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Trampolines have been a part of many families’ lives for many years. As their popularity has risen, over time, many have become aware of the benefits and dangers. Proper trampolining can be a fun and healthy exercise, but if the participant lacks the fundamental skills, they may find that they are not having as much fun or the risk of injury could increase. While jumping on a trampoline isn’t rocket science, doing it correctly can sometimes be a difficult skill to master. Below you will find our tips on developing the best trampoline skills for beginners to learn. After the jumper has mastered these basic skills, they can easily move to the more advanced tricks and jumps without worrying about injury.
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To learn how to properly bounce on a trampoline, you must learn how to control your body to a high degree. Many trampoline stores offer classes along with selling trampolines. However, training programs differ from store to store, if they are even offered. This can sometimes be a bit of a crap shoot in determining if your local store offers these classes, but one common aspect of all is that these classes provide similar fundamental training.
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This form of jump is the simplest of all. Anyone can do this. To make a simple bounce, stand at the center of your trampoline with your head upright and eyes focused on its frame pads. You’ll notice the trampoline mat sinks when you stand on top of it. Assume a comfortable position, swing your two arms forward then up. Continue this until you are in the air. While in the air, make sure your feet touch each other and your toes point toward the mat. When you come back for a landing, make sure your feet are 30cm or so apart so that you are stable.
This routine starts when you are in standing, well-rested position. Follow the same techniques of getting in the air as the basic bounce. Remember, to always keep your eyes focused on your trampoline’s frame pad. In this routine, as the name suggests, trampoline users should land on their knees while their bodies are erect, they then assume an erected position afterward. This technique is not to be taken for granted because it is simple. Even the simplest of trampoline routines sometimes require a lot of practice.
To perform this technique, you assume an upright position when you bounce. Make sure you land on both your hands and knees when you come back for a landing. Once you’ve landed, push the mat using both your hands to arrive at your initial upright position.
The backdrop technique is another simple technique that, if performed incorrectly, can cause injury or discomfort. To perform the back drop, simply jump in the air and land on your back. Sounds simple right? It can be, but if the jumper lands incorrectly, the back could be injured. To do this technique and reduce injury risk, start with a light bounce. Assume a slanted position while jumping, and then rotate to land on your back while keeping your chin close to your chest. After impact, the feet should be kicked forward to help propel your body to the initial starting (upright) position.
To perform the seat drop, you should land on the trampoline floor in a seated position. Your legs should be parallel to the mat and your hands placed next to the hips during impact. The hands will help return to your primary position. You can do this by pushing hard on the mat so that there is enough thrust to propel you upwards back to a standing position. Reduce risk by ensuring the back remains straight and rigid during impact with the trampoline mat.
The aim here is to make sure you land on the mat in a flat position. This process also starts with a low bounce and the jumper lands with their heads up. The arms should be extended forward, parallel to the mat. Return to your initial position by pushing the mat with both your arms on the return bounce and push your legs back underneath your body. Always keep an eye on the frame of the trampoline. While it is especially important during this trick, due to the extension of the body, this is always a good rule of thumb to practice. The frame is the hardest part of the trampoline and is most often the culprit for any injuries.
This and the next routines are a bit complicated but easy to learn. To make a perfect half-turntable, perform the front drop. Upon impact with the mat, you can either push to the right or left. Your arms will guide your body to where you desire. The head and shoulder will follow. Your back head should always be up and your back parallel to the mat. You can land back to the front position after you complete the half run or spring back to your feet.
This routine is also fun to perform. Here you start the process with a seat drop. From here you can turn your head to the left or the right, depending on what makes you comfortable. Your arms should follow the direction of your head as it turns, and hips in the same direction as well. This is how you achieve a twist, hence its name ‘swivel.’ This routine’s landing position is the drop position.
Getting a trampoline can be exciting for all involved. Performing tricks can be safe fun as well, provided proper trampoline safety for kids is always followed. Adopting more than one routine when on your trampoline will really make things interesting. As you progress and become more comfortable in performing these basic trampoline skills, you can begin to practice the more advanced techniques, such as forward and back flips. Although the above tricks aren’t super-exciting or awe-inspiring, they lay a good foundation and are some of the best skills for beginners to learn on their way to trampolining supremacy. All in all, practice makes perfect. Make sure that you start small and work your way up to the more advanced tricks slowly. With time, you’ll be surprised at what kind of awesome tricks you can do!