Maahi's Online Journal

The frame of a competitive trampoline is made of steel and can be made to fold up for transportation to competition venues. The trampoline bed is rectangular 4.28 by 2.15 metres (14 ft 0.5 in × 7 ft 0.3 in) in size fitted into the 5.05 by 2.91 metres (17 × 10 ft) frame with around 110 steel springs (the actual number may vary by manufacturer). The bed is made of a strong fabric, although this is not itself elastic; the elasticity is provided only by the springs. The fabric can be woven from webbing, which is the most commonly used material.

The Service – Service shall start with the ball sitting on the open palm of the server’s still hand. The server shall then toss the ball vertically upwards, so that the ball rises at least 16cm in the air. The ball should then drop without being interfered with by anything before it’s struck. As the ball is dropping the server shall strike it so that it bounces on their side of the table before going over the net and bouncing on the other side. The ball shall be above the playing surface level and behind the end line. It shall also not be hidden from the receivers view by the server or by anything they wear. It is the server’s responsibility to serve so that the official can be satisfied that the serve is within the rules. If the official is not sure about the legality of a service he or she may interrupt play and warn the server on the first occasion it happens, but any later service by that player which is not clearly legal will be considered incorrect.

The Return – The ball shall be hit so that it goes over the net and touches the opponent’s court.
The Order of Play – First, the server shall serve, then the receiver shall then make a return and from then on each player will continue to return the ball back to each other.

A Let – The rally shall be a let if the ball, makes contact the net while passing over it. A let will also occur provided if the service is delivered when the receiving player is not ready, provided that the receiver doesn’t attempt to hit the ball. If play is interrupted by the official or assistant official then the rally will also be let. Play may be interrupted to correct an error in the order of serving, to warn or penalise a player because the conditions of play are disturbed in a way which could affect the rally.

Point System – Unless the rally is a let, a player shall score a point if an opponent fails to serve correctly. If an opponent doesn’t return the ball legally. If, after the server has made a service, the ball touches anything other than the net assembly before being hit by an opponent. If the ball goes beyond the opponents end line without touching the opponent’s court, after being hit by an opponent. If an opponent obstructs the ball. If an opponent deliberately hit the ball twice in succession. If an opponent hit the ball with a side of the racket blade whose surface is not within the laws. If an opponent, or anything an opponent wears or carries, moves the playing surface. If an opponent, or anything an opponent wears or carries, touches the net assembly. If an opponent’s free hand touches the playing surface.

A Game – A game shall be won by the player first scoring 11 points unless both players score 10 points, which then the game will go to deuce and the first player to gain a lead of 2 points will get the victory.
A Match – A match shall consist of the best of any odd number of games.
Regulations

The Table – The upper surface of the table, known as the playing surface, shall be rectangular, 2.74m long and 1.525m wide, and shall lie in a horizontal plane 76cm above the floor. The playing surface shall not include the vertical sides of the table top. The playing surface may be of any material and shall yield a uniform bounce of about 23cm when a standard ball is dropped on to it from a height of 30cm. The playing surface shall be uniformly dark coloured and matt, but with a white side line, 2cm wide, along each 2.74m edge and a white end line, 2cm wide, along each 1.525m edge. The playing surface shall be divided into 2 equal courts by a vertical net running parallel with the end lines, and shall be continuous over the whole area of each court. For doubles, each court shall be divided into 2 equal half-courts by a white centre line, 3mm wide, running parallel with the side lines; the centre line shall be regarded as part of each right half-court.

The Net Assembly – The net assembly shall consist of the net, its suspension and the supporting posts, including the clamps attaching them to the table. The net shall be suspended by a cord attached at each end to an upright post 15.25cm high, the outside limits of the post being 15.25cm outside the side line. The top of the net, along its whole length, shall be 15.25cm above the playing surface. The bottom of the net, along its whole length, shall be as close as possible to the playing surface and the ends of the net shall be as close as possible to the supporting posts.

The Ball – The ball shall be spherical, with a diameter of 40mm. The ball shall weigh 2.7g. The ball shall be made of celluloid or similar plastics material and shall be white or orange, and matt.

