Advanced Trampolining Stunts Explained

As your skill in trampolining increases, you'll want to add more difficult stunts to your routines.

While you're learning these advanced stunts, protect yourself by using a safety belt, or have a spotter guide you. One of the most basic is the front somersault.

Learn it step by step. Begin with a simple lead-up stunt - a forward roll from a squat stand. Practice it a few times from a still position.

Then go through it from a slight bounce. Gradually add more bounce until you can do the forward roll in the air without letting your hands touch the bed.

And in a while you should be ready to go into a fuller lead-up to the front somersault - the knee drop front somersault to seat drop. From a standing bounce, land in a knee drop.

As you bounce up, flip forward, grabbing your shins while you duck your head. When your legs start to spin underneath you again...pull out of the tuck and land in a seat drop. Work on the timing of your spin until you hit the bed evenly every time. Then try it landing on your feet.

Now you can go on to the complete front somersault from a standing bounce. After bouncing off your feet, try to stay in your spin just a little longer so you will land back on your feet. Start with a regular bounce.

As you come up, grab your shins and go into a tight tuck. Your body spins faster in tuck position, making it easier to complete a somersault. When your legs are almost under you...pull out of the tuck and land on your feet, flexing your knees to help kill your spin. Always try to land near the same spot from which you started. That's the key to good somersaulting, whether it's forward...or backward, as in the back pullover. A complete stunt in itself, the back pullover is also a good lead-up to the back somersault.

Start the back pullover with a regular bounce, landing on the lower part of your back, your hands under your thighs.

Coming up from your bounce, pull back hard on your thighs, this starts you into a back pullover somersault that you continue...until your feet touch the bed. Then straighten up and land standing. After you learn the timing for a back pullover...you can try a complete back somersault... adding a little extra bounce so your spin will carry you all the way around to your feet again.

As you take off from the bed, straighten your body while lifting your arms and keeping your head back.

Then bring your knees up so your hands grasp your shins, pulling you into a tuck position. Spin through your somersault, and when your legs are almost under you again...straighten out and land on your feet. Work on the back somersault until you can safely do it without a spotter or belt.

Then you can go on to a little more difficult stunt...the barani. In the barani you start a front somersault, do a half-twist in mid air, and land on the bed facing in the opposite direction. But before trying a barani from a stand...lead up to it with a knee barani, using your hands. In this stunt, you go from a knee bounce into a half-twist and land on your knees in the opposite direction.

Start it with a knee drop landing. Keep your arms raised overhead, ready to place them on the bed. From the knee landing...bounce forward into a handstand position, kicking your legs overhead and keeping your arms straight. From the handstand, give yourself a half-twist... so your legs carry you on over and you land on your knees again, facing the other way.

After practicing it a few more times, you should be able to do the complete knee barani without letting your hands touch the bed.

There are many more advanced stunts, none of which can be learned over night. But by practicing them gradually and regularly, you'll find you can become a good trampoline performer and a valuable member of your gymnastic team.