Jump For Joy! (Trampolining in General)

Member Name: Grimsbygal

Product:	Trampolining in General
Date:	29/01/02 (525 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: gets you fit, fun

Disadvantages: expensive, cannot do it anytime

Trampolining is not as easy as bouncing up and down. For example if I was to ask you what a Cody or a Cat Twist was would you know what the hell I was talking about? These are just two terms used in trampolining and yes some are as complicated as they sound.

Some people trampoline just for pure enjoyment, some for fitness and some go even further competing at higher levels. I went trampolining for just over a year whilst at secondary school and although I didn?t get to a high enough level to compete I still found out quite a lot about the sport. Some of my friends did it so I decided to have a go and see what all the fuss was about. I really enjoyed spending a few hours a week jumping about and it made me feel for a few moments as if there were no worries in the world.

Most competitive trampolines stand one metre from the ground and are approximately 7 ft by 14ft. The bed is usually made of nylon and string to allow you to bounce until your hearts content.

When you start trampolining you will first learn how to jump correctly. It?s not a case of just seeing how high you can jump. It may take time to master the correct way of rotating your arms as you jump and pointing your toes to make yourself get more elevation and look professional at the same time. There are simple moves that most people have either heard of or seen someone do.
§ The most popular with beginners especially is the seat drop. This involves you bouncing on the bed in a sitting position with your feet pointed in front of you. You have to be careful not to apply your weight to the wrong part of your body as you touch the bed as you may find yourself bouncing in weird directions.
§ There is also the pike position, which in some ways is quite similar to the seat drop. It involves you jumping in the air lifting your legs up straight in front of you and pointing your fingers towards your toes.
§ The straddle is the same as the pike although your legs go out to
your sides.
§ The Tuck jump involves you jumping up and pulling your knees into your chest.
§ A Half Turn is quite easy to perform as it is just simply jumping in the air and turning 180 degrees and then landing whilst keeping straight.
§ A Full Turn follows the principle of that shown above although involves turning 360 degrees.
§ The Front drop can be quite painful for females if done the wrong way. It involves you dropping on your front and jumping back up again to standing position. Many people dive when trying to do this move and end up either in casualty or a very fragile body for the following week.
§ The back drop is one of my favourites and involves dropping onto your back and then back into the standing position.
§ Swivel-hips is a position I used to have nightmares about. No matter how many times I tries it I didn?t seem to look right. It involves doing a seat drop and then doing a half turn straight away into another seat drop. Confused? It can prove difficult.
There are many more moves including many types of backwards and forwards somersaults. These would take forever to explain and will confuse you more than the simple moves explained above. If you want to know more about these have a look on www.tramp-net.co.uk

Trampolining can become expensive. I used to pay around £3 for a two-hour session although you could attend four times a week. To trampoline competitively costs even more as you will need the appropriate clothing such as a club leotard.
To compete at high standards you have to be very fit and full of power. Athletes have been known to jump over 30 ft.

Usually there are trampolining clubs at your local sports centre although these are mainly aimed at children. It is a good way of making friends and offers a good sense of achievement. Also believe it or not it is a way of getting fit and does tone up your bum and thighs.

The problem with trampolining is that you cannot do it when yo
u simply feel like it. It's not like popping down to your local gym when you want. For trampolining you have to have supervisors and also spotters (people who stand around edge of trampoline). Of course if you live in a mansion and can afford a trampoline then life could be great. however the majority of us living in the real world haven't even got enough room in our back gardens.

Thanks for Reading
Grimsbygal

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