subject: Trampolining: A Fun Sport With Many Benefits [print this page] Who doesnt love jumping up and down on a trampoline? It is great exercise and a whole lot of fun all rolled into one. Trampolining is a sport that involves using a sprung elastic surface to perform controlled movements such as twists, tucks and turns. It can be accessed by anyone of all ages and provides a really good workout.
It can be partaken in at various levels and is also a competitive sport. Individuals and synchronised pairs are scored on both the difficulty and quality of their routine.
Trampolining can be a sport in itself, or it can also be used to help with flexibility and body movement for training for other sports such as gymnastics, skiing and diving.
The origins of the sport date back to the 1930s when George Nissen, an American gymnast, invented the first trampoline. He got the idea from watching trapeze artists bounce off suspended netting. He began to use the device to help him with his tumbling activities and eventually started to sell trampolines.
The sport has four main positions that people usually take off or land in. These are feet, seat, front and back. The routine usually starts and finishes on the feet.
At a competitive level routines consist of 10 contacts with the bed. The moves are usually performed in one of the three following basic shapes:
A tuck - this involves the knees being clasped with the hands towards the chest
A pike - this is where the legs are together and straight out perpendicular to the body with the arms straight and touching the feet
A straddle - this move is where the legs are straight out ahead but spread apart, with the arms touching the ankles
Competitive routines involve putting together various twists, somersaults and basic moves to achieve points. Somersaults are measured in multiples of a quarter and twists in multiples of a half.
Whether the sport is enjoyed at a competitive level or as a leisure activity it is great fun to be involved with. It is a fantastic form of exercise which is in fact three times more beneficial than running and is also suitable for more people as it is low impact due to the sprung bed.
It is a sport which is suitable for a wide range of ages and abilities and can also be taken part in by people with sensory or learning disabilities with the correct supervision. Why not speak to your local leisure centre for more information?
