Tip #4: Trampoline: Tucks, Stradles, and Straight Jumps

Okay. This is my fourth official tip on my blog. This one is about very basic trampoline skills. I  believe I have said that I'm only an intermediate level gymnast. I am still in the beginner class, but in a couple weeks I should be about ready to move up. I know a pretty big chunk about everything but trampoline. I have only learned the basic jumps: Tucks, stradles, and your regular jump. But here are the tips I have to offer you, and I hope you like them.


Straight Jumps:

Every gymnast knows that, duh, the straight jump is the easiest of them all. Because all you have to do is jump straight. And this is how to properly jump straight.

• Raise your hands straight up, fairly close to your ears.
• My gym's trampolines have targets in the center of them to keep you centered. If yours doesn't, then make an imaginary box with a target in the center. For this jump, you want to push yourself to do your best, so if you jump out of the box, ten sit-ups for you.
• Start slow, do not jump very high. You want to just barely jump above the target. Then, you can start jumping at a regular hight. Gymnastics trampolines are very, very springy, so going high is okay, as long as you aren't rocket-launching off of the trampoline. When you're going too high, it starts to get very hard to hit the center of the trampoline. That's how you know, come back down to planet Earth, please!
• Remember to keep your toes pointed downward for a more gymnastics look. But also remember that you only point your toes in the air.
• Okay, that sums it up! That's a straight jump!

Tuck jumps
Tuck jumps are still very easy to complete and all you have to do is a tuck in the air. Have you done a tuck on a beam or floor? If the answer is yes, then you've pretty much got it, just do it mid-air.

• For this jump, it's generally easier to keep your hands straight out. Start in the direct center, or target, if you have one. Then, launch off the trampoline.
• Pull your knees up as close to your stomach as you can get.
• Your feet must hit the center target for perfection. If you fail to hit the center, ten sit-ups for you!
• Congrats, that's a tuck jump!

Stradle jumps
Stradle jumps, in my opinion are the most fun. They look cool. They ARE cool! And most important, they are extremely easy!

Stradle jump!

• Start in straight jump start position, which is listed above.
• Jump into the air. (Sometimes it takes a couple extra jumps to get required hight)
• Then, stradle! (In case you don't know what a stradle is, it's basically a middle split, except your legs make more of a V shape. So your legs should not be completely straight down the middle, but as if you were sitting on the floor, with your feet facing up).
• Congrats, that's a stradle jump!