Trampolines for Extreme Sports Training

To perfect the latest sick tricks, extreme athletes turn to trampolines

Build your edge and keep it !

You don't generally think of seeing athletes doing extreme sports training in the gym or in any of the other places conventional athletes use to cross train. These totally unconventional athletes are usually seen in the streets or at the local half-pipe making repeated attempts to master the latest sick trick, pushing their bodies to the extreme and risking injury in the unforgiving environment of their sports—cement and steel terrain parks, packed snow, turbulent water. However, one thing they are looking for in common with conventional athletes is every possible extreme sports training advantage to perfect their skills and improve their competitive edge. Trampolines can provide this advantage and more and more extreme athletes are using trampolines to train.

The pros do it

Camp Woodward, a world-renowned extreme sports training facility, for example, uses trampolines to train athletes. Trampoline training enables the athletes to repeat actions, such as somersaults and twists, over and over in a controlled way that is usually not available in the unpredictable and uneven environment of their sports. Trampolines allow the snowboarder, skateboarder, freestyle skier, wakeboarder, or kiteboarder to recreate the feel of being airborne and weightless to learn new tricks faster than they otherwise might. They use trampolines to not only perfect tricks they've already learned, but to invent new ones that may never have been tried by anyone before. Using a trampoline for this and eliminating the threat of serious injury can have a very positive effect on creativity, not to mention confidence!

Train year round

Another key benefit of trampoline exercise for extreme athletes is the ability to use them year-round, so that athletes are not kept from practicing when their sport is out of season. Training on trampolines in the off-season can ensure that athletes are not rusty or out of shape when each new season begins, which gives them tremendous advantages in physical fitness as well as in practice hours logged-in over competitors that did not train in the off-season.

When using trampolines for extreme sports cross-training, you can find trampoline-specific accessories for your particular sport. For example, for board sports, there are boards designed specifically for use with trampolines. These boards are made of materials that won't cut through the trampoline mat (check out JumpSport's BounceBoard at www.jumpsport.com/BounceBoard). Also, for wakeboarders and kiteboarders, you can attach a tow-rope to a rigid stationary object to simulate tow rope action.

With whatever extreme sports training you do on a trampoline, we always recommend using the utmost care to protect your body and those around you. Always consider using a trampoline safety enclosure to ensure that you stay on the trampoline.