Trampoline for Dummies: Useful Information on This Precise Technical Sport

Trampolining is a precise technical sport that includes individual trampoline, synchronized trampoline, tumbling, and double mini-trampoline. It is one of those gymnastic disciplines that is so exciting to watch. Thus, the given article is going to present the exhaustive information on this kind of sport and its general rules.

Individual Trampoline

This discipline is represented by performing exercises with ten separate elements in each of them. These elements should be performed during high and continuous rhythmic jumps with turns from legs on legs, from legs on the back, stomach, or a sitting position without any transitional elements. Individual trampoline performance should show a diversity of the elements, including backward and forward rotations with or without full twists. A performance is said to be good when it includes good coordination, body positions, decent technique, and the requited height of jumps.

As a rule, official competitions consist of three stages:

1. Preliminary competitions include obligatory exercises where athletes’ performance is estimated according to their technique, horizontal fluctuations, time in the air, and a difficulty rate of four of ten elements.
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2. Optional exercises are evaluated according to the technique, horizontal fluctuations, time in the air, and a difficulty rate of all ten elements.
3. Semi-final and final competitions that consist of an optional exercise only.

Tumbling

This trampoline variation is represented by a set of fast and rhythmic continuous acrobatic jumps from hands on feet, from feet on hands, and from feet on feet that are performed on a 25-meter-long tumbling track. All these jumps should be made over six seconds, while an athlete must land on the right mat after them.

Tumbling competitions consists of two optional exercises in preliminary competitions and two optional exercises at the final stage. Each of these exercises should have eight elements. The most characteristic feature of tumbling is that all the jumps should be performed continuously one by one without any transitional stages or steps between them. An acrobatic combination can include a set of jumps with backward, forward, and sideward rotations. Every exercise should be performed with good coordination, technique, and tempo. In addition to that, it is necessary to avoid repeating the same elements in a single exercise.

Thus, these acrobatic jumps are said to be an exciting sport where spectators can enjoy amazing elements, high speeds, and numerous rotations.

Synchronized Trampoline

Synchronized trampoline competitions are held among two-person teams that can be either male or female. Furthermore, one should note and men’s and women’s pairs compete separately, meaning there are no mixed doubles. What is more, an athlete may perform only in a single pair. These competitions consist of one obligatory and one optional exercises in preliminary competitions and one optional exercise in final competitions. The participants of the same team should perform the same elements at the same time and start the performance facing the same direction. With this, it is allowed for an athlete to get ahead of his/her partner by a maximum of a half of an element.

Double Mini-Tramp

This discipline implies as many acrobatic elements as it is possible for athletes. A double mini-trampoline competition consists of two types of pass. In the one, which is known as a mounter pass, the athlete performs one skill in the jump from the sloping end to the flatbed and a second skill as they dismount from the flatbed to the landing mat. In the second, which is known as a spotter pass, the athlete does a straight jump from the sloping end to the flatbed to gain height, then after landing on the flat, performs the first skill, then after landing on the flat a second time, performs a second skill as they dismount.

Uniform

It should be clear that athletes should have different uniform depending on their gender and the discipline they are performing at. Thus, men should wear a sleeveless T-shirt and monotonous gymnastic trousers. Athletes are free to choose any color except for the black and other dark ones. Besides, they should have special slippers or/and socks that can be either white or of the same color as the trousers.

As for female athletes, they should wear sleeveless or sleeved swimming suits. White slippers are also required. While performing, female athletes are not allowed to wear pieces of jewelry or watches. At the same time, it is allowed to have smooth rings provided they are covered (bandaged). If any of the requirements above is violated, an appropriate athlete will be penalized or even disqualified.

When it comes to synchronized trampolining, representatives of the same team should have identical uniforms, which refers to the design and colors.

Performance

Every athlete may start his or her performance only after the signal made by an appropriate official. After the signal is made, an athlete has only one minute to show the first element. If he/she fails, it will result in a penalty represented by the deduction of some points. However, if an athlete fails to meet this requirement because of technical or some other important reasons, no penalty will be implied.

