A Natural History Of Trampolines

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/

** Attn Ezine editors / Site Owners ** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include my resource box as listed above.

Have You Ever Bought Fitness Equipment From TV? FitSugar.com, CA - Oct 8, 2008 So what about you . . . Have You Ever Bought Fitness Equipment From TV? Yes I have — tell me what you bought below.

Nautilus Recognized as Official Fitness Equipment Supplier to the ... MarketWatch - Oct 2, 2008 "As our partner, Nautilus has provided the Mavs with the best fitness equipment in the business." The agreement involves furnishing the facility with the ...

Check out fitness equipment thoroughly when considering a gym Earthtimes (press release), UK - Oct 1, 2008 Cologne - It's a good idea to check out the fitness machines while visiting on a guest pass before joining a gym. The quality of fitness machines and their ...

New Fitness Equipment E-Store Launched PR-CANADA.net (press release), Montenegro - Sep 27, 2008 “We’d like to provide people with a source for quality fitness equipment and other items,” said Marcus Martinez, founder and owner. ...

Biloxi School Fights Obesity With New Fitness Equipment WLOX, MS - Sep 24, 2008 He chose about two dozen children to demonstrate how the new fitness equipment works. Because of this equipment, "Recess is not recess anymore. ...

Riverview installs outdoor fitness equipment Times and Transcript, Canada - Sep 18, 2008 Riverview is the first community in the Maritimes to have a set of outdoor fitness equipment made by Green Gym installed in their community. ...

Product Weigh-In Wednesday: The TRX Male Pattern Fitness - Oct 8, 2008 by Andrew Heffernan on Oct 8, 2008 2:11 PM EDT I got a question some time ago about the TRX system, a versitile, go-anywhere piece of fitness equipment ...

Credit Counseling Agency Helps Consumers Live Healthier While ... PR Web (press release), WA - Oct 7, 2008 Second-Hand Fitness Equipment - For those individuals who prefer working out with equipment, whether anything from a weight bench to an exercise bike, ...

Fitness project to kick off in Hub City Hattiesburg American, MS - 19 minutes ago ... Pubic School District to officially begin the Project Fit America plan, including using fitness equipment and classroom instruction on healthy choices. ...

Brunswick Accelerates Resizing and Fixed-Cost Reduction Efforts ... MarketWatch - Oct 9, 2008 ... IDS dealer management systems; Life Fitness, Hammer Strength and ParaBody fitness equipment; Brunswick bowling centers, equipment and consumer products; ...