Can a trampoline have a good bounce and be safe? If you have wondered about the safety and performance of backyard trampolines, please continue reading!

What makes a trampoline safe? The single biggest safety feature for a backyard trampoline is a safety enclosure. A basic safety enclosure consists of poles and a net that enclose the play area of the trampoline. There are several different designs with different features, but the common elements are the support structure and netting.

What does the safety enclosure actually do to make a trampoline safer? The primary purpose of a safety enclosure is to prevent trampoline users from falling off of the elevated surface of the trampoline.

Does the safety enclosure make a trampoline less fun? Absolutely not! In fact, the play value of the system actually increases with the addition of a safety enclosure. The enclosed space helps retain balls, provides structure that can support a trampoline basketball backboard and it provides anchor points for elastic cords which can be jumped over. All of these accessories greatly enhance the fun factor for kids, promoting an activity that enables creative play, while encouraging an active lifestyle.

What features of the trampoline promote safety? The springs are the single most important element for performance and safety of the trampoline. Short stiff springs provide for a stiff mat that has higher static tension which puts more stress on the users’ body. Long soft springs allow for more mat travel. The important qualities to look at when looking at trampolines and trampoline springs are: number of springs used on a system, spring length, spring diameter, initial tension and spring rate. Initial tension is the force that holds the coils together in an extension spring. The spring rate is the force required to stretch a spring some distance. Typically spring rates are quoted as lbf/in, or pounds of force per inch of travel. When a spring is installed on a trampoline, the initial tension plus some additional force is exerted on the mat, based on how much the spring is stretched. For example, when a 10 inch spring is installed and stretched to 11 inches, the total force acting on the mat from that spring is the initial tension of the spring plus the force from the spring being stretched 1 additional inch. If the initial tension is 15 pounds and the spring rate is 10 pounds per inch, then the total force acting on the mat at that location is 25 pounds. Static tension is a function of mat size and how much the springs are stretched when installed. On a trampoline with 96 springs installed this way, the static mat tension is 2400 pounds!

There are many different spring designs. Static tension and spring rate are certainly two of the parameters that trampoline designers change to optimize a product or optimize the performance and safety of a product. Springs can be expensive and larger springs can be much more expensive than short small diameter springs. Basically, think of this as dollars per pound. Steel is expensive. Thicker steel tubing and larger springs are going to cost more than thin steel tubing and short small diameter springs. Engineers who work on trampolines have different requirements that they try to meet with different products. Some products are conceived to sell as many units as possible. Other products are designed to last and offer a specific set of capabilities. In some cases, systems can be optimized for a particular purpose or for a range of uses.

Weight rating is not a good criteria for judging a trampoline! There are a couple of ways to arrive at the same weight rating. One option is to have very short and stiff springs. This makes for a very stiff mat with little travel and it is very inexpensive to produce. On a product that uses longer softer springs that provide a softer jumping surface with a better bounce, the weight rating is likely established at the point where a user in excess of the rated weight could contact the ground when aggressively jumping. It is very likely the case that the system with the long soft springs costs more and could have a lower weight rating. The difference in the jumping experience between these two products is like the difference between night and day. If the jump experience is important to you, look beyond the weight rating to see how the product is actually put together.

The AlleyOop Sports double bed trampoline has the unique feature of having two jumping mats in parallel. The steel tubing is larger and thicker than most trampolines. The two rings make for a super rigid and robust frame. The parallel mats make it possible for the user to maximize or minimize mat damping. This soft configuration is perfect for beginners and in situations where there are multiple users on the trampoline at one time, a situation that is highly discouraged and should not be allowed. The configuration can be altered by changing the number of springs installed on the lower mat. The system becomes firmer as springs are added.

Another unique product called PowerBounce is available only from AlleyOop Sports and JumpSport. This is the first product on the market that allows a jumper to control the tension of the jumping surface. The set consists of 3 different elements: a spring, an arm, and a spring hook. The arm fits onto a v-ring and allows for a second spring to be connected between the frame and mat. The spring hook attaches to the back side of the pierce hole in the frame rail and allow for a second spring to parallel the upper spring. Different numbers of sets are used to achieve a desired condition. Each individual arm offers three different positions for installing the second spring.