At the same time, there are specific conditions when to consider a performance interrupted, and they are as follows:

• an athlete failed to land on the trampoline with his/her both feet;
• an athlete fails to use the trampoline elasticity after landing for immediate proceeding to the following element;
• an athlete touches anything except for the trampoline with any part of his/her body;
• an athlete touches either a guard or a guarding mat;
• an athlete leaves the trampoline for safety purposes;
• participants of the same team in synchronized trampoline have made different elements (it occurs when one of the participants get ahead of the other by more than a half of an element);
• an athlete has failed to perform an obligatory exercise with required elements, and/or order of elements, which is stipulated in the official documents;
• if an element is said to be interrupted, the officials will not evaluate it.

At the same time, particular requirements are also applied to the way who athletes should finish their performance. Here, they should take a vertical position with both feet on the trampoline. In other cases, some points can be deducted. Once an athlete has finished his/her exercise, he/she should keep the position above for approximately three seconds and try not to fall. After three seconds, an exercise is said to be over. Besides, 1.0 point will be deducted if an athlete performs more than 10 elements.

When it comes to individual trampolining, athletes are allowed to make one vertical jump using the trampoline elasticity once all the exercises are over. As for synchronized trampoline, however, the two participants should either perform this vertical jump or stop immediately after the last element. If they fail to synchronize in this way, 0.2 points will be deducted.

Scoring System

In trampolining, there are two different kinds of scores: “A” is a sum of a difficulty rate for the exercise, and “B” is a score that is placed by technique or style judges for the exercise. Thus, the final score will contain the sum of one “A” and three “Bs”.

Determining Points for Style

Every athlete is given 10.0 points before he/she starts performing the elements. Thus, the chief referee decides how many points, if any, should be deducted from this sum. When it comes to individual trampolining, five judges place “Bs”, their points for style. Among them, the highest and the lowest points are not considered, while the rest three are summarized to identify a final point for the style. When it comes to synchronized trampolining, these exercises are evaluated by four judges, while the general principles are the same. As a result, a final point for style consists of two separate points.

Determining Points for Synchronicity

There is a special electronic way that is used to determine the synchronicity of an exercise and place appropriate points. There is a special judge who is responsible for managing the corresponding device. If something is wrong with this device, the judge above should award the point for synchronicity after watching an official video.

Synchronicity mistakes also result in some points that are deducted from the highest possible point, i.e., 10.0 points. The obtained point will be then added to the sum of style points to determine the final “B” that is given for the exercise.

Determining Final Points

When everything mentioned above is over, difficulty points are added to the point for the style. The final point is calculated by adding “B” points (for style and synchronicity) and “A” point (for difficulty). After that, the chief referee can deduct some points for appropriate fouls. All the points should be rounded to two decimal characters after the point.

History

At first, the trampoline was one of those safety measures used in American circus in the 1930s. The first prototype of this construction was developed by George Nissen, who was an engineer and professional diver. The former athlete created his invention in his garage by attaching a piece of solid cloth to a metal structure with the help of elastic straps. At first, the discipline had been considered a game way to improve athletes’ physical and psychological states. Then, it was used to train astronauts on how to control their bodies in space. When the trampoline started being used in gymnastics, this discipline faced great popularity and intensive development in the United States of America.

In 1985, trampolining was included in the program of the World Games held in London. Three years later, in 1988, the International Trampoline Federation was officially approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). At that time, trampolining was considered as a candidate for including in the program of the Olympic Games, which brought some changes to this kind of sport. Thus, the International Trampoline Federation was canceled in 1999, and the given kind of sport became a discipline of the International Gymnastic Federation. Thus, the first Olympic medals in trampolining were given in 2000.

At present, the sport of trampoline is in a state of constant development, which is represented by the fact that more and more people join this discipline in every passing year, and it refers to athletes from different countries and even continents. Thus, 2004 witnessed the first trampoline final competitions that took place in Algeria.