I am blessed w/ a big backyard and am interested in a buying a trampoline since my rink is closing for the season. I think I could work rotation, split jumps, etc. on the trampoline. Plus it would just be fun. Anyone have any experience w/ this? Advice?

Kay

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All I know about trampolines is that they scare the hell out of me and are murder on my back. A friend of mine took a bad bounce one time and landed with her leg in the springs. She had a cast up to her hip.

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We had one growing up & it was great! I imagine it would work for some skating things, but it's also just a great way to keep your legs strong & help keep up your endurance. I'd be wary of using it if you're home alone (we weren't allowed to if Mom was gone......but we still did.......scary now that I look back on it! ), and it's a VERY good idea to get the pads that cover the springs.

I also remember one summer we had great fun jumping off the garage roof onto it.......

I had a go on one last summer with a view to working on my jumps. It's virtually impossible, and probably very unwise, to try and jump on one leg only. However I would image just the act of bouncing and rotating is great for your endurance. As others have pointed out though, probably sensible to not to do much on it if you're home alone!

Nicki

i wouldnt suggest trying to land on one leg, but the trampoline is good for working on air position (legs crossed and straight in the air). its good for trying larger revolutions, especially if you end up slanted and land on your face!!!

You might want to contact the director of the Aspen Adult Week Summer Camp. Last August, anyone who was brave enough could have a go at the trampoline. It was all done under Jenny's (the director's) watchful eye.. but it was great fun and I could see where with more time to train on it, it could be very helpful in learning to recover balance from awkward positions in the air. She said she it helped her with her jumps and several of the Aspen
skater-kids have used it to learn doubles.

Have fun -- but be careful!

I'm not very fond of the backyard style trampolines--too 'tight'. But I loved the professional-style trampoline I used for college gymnastics. It has a nice loose weave, and is much more forgiving.

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Most of my trampolining experience comes from when I competed in gymnastics as a kid, and at that time, I was more concerned about learning how to rotate forwards and backwards rather than clockwise or counter-clockwise!

That said, there are a few things that you could work on with the trampoline:
Straddle jump positions for that Russian split jump
Delayed jumps--jump straight up, spot, rotate once (in position), uncross your legs, and then land on two feet. You can also do this from a split or straddle...I learned a straddle jump full for floor/beam this way.
Loop or double loop jump... like the delayed jump, make sure that you uncross your legs and land on two feet.

To work out your middle: try swivel hips. Jump up, and land on your seat with your feet in front of you (in pike position). Your hands will touch the trampoline at your sides, palms down. As you bounce back up, bring your arms over your head, and try to straighten your torso under you, as if you are going to stand back on your feet. Instead of standing on your feet, though, do a half-turn in the air, and land back down on your seat in the piked position. You can keep going around and around, a half turn at a time, lifting with your upper body as you make the turn and swiveling your hips under you. Heh...it's kind of like checking a 3-turn, now that I think about it. Heck, you might even try the drill with your arms checked as for a 3-turn. (Now I want to find a trampoline and try this!)

You can definitely do interval training on a trampoline: for the high-intensity parts, do continuous straddle or split jumps, and for the low-intensity parts, just do small jumps in place.

Have fun, and be careful!

Thanks for the ideas, Pennybeagle. I was thinking along those lines. I like the delay idea. I will look into getting a trampoline. I don't want to spend a lot of $, so the pro style is out. I am thinking of something recreational from WalMart or similar for backyard use. I don't plan to flip around on it.

Kay

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