How to Play Trampolining?

In competitive trampolining, a routine consists of ten contacts with the trampoline bed combining various rotations, twists and while landing the player can land in feet or in seat or in front or back positions. A routine must start and finish on feet.

There are two types of routines that are performed by the players −

Compulsory routines − In case of compulsory routines, a player has to carry out a set of ten pre-arranged skills in a specific order.
Optional routines − In case of optional routines, the players can perform any ten acknowledged skills.

The players must end their routine in an upright position with both feet on trampoline bed. They must remain in that position at least for three seconds before ending their routine. Players must start their routine within 60 seconds after presenting themselves to the judges.

Every player is allowed one out bounce, i.e. a straight upward jump in order to control their height balance before sticking to the ground. The trampoline must stop completely, which means the player needs to hold on to the trampoline for three seconds until it stops moving. Players don’t have a time limit to complete their routines.

Trampolining Skills

While playing the game, players need to perform different skills which play a vital role in their final scores. Judges evaluate the scores based on the degree of difficulties of the skill sets as well as the execution. The higher the difficulty level, the higher is the scores.

Based on their degree of difficulties as well as technicalities involved, skills that are performed in trampolining are generally divided into three categories −

Basic skills
Intermediate skills
Advance skills

In the following sections, we will discuss in detail about these skills.

Basic Skills

Straight Jump − This is one of the very basic steps and is also frequently seen being performed by players. Here, players jump vertically with body held straight and arms held straight before taking off and start jumping high.

Tuck Jump − In this case, the jump starts in a similar way as straight jump. The players take off while in vertically straight position and then pull up their knees to their chest while the hand are wrapped a little around the legs between the knees and ankle area.

Pike Jump − In this skill, player has to start the skill in a similar fashion as he/she does in straight jump. While being in air, the legs are held straight parallel to the trampoline and the arms with the player’s body try to touch the pointed toes while still being airborne.

Straddle Jump − The players start the skill similar to straight jump and while being airborne, they need to spread their legs sideways so that both legs stay at 90 degree from the body and the arms has to touch the pointed toes.

Seat Landing − It is one of the basic landing skills in trampoline, where after being airborne, the player lands on the trampoline in a seated position. On either sides of the body, hands support the player’s body and are placed slightly behind the hips whereas palms stay down with fingers directed towards the toes.

Half twist and Full twist − In this skill, the player first performs a straight jump and while being airborne he/she has to rotate his body until he/she faces the opposite direction which is considered as a half twist. In case of a full twist, he has to take a full 360 degree rotation.

Back Landing − In this skill, the player has to jump in such a way that his body is upright and chest and hips shall be in forward direction. The arms should be up and fingers should be above the toes. Then the player has to extend his arms and legs as much as possible so that it causes somersault rotation which helps the player to land on his back.

Front Landing − Here the player lands horizontally on his/her front side facing down. The hands are overlapped in front of the face and the arms are bent to form a diamond shape while the legs are bent slightly at the knee in order to keep the feet off the trampoline bed while landing.

Swivel Hips − This is actually a combination of three moves where the player first performs a seat landing as the first move and then bounces up and then performs a half twist while being airborne as the second move. After the two moves the player again performs a seat landing as the third move while facing the opposite direction.

Intermediate Skills

Front Somersault − Here while being airborne, the player needs to take a full 360 degree rotation in the forward direction with the feet passing over the head. The body can be either tucked or piked or in straight position.

Back Somersault − Similar to front somersault, here the player needs to take a full 360 degree rotation in the backward direction while the body will be in tucked, piked or in straight position.

Advance Skills

Barani − In this skill, the player has to perform two skills. Initially, the player has to perform a front somersault and while taking the rotation, the player has to perform a half twist which will make him/her land while facing the opposite direction.

Crash Dive − It is also known as ¾ Front. In this skill, the player first has to perform three quarter front somersault and while landing he need to perform a back landing.

Cody − In this skill, the player first needs to take a back flip and while landing, he/she has to perform a front drop and bounce back to perform a back somersault.

Rudolph − In this case, while being airborne, the player needs to perform a front somersault with one and half twist before landing.

Full in Full out − In this skill, while being airborne, the player has to perform a double back somersault with full twist in each somersault.

Full in or Full out − In this skill, while being airborne, the player needs to perform a double back somersault with taking full twist in either in the first or in the second somersault.

Full in Half out − In this skill, the player has to perform two front somersaults along with a full twist in the first somersault and a half twist in the second somersault.

Miller − In this skill, the player need to perform two back somersaults with one twist in the first somersault and two twists in the second somersault.

Miller Plus − This skill is much similar to the miller skill. Here the player needs to perform two back somersaults with two full twists in the first somersault and another two full twists in the second somersault.

Miller Plus Plus − This skill is an advanced version of the miller skill. Here the player has to perform double back somersaults with a total of five full twists. He can either perform 2½ twists in both of the somersaults or two full twists in the first somersault and three full twists in the second somersault.

Half out − In this skill, the player has to perform double front somersault with a half twist in the second somersault.

Rudy out − In this skill, the player needs to perform double front somersault with one and half twists at the end of second somersault.

Fliffus − In this skill, the player can either perform a front double somersault or a back double somersault with at least one half twist.

Randolph − In this skill, the player needs to perform a somersault with two and half twists.

Ball Out − In this skill, the player first needs to perform a back drop and then taking off from the back drop, he/she needs to perform a one and ¼ front somersault. Usually this skill is performed after a crash drive which ends with a back drop.

Full Half − In this skill, the player has to perform a double front somersault with one twist in the first somersault and a half twist in the second somersault.

Full Rudy − In this skill, the player needs to perform a double front somersault with one twist in the first somersault and one and a half twist in the second somersault.