The Racket – The racket may be of any size, shape or weight but the blade shall be flat and rigid. At least 85% of the blade by thickness shall be of natural wood; an adhesive layer within the blade may be reinforced with fibrous material such as carbon fibre, glass fibre or compressed paper, but shall not be thicker than 7.5% of the total thickness or 0.35mm, whichever is the smaller. A side of the blade used for striking the ball shall be covered with either ordinary pimpled rubber, with pimples outwards having a total thickness including adhesive of not more than 2.0mm, or sandwich rubber, with pimples inwards or outwards, having a total thickness including adhesive of not more than 4.0mm. Ordinary pimpled rubber is a single layer of non-cellular rubber, natural or synthetic, with pimples evenly distributed over its surface at a density of not less than 10 per cm2 and not more than 30 per cm2. Sandwich rubber is a single layer of cellular rubber covered with a single outer layer of ordinary pimpled rubber, the thickness of the pimpled rubber not being more than 2.0mm. The covering material shall extend up to but not beyond the limits of the blade, except that the part nearest the handle and gripped by the fingers may be left uncovered or covered with any material. The blade, any layer within the blade and any layer of covering material or adhesive on a side used for striking the ball shall be continuous and of even thickness. The surface of the covering material on a side of the blade, or of a side of the blade if it is left uncovered, shall be matt, bright red on one side and black on the other. The racket covering shall be used without any physical, chemical or other treatment. Slight deviations from continuity of surface or uniformity of colour due to accidental damage or wear may be allowed provided that they do not significantly change the characteristics of the surface. Before the start of a match and whenever he or she changes his or her racket during a match a player shall show his or her opponent and the umpire the racket he or she is about to use and shall allow them to examine it.

http://www.pongworld.com/more/rules.php

Before the session we did a light warm up so that we were ready to do the drills. For the warm up we just went for a slow jog so all our muscles were loose. We did this for about 5 Minutes before moving onto the main activity.

In the main activity we focused on one main skill, the front drop. The front drop is a low level trampolining skill that can be used in a routine. It can also be used as a combination.

The first part of the front drop is to position yourself in the middle of the trampoline. When doing the skill, you must use the basic bounce skill at first and then as you reach the peak of your bounce you should lean forward until your body is parallel to the trampoline and you should stretch your legs straight behind you and your hands should be tucked underneath your chin while your elbows should be out at around 90 degrees. You should focus yours eyes dead in front of you instead of on the trampoline so you avoid landing wrong and doing a worm like movement. Make sure that your hips land in the same place that your feet once where when you was doing the basic bouncing skill.

Before the session we did a light warm up so that we were ready to do the drills. For the warm up we just went for a slow jog so all our muscles were loose. We did this for about 5 Minutes before moving onto the main activity.

In the main activity we focused on one main skill, basic twists.

The first part of basic twists is to position yourself in the middle of the trampoline. When doing the skill, you must use the basic bounce skill at first and as you reach the peak of your bounce make sure you thrust your arms upwards and twist from your shoulders to your waist in the direction that you want to rotate in. As you twist your shoulders and waist your legs should twist with them. Be sure to keep your balance and to keep the twist controlled.

Before the session we did a light warm up so that we were ready to do the drills. For the warm up we just went for a slow jog so all our muscles were loose. We did this for about 5 Minutes before moving onto the main activity.

In the main activity we focused on one main skill, basic seat drop.

The first part of basic seat drop is to position yourself in the middle of the trampoline. You should bounce as normal but as you get to the peak of your bounce you need to place your arms slightly behind you and you need to extend your legs dead straight in front of you. if you fail to do this you will end up landing on the trampoline with your heels first and then your bum and it will not be a clean seat drop. You should land on the trampoline with your back straight and your hands tucked in just behind your bum.

Before the session we did a light warm up so that we were ready to do the drills. For the warm up we just went for a slow jog so all our muscles were loose. We did this for about 5 Minutes before moving onto the main activity.

In the main activity we focused on one main skill, basic bouncing.

The first part of the basic bouncing skill is to position yourself in the middle of the trampoline. When doing the skill, make sure your arms are as straight as possible. As you go up you must swing your arms from by your side to in front of you before swinging them high above your head and back round the side to your side as you land on the trampoline again. It is important that you point your toes at all times apart from when landing on your feet.

