and use as much as a trampoline.

Jan 21

Buying A Trampoline

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If you’re planning on buying a trampoline, there are a number of things you need to consider before choosing one. After all, you want your trampoline to last, and it’s also important that it’s safe for you and anyone else to use. There’s no point buying a trampoline that will fall apart after six months outside, or that could be a safety hazard.

Basically, trampolines come in three shapes – rectangular, square and round. They’re also available in many sizes, from mini trampolines that you can use indoors for exercising, right through to large trampolines for outdoor use. You need to take a close look at the trampoline before buying it, and pay particular attention to the frame pads, spring, frame and jumping mat.

When it comes to safety, the frame pads are one of the most important parts of the trampoline. Look for thick, wide pads, with good quality material, so that you know the frame pads are well made, and will provide a good level of protection. The frame itself needs to be strong and sturdy, particularly for bigger trampolines, because it’s likely that more than one person will use the trampoline at the same time on occasion. The frame should never show signs of bending or bowing when it’s set up, and it shouldn’t flex when someone bounces on the trampoline.

The jumping mat needs to be made of strong, quality material, and be properly stitched. The mat needs to be strong enough to withstand the weight of at least one adult, and preferably two. Jumping mats come in several grades, and if you want your trampoline to last a long time, then choose one of the better mats. Check out the springs, too, and make sure they’re strong and solid. See if they sag, weaken or stretch out of shape after use. Longer springs mean a better bounce, so keep that in mind if you want a particularly bouncy trampoline.

Try asking family and friends if they can recommend a quality supplier of trampolines. Also, look to see if the manufacturer has adhered to international safety standards. You can also visit the International Trampoline Industry Association (ITIA), which is a trade association for manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of trampolines and related equipment.

Jan 15

Trampolining – Getting Started

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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.

Jan 09

Trampoline Moves – Beyond The Basics

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Once you’ve mastered the various jumps and moves that involve taking off and landing on your feet, what comes next? Well, mastering the basics should have given you a good feel for bouncing on the trampoline, and it’s time to move on to more complicated jumps.

Seat Drop

The first movement to learn after the basic feet bounces is the seat drop. This is because it’s a movement we’re already familiar with, having sat down in numerous chairs through our lives, and also because your bottom is well padded. So learning a seat drop helps you to feel comfortable about bouncing something other than your feet on the trampoline. Start in the middle of the trampoline, legs pointed, and drop back towards the trampoline. Your arms should be behind your torso, with the hands facing towards the feet, not away from the body. This is so that your elbows are in the right position to flex when you land. Your body should form a V-shape, with your bottom acting as the bottom of the V. You shouldn’t bounce with your legs flat on the trampoline and your torso at right angles, because when you bounce back upwards it’s hard to control your body. Always begin simply by performing the seat drop, without any preliminary bouncing.

Knee Drop

In this move, you drop onto the trampoline and land on your knees. Your knees should be spread to about the width of your hips, to give extra stability. Your upper body needs to be at right angles to your knees, so that all your weight is passing in a straight line down through your knees. It’s important to keep your body in this position as you bounce, otherwise you will get thrown either forward or back on the rebound.

Hands and Knees Bounce

Contrary to what most people think, you do not perform this bounce with your body parallel with the trampoline, but with your body resting back on your calves. So your body is in fact tucked. Your hands need to land just beside the knees, not far out in front. This gives maximum bounce and helps the jumper to impact the trampoline in one movement. If you try and separate your hands and knees, you end up with two separate impact points, which can cause two independent recoils. The back can also buckle in the middle, which can result in injury.

Many people think that it’s easy to just get on a trampoline and start performing these drop moves without needing to think about performing them correctly. This is a mistake, and unless you pay attention to landing the correct way, you can risk injury while performing the drop or when your body recoils awkwardly from the trampoline.

Dec 29

A Guide to Water Trampolines

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by Jason Gluckman

The Rave Aqua Jump was the world’s first floating trampoline, made in the USA. The water trampoline was a precursor to a variety to towables and other inflatable trampolines.

Water trampolines have frames with springs that are supported on top of a large round inflatable tube. Water Trampolines can have a diameter as large as 25 feet as small as 11 feet. These full trampolines offer similar performance to that of a small backyard trampoline, but allow the activity to take place on the water. Trampolines take about an hour to set up and break down. They can then be anchored to remain in place on most lakes and ponds.

A trampoline floating on the water allows you to take big air jumps. An ideal water trampoline, with 100% PVC construction, should be able to withstand variation in temperature. A water trampoline comes with handles, a ladder and a padded collar for easier boarding and safe jumping. An anchor rope keeps the station in place while still letting it shift in the waves for added excitement.

Water trampolines are usually larger than ground trampolines. Besides the basic floating platform, you can attach various types of accessories like slides, ladders and logs.

There are smaller trampolines called “bouncers” that do not have frames or springs. They are easy to set up, as there are no frames to assemble or springs to stretch out. Bouncers can easily be stored in a boat and can be quickly inflated or deflated in less then 10 minutes. Bouncers are about 20% of the cost of a water trampoline.

Water trampolines range in price from $3,000 to $5,000.

