It has been identified that the majority of falls from the trampoline to the floor occur during performance of somersaults and skills in excess of 360 degrees of rotation. Most falls occur at the ends and corners of the trampoline, therefore it is imperative that these areas have adequate protection to minimise the risk and severity of injury. Here are some examples of how you can set your equipment up depending on the limitation of the equipment you might have.
Single trampolines should be set out as follows:
If you are lucky enough to have more than one trampoline, they should be placed end to end, with end decks attached to any open end frame and a double wedged dividing mat between the two trampolines (or thick safety mattress). If you have no end decks you should use thick safety mats on the floor in place of the end decks with a gym mat behind it if you have enough floor mats to do so. A spotter can also be utilised on the floor mat to aid safety further.
If you have a lack of space and need to set up your trampolines side by side with only one set of end decks it would be wise to place both end decks on the same end frame. Alternatively you will need to buy an additional set of end decks.
If you have pupils performing somersaults or other skills that risk travel or over rotation on landing you need to work out which direction they are likely to end up going and get them to start the skills facing the right way so that the end decks protect the landing phase of the skill.
An example would be when teaching forward somersaults they commonly travel forwards so you want the pupil facing the end decks to start. However, with Backwards somersaults you want them facing away from the end deck to start as they often travel backwards so the end decks give added protection. On twisting skills such as back landing half twist to feet they often land in one corner (travel & cast) work out where they will land depending on twist direction, put an extra spotter in the corresponding corner and ensure they start the skill facing the end deck.
If you put the end decks on one trampoline and have the other by the side with no end decks, pupils on the trampoline with no end decks risk falling and hitting the metal framework of the end decks on the other trampoline.
Setting the equipment out side by side can be time consuming, the trampolines are heavy and difficult to manoeuvre into place. To assist you in aligning the trampolines we suggest slightly lifting the trampoline whilst pushing it into place. This will make it easier to move as there are rubber floor guards on the legs.
The safest method to set up all trampolines is end to end. This reduces the risk of falling from the ends of the trampolines. A safety mattress of at least 8 inches thick should be placed over the end frames of any trampolines placed end to end to protect from injury should a pupil fall towards the end of the trampoline. Trampoline dividing mats which have wedged sides are made specifically for this this purpose however any thick safety mattress should suffice.
If your sports hall or gym is not long enough to set up the trampolines end to end you can set up the trampolines side by side instead or in a ‘T’ position.
When using the ‘T’ position you need to risk assess the possibility of a pupil falling from a corner and hitting the framework of another trampoline or end deck. We advise using mats on the floor for the top trampoline to avoid this potential risk.
A favourite set up is with 4 trampolines and 2 sets of safety spotting end decks.
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