Trampoline Safety Tips: Stay Safe While Jumping

While a trampoline may be an excellent tool for entertainment and exercise, it may also be very hazardous if its safety rules are not properly followed.

For many kids, jumping on the trampoline offers great hours of fun. Many parents underestimate the risk of using this equipment, especially by children.

According to the CPSC (consumer product safety commission), in 2014, about 104,500 trampoline-related injuries were reported in the United States.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons stressed that trampolines should strictly not be used without other person’s supervision while the American Academy of Paediatrics is against the use of trampolines for recreational purposes.

Trampoline is great fun and no matter how small or old you are, you can make use of trampoline either for fun or exercise. Trampolines have enjoyed great popularity over the past few years.

However, in as much as trampoline workouts have a lot of important health benefits, it also has its own share of hazards and that is the very reason why trampoline safety rules are very important.

Unsafe trampolining may lead to head trauma, broken bones and sometimes lifetime injuries such as paralysis and in some cases, trampoline accidents may lead to death.

With the increasing popularity and the way people are enjoying trampoline workouts, there is a need for jumpers to have a knowledge of trampoline safety tips to avoid terrific accidents. In this way, Trampoline workouts could be a fun and a means of improving your health status.

Generally, most trampoline-related injuries occur as a result of mistakes while landing, practicing dangerous tricks, colliding with another jumper, and landing on the frame or springs.

All these potential accidents can be avoided for as long as you follow the listed trampoline safety guidelines.

1. One person per Trampoline

The first rule for trampolining is that only one person should be on the trampoline while jumping. This is because with two or more persons on one trampoline at a time jumping, there are so many chances of getting hurt. Bouncing become unpredictable and all the protective padding around isn’t going to help you if someone lands with his elbow on your back. American Trauma society reports that 75 of trampoline-related injuries occur as a result of many people jumping together.

2. Too high jumps should be discouraged

Children often get excited when they are using trampoline all the time, but unfortunately, some tend to jump too high and may lose control resulting in landing the wrong way. To avoid this, children should always be trained to control their jumps all the times and they should also keep it low.

3. Land on both feet

Most trampoline injuries occur as a result of landing mistakes. The safest and best way to land is on both feet. It is always advised to land on both feet while bouncing as one-footed landings are risky and may lead to an injury. Landing on one foot is very dangerous and makes you vulnerable to slipping away because your body is not correctly aligned and have no stabilizing forces at work.

4. Always land in the center

Always aim at the center of the trampoline when bouncing, this is also called the SWEET SPOT because it is the part with the most give.

Bouncing on the center of the trampoline is a very important tip because when kids land in the center of the trampoline, the chances of them falling off the trampoline is greatly reduced. Whereas, when the kids land at the edges, their chances of landing off the trampoline is very high especially near the frames.

5. Avoid using trampoline when under the influence of alcohol and drugs

The use of alcohol and drugs may impair your judgment. To ensure your safety and that of your kids, never attempt combining alcohol and trampoline workouts. In the past, a lot of kids have been hurt especially while bouncing with adults who are drunk at summer garden parties.

6. Stay in control and always stop if you feel tired

Safe trampoline exercise is all about control. The moment you start to lose the control of your jumps, stop jumping and come down. Also if you are feeling exhausted, bring your jumps to stop and leave the area so as to avoid colliding with other jumpers.

7. Adult supervision is always required

Do not, in any case, leave children unattended while jumping. Kids are creative beings, and they always want to put into practice or experiment on their ability to do something new most especially if they are alone.

They may try to practice some trampoline tricks which may result in them landing the wrong way, either with their head or neck down and this can result in some serious permanent injuries. But when you as an adult is present, try in as much as possible to monitor how these kids jump and stop them from making any dangerous moves.

8. Pace Yourself

You can easily get injured if you don’t properly pace yourself. And if you are tired, slow down and take a rest. If you are new to trampolining and you are just getting started, it is advisable not rush into starting with big tricks. Don’t push yourself too hard beyond what you are capable of doing at that moment.

9. No double flips

Flipping is great but pretty risky. Single flip is cool to try but double flips at a time is pushing it too far. To ensure your safety, it’s advised to do a regular jump in between flips so as to recover your balance and prevent potential accidents.

10. Attempt trampoline tricks only if you are skilled

Doing some trampoline tricks add fun to your exercise but are highly dangerous. Children and teens should not be allowed to perform stunts or flips unless they are experienced jumpers. Somersaults and flips can be highly dangerous, it is always advised to stay within your skills level and consider training/lessons before attempting any special trick.

Safety rules for trampolines at a glance:

Never jump one person at a time, hopping jumpers can hit each other or step on and hurt yourself.
Always jump from the center point of the canvas, the central point is always indicated with the manufacturer’s logo.
Always jump with dry canvas to avoid slipping. The covers also serve to have the dry canvases.
Always jump with the canvas clean of branches or leaves to avoid hurting your feet. Another good reason to buy a cover.
Always jump barefoot or with socks to avoid damaging the canvas.
Always have a free space of 2 meters around the trampoline.
A minimum clearance of 7 meters measured from the surface on which the trampoline rests is required.
Never use the trampoline as a springboard to jump into the pool.
Do not jump on the trampoline when the weather is bad (rain, storm, wind, snow, etc.)
If you buy a ladder or ladder with platform you will climb and get off the trampoline in a more secure way. Climbing and descending with ladder is safer than doing it jumping off the trampoline to the ground.
Make sure that there are no people, objects or pets under the trampoline, the jumper and anyone underneath can be harmed.
Do not talk while you jump because you could bite your tongue.
Before making big jumps learn to do the basic jumps and even more important learn to interrupt the jump. To interrupt the jump you have to bend your knees when your feet come in contact with the jump canvas of the trampoline.

Learn to do the basic jumps

To increase the safety in the trampolines, the skill of the jumpers also influences.Learning to do the basic jumps in addition to improving safety is a fun way to jump on a trampoline.

Basic jump
Stand with your head up. The look on the jump canvas.
Move your arms back and forth and in a spinning motion.
Keep your feet together and point your toes down during the jump. When landing, keep a distance of about 40 cm between the feet.

Jump with the knees
Start with the basic jump.

Keep your eyes on the jump canvas.Land with knees.
Keep your back straight. Rejoin during the jump.

Jump with hands and knees
Start with the basic jump. Keep your eyes on the jump canvas.Move your arms forward and upward in a spinning motion.

Land with hands and knees. Push yourself with your hands and rejoin during the jump.

Ass jump Start with the basic jump. Keep your eyes on the jump canvas.

Land with the sitting position. Put your hands next to your hips on the jump mat.

Push yourself with your hands and rejoin during the jump.

Belly
jump Start with the basic jump and land with the belly.

Keep your head up. Keep your arms in front of your head on the jump canvas. Push yourself with your arms to re-incorporate.

Back Jump
Start with the basic jump and land on your back.

Push your chin against your chest when going down. Move your legs forward and up when you get up.

Conclusion

Trampolines are great for entertainment and even better for fitness and workouts. However, falling off the trampoline can result in serious life-threatening injuries like paralysis and in some cases loss of life. Many of these trampoline-related injuries can be avoided if these 10 simple safety tips are followed.

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Comments

Sarah Packer says

July 2, 2019 at 8:42 pm

My family gets together every weekend and I wanted to do something different for our activity. I didn’t know you should train kids to control their jumps on a trampoline, so they don’t get hurt from high jumps. I’ll keep that in mind and I’ll look around for trampoline parks that my family would like that’s safe and reasonably priced!