Trampolines Info provides detailed information about mini, water, bungee, and exercise trampolines, as well as trampoline sales, repair, parts, and accessories. Trampolines Info is the sister site of Batting Cages Web.

Dec 16

The Trampoline – Incredible Health Benefits

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by Michael Russell

It’s obvious that trampolining is good general exercise but in this article, we’ll explore why it’s of such a benefit to our health.

Exercise for the Cells

Toxins or poisons can congregate in the cells of the body for a number of reasons. They may have been introduced by ourselves, by smoking for example, or they may have entered through a cut or other broken skin, or just by entering through the nose or mouth. Some toxins are produced in the body during the normal course of the metabolic process. Most are fought by the immune system and removed naturally through organs such as the liver, kidneys, lung colon and skin in the form of urine, faeces, exhalation and sweat.

It is thought though, that the G force exerted on the body by the bouncing motion on a trampoline, helps to “push out” the toxins and while the body is, briefly, airborne the lower cell pressure permits the influx of nutrients and oxygen thus improving cell “exercise”.

Bouncing for a Healthy Heart

Exercising on a trampoline has several benefits in terms of the body’s cardiovascular system:

1. Increases strength and fitness of the muscles, especially of the legs, helping to lighten the load on the heart when pumping blood around the body
2. Increases oxygen availability throughout the body
3. Maintains a healthy body weight and lessens the likelihood of obesity
4. Aids lymphatic circulation
5. Reduces level of cholesterol and triglycerides
6. Stimulates the metabolism and digestive processes.

Bones of Steel

Well, perhaps not quite, but it has been shown that this sort of high impact exercise, improves the bone mineral content and therefore the density thus lessening the likelihood of fractures due to osteoporosis. Unlike other forms of high impact exercise such as jogging, the bounciness of the trampoline mat absorbs the down force and won’t cause jarring of the load bearing joints or spine.

Motoring

Trampolining helps to develop motor skill because of the need to maintain both height and balance simultaneously while responding to gravitational forces. Thus, all sides of the body and brain are involved in the exercise.

You don’t need a large trampoline to be able to benefit in the above ways. A small, portable one, known as a rebounder, will do just as well.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Trampolines
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Dec 07

10 Steps to Safe Gymnastics

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10 Steps to Safe Gymnastics

by John Howard

Build Your Strength First

It is much safer and much easier to make build sufficient strength first to perform the skills you are trying to learn. If you are not strong enough, you will never be able to do many gymnastics skills no matter how many times you try. Building strength also makes you safer in potentially dangerous fall situations.

Pay Attention

You need to be aware of what is going on around you in the gym if there are other gymnasts, especially bigger ones, around. You need to be aware and pay attention to everything and everyone around you who might crash into you or land on you. You also need to pay careful attention to your coach so you understand exactly what they expect of you to learn efficiently and keep yourself safe.

Check Equipment First

Make sure all equipment is set and sturdy before you begin to perform any skills on it. Handles and cables need to be tight enough so the equipment is safe for you to be on. Don’t assume the equipment is correctly set and tight. Check it an make sure first.

Know Fall Zones

Don’t sit or stand in potential landing or fall zones. Too often gymnasts waiting for their turn do not stay enough out of the way of other gymnasts who need adequate room to dismount or a place to fall.

Don’t Do Gymnastics By Yourself

Just like swimming and other physical activities where there is even the remotest chance of injury, gymnasts should only work out when there is at least one other person around. This means on those home trampolines, too.

Don’t Spot Other Gymnasts

Spotting is an art and requires the knowledge, strength and experience of a gymnastics professional. Any error in judgement on your or their part could lead to you being involved and responsible for their potentially serious injury.

Only Let Professional Coaches Spot You

By the same token, you should only let qualified gymnastics professionals spot you on skills you cannot do and need help with. You risk potentially serious injury by being spotted or coached by someone who is not qualified, knowledgeable, experienced or strong enough.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for a Spot

Ask for a spot if you are doing tricks if you need or want it. You are the one most likely to know and remember if you need a spot or not and it will be too late if you attempt a skill you are not sure of and fall. Spotting can protect you and build your confidence in doing the skill until you are ready to do it on your own safely. Don’t tell a coach that you can do skills if you are not 100% sure you can do them safely.

Stop, Look And Listen

Just like crossing a street, when you approach an equipment area, the floor exercise mat, tumbling strips or other mats and pieces of equipment, you need to stop and look both ways before you cross or enter to make sure you are not in the way or going to get landed on.

Watch Where You are Going

Watch where you are walking. Nothing is more embarrassing and sometimes painful and dangerous than falling over mats, into pits, over bar cables, etc. There are lots of obstacles in every gym like different heights and softness levels of mats.

About the author:

John Howard is the author of 15 books about gymnastics, gym design, gymnastics humor and cheerleading. He has 25 years experience coaching State, Regional and National champion gymnasts and international competitors.

GymnasticsZone.com is a web site for gymnasts, coaches, parents with numerous FREE articles and information, fun pages and activities available at: a href=”http://www.gymnasticszone.com”> http://www.GymnasticsZone.com