Trampoline - Footings? Level?

Jazzycat

Hi,

we are looking at putting a 10ft trampoline in our garden. The areas we are thinking of is grassed but on a gradual slope. My thinking is to make it level by digging a trench where the base bars will sit and excavate until the trampoline is level. I anticipate that I will only need to remove 6 to 8 inches for it to be level.

I think this would be more secure than resting the base in notched treated timer where needed to level it out.

Any advice greatly welcomed

marklefty

Hi I don't know if it is of any help but I put up a 14" trampoline 20 months ago.
This is on clay soil with a slight decline about three foot over 60" and it sank slightly but doesnt move as far as I can see, four teenagers have been on it together (although the manufacuter only recommends one person at a time). Putting on a hard surface with an incline unless pinned down will only make the trampoline shuffle down to the lowest point.
I would recommend getting a safety net to go around and always keep a watchful eye even on expert older children.

We have moved the trampoline around the garden on occasions and it has settled fine.

Jazzycat

thanks marklefty. I was planning on putting it straight onto the turf and level it our by digging our where the base bars would sit on the grass.

I was worried that being on a slope it would be dangerous. I am getting the safety net as don't want to be on the weekly run to A&E!

Thanks for the help

windym_2

I have a 15ft on an incline which sounds more than yours. I have just anchored it down with straps (supplied) and it has been there for 2 years. I have the safety net and imagine it has saved me a fortune in hospital car park fees! I wouldn't bother with the levelling, the kids spend half their time upside down anyway.

kittiwoz

Siting a trampoline on a slope is dangerous. It would not be appropriate to rectify this by using notched timber base since this would constitute a hard obstruction around the base of the trampoline and could cause injury in the event of a performer falling from the trampoline. Siting a trampoline on any hard surface is also not appropriate for similar reasons. Any trampoline is potentially dangerous and I am not generally in favour of the use of trampolines without qualified supervision and in uncontrolled environements (i.e. gardent rampolines) at all. However if you do have a garden trampoline please read and observe the advice given out by the british gymanstics association available from the downloads section of the website under trampoline gymnastics technical committee; BG garden trampolines statement.
Windym, one of the most important guidelines included in this document is reproduced below:

• At all times, avoid any skill that involves being upside down, even if the child is trained!

See also the trampoline safety factsheet (for garden trampolines) produced by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Please note, Marklefty, that 75% of injuries on garden trampolines occur whilst double bouncing. It has been suggested that this is because garden trampolines pull the performer to the centre more strongly than proper trampolines than do proper trampolines. I suspect it is also because they are smaller and becuse performers double bouncing on garden trampolines do not have the control to canon bounce properly and are not being properly supervised.

Jazzycat

thanks for the comments kittiwoz.

Notched treated timber is a recommendation provided by all the main trampoline companies hence the suggestion in my initial post. Can you explain why you state its not suitable and what experience you base that judgement on please. I have stated I will be using a safety net.

I think as any responsible parent we do not want to see our children injured and I'm sure Windym was stating how most children end up and not actively encouraging people to turn their children upside down and bounce them on a trampoline.

It does also concern me that society in general is trying to take away childrens ability to learn, play, interact and socialise under the guise of health and safety or political correctness. As children I hope we have all encountered many different experiences that have moulded us into rational and rounded adults. Missing out on your childhood experiences at such an expense worries me. We sadly live in a society that creates a blame and fear culture. Who knows, my children may claim against me should an accident happen. But then again that would only happen if we create an environment that thinks this is progress.

Apologies - rant over.

kittiwoz

I think you just shouldn't have anything hard around the base of a trampoline even if you are using a safety net in case it breaks or something. You would never allow an obstruction like this in a sports hall, even if the performer was in a rig.

I thought Windym was suggesting that he/she allows their children to somersault and I wanted to reiterate, as I have in every post I've seen on this site about garden trampolines, that you must not do this because the main risk of death or paralysis is from somersaulting.

Also another point on double bouncing. It is dangerous on a garden trampoline not just because of the likelihood of a collison but also because one child might accidently kip the other and send them flying.

I'm not against trampolining. I love my sport. But as a trampoline coach I also understand the risks involved and I think they should be controlled. It is very difficult to do that effectively in an non-controlled environment where the only supervision is provided by someone who themselves doesn't understand the risks.

I am myself worried about the compensation culture and over-emphasis on health and safety impacting on children's opportunity to have fun, play and participate in sport. In America where garden trampolines have been popular for a number of years a spate of injuries resulted in the American Peadiatrics Accademy recomending that ALL trampolining should be banned including in schools and lesiure centres and as a competitive sport. Now trampolining has Olympic status we can rest easy that won't happen. It did have an effect though. The number of schools and lesiure centres providing trampolining plummeted and now America, which used to do well because of their promenance in gymnastics, sucks at trampolining on an international level. I don't want to see injuries resulting from use of garden trampolines in Britain result in the loss of opportunities for people to take part in trampolining in a controlled environment under qualified supervision where the risks are properly managed.

windym_2

kittiwoz wrote:

I thought Windym was suggesting that he/she allows their children to somersault and I wanted to reiterate, as I have in every post I've seen on this site about garden trampolines, that you must not do this because the main risk of death or paralysis is from somersaulting.

I was giving a 'tongue in cheek' comment. It was meant to suggest that the kids don't notice and the trampoline suffers no detrimental consequences. I monitor my son on the trampoline and he has terrific fun. There is a risk to crossing the road, but all things in moderation and within proper adult supervision.

Jazzycat

I believe that tuition is great and underpins a foundation for children. However they have to have fun and thats where tuition ends I'm afraid.

My kids mean everything to me and would never put them at undue risk. We will have boundaries and rules and trust me they will be rigid but hey they will have fun too, that I promise them.

Risk is always in life from day 1 but life should be lived thinking that I have a 9,999,999 in 10,000,000 chance of having a bloody good time!!!!

kittiwoz

I'm sorry if I offended you Windym but we have had people at our club who thought they new how to somersault having done so on garden trampolines so clearly some parents do allow this. Obviously these people, not having been properly taught had extremely dangerous technique and had to be re-taught using proper progressions and support.

windym wrote:

There is a risk to crossing the road, but all things in moderation and within proper adult supervision.

Yes, and you wouldn't let your child cross the road on their own without them first having been taught how to do so safely. Nor would you let them cross with someone else who also didn't know how to cross a road. Typically children using garden trampolines have had no qualified instruction and so don't know how to bounce safely. Neither do the parents who are supervising them. This is why BG reccomends that if you do buy a garden trampoline you should send your kids to some classes to learn the basics of how to bounce safely. Falling off and landing on your head are by no means the only risks involved in trampolining. They are just the simplest to avoid.

I belong to The University of Manchester Trampolining Club. We have plenty of fun and we have the photos to prove it! (Some of them are even of trampolining) Our club isn't aimed at hard training there's plenty of opportunity to play. We come because it is fun to learn new moves. We sometimes do circus skill type stuff as well; our coaches include the crazy tramps. It is because we have good coaches (better than me, I'm only basic level) and all know basic good technique that we can have so much fun. We get to learn to do cool stuff and we minimise trips to the hospital which are no fun for anyone.

conradmum

We sank our trampoline into the ground. Dug a pit about 3 foot deep and heaped the earth up around the sides, which means that the trampoline now has no 'drop' around the edge at all. The surrounding ground is level with the trampoline itself.