Rules of Trampolining
• Men and women competitors take part on their own in individual events in trampolining competitions.
• In the initial qualifying round, competitors complete both compulsory and optional routines, while the final consists of just an optional routine.
• The compulsory routine consists of a prearranged set of skills, which must then be carried out in a set order, while the optional routines must contain 10 acknowledged skills.
• These skills are then submitted on cards to the judges, but can be performed in any order. Each of the 10 skills in an optional routine must be different, for example, the chosen skills should not be repeated in the same routine.
• The trampolinists should end their routine in an upright position with both feet on the trampoline bed. They must remain upright for at least three seconds, before ending their routine, with points deducted for instability.
• For all skills apart from straddle jumps, the legs should be kept together with the toes pointed.
• Trampolinists are only allowed to attempt their routine once, unless the routine is interrupted by outside interference.
• Trampolinists do not have a time limit to compete their routine.
• Skills include twists and somersaults in a variety of positions. Each skill is given a degree of difficulty, the higher the difficulty, the higher the score. The number of twists and somersaults in each skill determines its difficulty rating.
• If a move includes a somersault and a twist, the scores are added.
• If the somersault does not include a twist but is performed in the pike or straight position, 0.1 of a point is added for each complete somersault.
• Two difficulty judges confer to award each routine a difficulty score, which is typically in the range of 11-15 points.
• A panel of five judges rate the execution of each routine, giving the competitor a score out of 10.
• The judges look at form, consistent height and control, deducting fractions of points for faults.
• Failing to hit the trampoline with both feet at the same time costs 0.3 of a point, touching the trampoline bed with the hands draws a 0.4 of a point penalty, touching the bed with the hands and knees is worth a half a point penalty and landing on a safety platform also results in a penalty.
• Like the other gymnastics disciplines, in trampolining technical ability is not enough for a good score, style is also important.
• Judges reward competitors who perform with artistry and grace.
• The highest and lowest scores for each routine are discarded and the other three are totalled.
• The difficulty score is then added, giving a final score for the routine.
• If scores are tied, the scores are added again, this time including the two discarded scores, to determine a result.

Week 4 – Block

First we started warming up so that we were nice and loose and ready to do the drills. For the warm up we just started rallying with each other using any type of shot just getting used to the ball. We done this for about 5 – 10 Minutes before moving onto the main activity and skill based exercise.

In the main activity we focused on one main defensive shot, the block shot. You should keep your knees bent shoulder width apart, with both feet facing forward and make sure your body is also facing your opponent. Your arm should move slightly towards the ball from the elbow. Hit the ball just after it bounces on your side and don’t generate any follow through.

After getting used to the shot we added in some mats on the in which we used as targets. We rallied at a reasonable speed and then we would take it in turns to aim for the mat on the table. We did this for a while that the accuracy of the shot would then improve.

Week 4 – Backspin

First we started warming up so that we were nice and loose and ready to do the drills. For the warm up we just started rallying with each other using any type of shot just getting used to the ball. We done this for about 5 – 10 Minutes before moving onto the main activity and skill based exercise. In the main activity we focused on one skill, the backspin shot.

The first part of the Backspin Shot is to position yourself with you keep your knees bent and have your feet shoulder width apart, with one of your feet slightly behind the other. Make sure your body is slightly square on to your opponent. When the ball and bat make contact put your weight on to your back foot, make sure that you make contact with just under the middle of the ball and make sure there is little follow through but the follow through goes under the ball to generate the backspin. After getting used to the shot we added in some rules in which made us have to get the ball to hit the mat.

What is Backspin? – With backspin, the bottom of the ball is moving in the same direction that the ball is travelling. The force exerted on the ball by its spin will be generally upwards (again, assuming the ball has been hit almost horizontally). This upward force works in the opposite direction to gravity, causing the ball to drop more slowly. Since a table tennis ball is light and easily slowed by air, a heavy backspin stroke performed from several feet from the table will often slow down its forward speed quite noticeably over the opponent’s side of the table, and then slowly fall onto the playing surface. This ‘stop and drop’ effect is used by defenders when playing against topspin attacks.