An introduction to USAG Trampoline

Even if you've never been involved with an organized trampoline program, chances are you've seen - and maybe even bounced on - trampolines of the backyard variety. These are usually round, about 12-14 feet in diameter, and will likely have some sort of protective enclosure around them. Don't worry, these are not the trampolines that your athletes will be using as they train and compete with USAG.

Trampolines used for competition are 6' x 12' rectangles with substantial safety padding on the "end decks" and around the springs. Set up instruction also call for pads along the sides, and spotters are always used when athletes are training or performing skills.

The picture to the right shows a typical competition trampoline. For the exact details of trampoline specifications, check out this equipment spec sheet from the USAG website.

The trampoline event in competition is very straightforward: after a number of "warm-up" bounces, each athlete will perform a set of 10 consecutive skills and/or combinations, with no "extra" bounces in between skills/combinations, followed by a final bounce and a "landing". The athlete is judged on the quality of execution of each skill, and at the higher levels also receives points for difficulty of the routine. We'll cover the details of judging and scoring in later articles.

To get an idea of what a trampoline routine looks like, take a look at the video below. This is the Gold Medal winning, Level 8 Boys (age 13-14) routine at the 2007 National Championships. [Feel free to skip the award ceremony at the end :-]



At Level 10, the highest Jr. Olympic level, athletes can also choose to "team up" and compete in Synchronized Trampoline. These athletes will perform the same Level 10 routines they perform as individuals, but in addition to the execution and difficulty scores they will also receive a "synchronization" score. Again, we'll cover the details of the judging and scoring later.

Maybe even more important than the quality of the equipment that athletes train on is the fact that they will always be supervised while bouncing by safety certified coaching staff. This is an important thing to know up front, since many parents I've talked to about Ian's participation inevitably ask the question, "Isn't that dangerous?"

Unfortunately, backyard trampolines have given the sport of trampoline a bad name. Fortunately, USAG coaches are here to give it back its good name.