Healthy lifestyles and exercise have become a key part of our everyday lives. People are always looking for new and fun ways to exercise. All physical activity keeps you healthy, so it should come as no surprise that trampoline parks are becoming steadily more popular.
Jumping on various types of trampolines and a large number of additional activities and effects make them an excellent and above all fun way to exercise, and trampolining is ranked among the healthiest physical activities. Jumping on trampoline benefits young children with their motor skills, coordination, and posture.
But some people nevertheless believe that trampolines are not appropriate for the development of a child. So who is right?
Trampoline parks are an excellent opportunity for better health
There is a big difference between the trampolines that children play on as a toy in their gardens and the trampolines available to visitors to trampoline parks. They are classified as professional sports equipment and are an excellent opportunity for various types of healthy fun activities, but also help improve coordination and motor skills for both adults and children.
Many studies has shown that they have a positive effect on children’s physical fitness. Experts at Marmara University carried out the first study of the effects of trampolines (the type, found at trampoline parks) on children’s development, and they found that this is a totally healthy activity for kids. Prior to the study they postulated that training on trampoline would improve children’s static and dynamic balance, vertical leap and leg strength.
If you ask what kind of physical activity is the healthiest, jumping at trampoline parks is undoubtedly on the list.
Earlier studies had only researched the effects of trampolining on professional athletes or adult amateurs, and as a result, PE teachers and coaches often were not aware of the potential positive effects of guided training at trampoline parks on balance, muscle strength, endurance and coordination.
Balance is the key to better motor skills
Healthy sports activities have a positive effect on our health, and at the same time help us improve or maintain various motor skills. The body is almost never at rest while trampolining, but continuously exhibits unnoticeable or even noticeable corrective motions. Without even realising it, we are also improving and maintaining our balance, which allows the body to maintain a stable position during numerous motor tasks. Visiting a trampoline park is therefore not just fun, but also a healthy fitness activity.
Good balance is just as important in everyday life as it is in sports activities. We can distinguish between two types of balance – static and dynamic. Dynamic balance keeps the body in a balanced position while moving, while static balance keeps the body’s position balanced while at rest.
The results are clear!
The above mentioned study included 28 boys aged 9 and 10, who participated voluntarily, and had never been involved in any kind of training before. Half of them jumped on trampolines twice a week, with each session lasting one and a half hours. The study once again confirmed that visiting a trampoline park is a healthy fitness activity.
At the end of the study, the dynamic balance of the children who had regularly jumped on trampolines increased by a full 63 percent. It also significantly increased their bipedal static balance and bipedal vertical leap.
Top-level equipment for top-level results
Trampoline parks have long since become not just a place for fun and games, but a great opportunity to engage in healthy activities and develop various motor skills. Having fun jumping on various trampolines at a trampoline park can significantly improve children’s motor performance, coordination and posture.
The potential positive effects of trampolining are also demonstrated in a study, where scientists researched effects on the balance and motor skills of children with mental and motor development disorders. This study similarly showed that a 12-week programme of exercise on trampolines significantly improved the participants’ results in all tests of motor performance and balance.
We can therefore conclude that visiting a trampoline park is a healthy activity for kids, since exercising on trampolines is focused mainly on the lower extremities, and requires a great deal of motor control and excellent balance, both dynamic and static.
When jumping on a trampoline you also have to control your body’s position in the air during the jump, control the landing, and continually use correct jumping technique. Pushing off before the jump requires continuous movement of the body, and your eyes have to adjust to changing perspectives. This significantly improves body orientation and coordination.
Are you looking for a healthy and fun sports activity for your children?
On top of all this, visiting a trampoline park is also an extremely efficient form of exercise for young children, as it helps them develop their motor skills, coordination and posture while having fun at the same time. Therefore we should make sure that young children are catered to at trampoline parks, as numerous studies have shown that they make up the largest share of visitors.
Some people still believe that trampoline parks are a place for fun and raising your adrenaline level, but they are clearly much more than just that. They are the right place if you are looking for healthy activities for your children that are also fun, and that they will not grow tired of.
