Walrus skins - It has been said that the first type of
trampolining was done by the Eskimos who used to toss each
other up into the air on a Walrus skin; something like the
sheet used by firemen to catch people jumping out of the
windows of houses which were on fire. In Anchorage Airport,
Alaska, there are postcards depicting the Eskimos being
tossed up in a Walrus skin.
There also is some evidence of people in England being
tossed up into the air by a number of people holding a
blanket. These may or may not be the true origins of the
sport of trampolining but it is certain that in the early
years of the 20th century there were stage acts which used
a "bouncing bed" on the stage to amuse audiences. The
bouncing bed was in reality a form of small trampoline
covered by bedclothes on which the acrobats performed
mostly comedy routines.
Trapeze artists
The trampoline itself, according to circus lore, was first
developed by an artist called Du Trampolin who saw the
possibility of using the trapeze safety net as a form of
propulsion and landing device and experimented with
different systems of suspension, eventually reducing the
net to a practical size for separate performance.
In the early 1930s, one George Nissen made a trampoline in
his garage and used it to help with his diving and tumbling
activities. He then felt that he could entertain audiences
and also let them participate in his demonstrations. Thus
were the beginnings of a new sport.
World War 2
During World War 2, the United States Navy Flight School
developed the use of the trampoline in its training of
pilots and navigators, giving them concentrated practice in
orientation such as had never been possible before. After
the war, the development of the Space Flight programme
again brought the trampoline into use to help train both
American and Soviet Astronauts, giving them experience of
variable body positions in flight.
The nature of the activity is natural, easy and rhythmical,
and the power of the bed enables participants to have fun
and excitement by jumping higher than they would normally
be able and to perform many skills landing on the feet,
seat, front and back and also to take off from those varied
landing positions.
Jeb Taylor is a fitness guru. He works out on all exercise
equipment he thinks will help him. Along with bikes and
jogging, Jeb loves bouncing on a trampoline as a fun way to
fitness.
Find out all you need to know about trampolines. How to
use them for best exercise results, and which models to
buy. Daily updated blog of news & articles. Click
http://www.trampolines-101.com/
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