The Roles of Spotters in Trampolining

Spotters are individuals positioned at the sides or corners of trampolines for safety reasons. Studies have shown that the majority of trampoline injuries occur on the bed of the trampoline due to poor landing or rebound. However, people do fall off trampolines and the presence of spotters to prevent this is as important at a backyard tramp used by supervised kids as at a professional competition. Still, spotters can't prevent all accidents without endangering themselves. Some trampolines feature padded spotting decks on each end which may take the place of a human spotter in preventing falls. Also, padding or mattresses placed on the floor around all sides of the trampoline are a spotting aid in circumstances where a spotter may be unable, or not advised, to prevent a fall.

  1. Effectiveness of Spotters

    • Several factors impact the effectiveness of spotting versus the reliance on passive spotting measures, such as padding, mattresses or spotting decks. The height of the trampoline, the average altitude of the jumps, the experience level of the trampolinist and the weight of the trampolinist all affect the action of human spotters.

    Selection of Spotters

    • Spotting can be dangerous. Spotters are instructed never to take their eyes off the trampolinist because a high-velocity fall can occur at any instant. Spotters should be of adequate stature and conditioning level appropriate to the size and weight of the trampolinist. When spotting for children, a physically-fit coach may perform the role of spotter.

    Spotting Technique

    • If a trampolinist strays close to the edge of the trampoline bed, spotters are instructed to raise their arms over their head, contact the chest or shoulders of the trampolinist and use their body weight to gently push the trampolinist back onto the trampoline.

    Falling Trampolinists

    • When confronted with a falling adult trampolinist, professional spotters are advised to move out of the way and not attempt to catch the trampolinist. Such attempts may result in severe physical injury to the spotter. Efforts to catch a falling trampolinist may also interfere with the trampolinist's own actions to adjust to the fall and minimize impact.