On The Rebound: - Enlightenment.Com

• Are all of your springs in good shape? (If you have one spring that is damaged or
a bit bent out of shape, you can still rebound, but you should replace that spring as
soon as possible – call the manufacturer for replacements – because even one bad
spring being off will start to put uneven wear and tear on the rest of the
rebounder).
• Is the spring cover caught on a hinge or tangled up in the springs?
• Is the mat dry and is there an absence of debris?
In some situations, such as bouncing outdoors in a place where there are trees, plants, and
wind, debris may accumulate in the middle of a rebounding session. It is good to have a
towel or small brush available to get the debris off of the rebounder, but there are times
when you will want to stop your workout, step off the rebounder, turn it on its side, and
lightly tap it with your fingers several times to bounce the debris down and off of the
rebounder. You may be tempted to get little pieces of debris and grit off of your feet
while you are bouncing, but this is not a good practice. Even if you have to break your
rhythm, you are better off stopping to brush it off as this will be safer and more effective.
A whisk broom can come in quite handy.
After a while you’ll be able to tell if your rebounder is ready to go in about fifteen
seconds or less, but don’t be tempted to overlook those fifteen seconds!
The Location Where You Rebound
The location where you rebound can make a big difference to your rebounding
experience. As previously mentioned, I recommend that you try rebounding outdoors, at
least from time to time, if you have the opportunity to do so. Wherever you intend to
bounce, however, ask yourself the following safety questions:
• Is the surface you are going to bounce on flat and level?
• Can the surface you bounce on, and any structure attached to it, withstand the
force of vigorous rebounding?
• If you are on a rug, will it be permanently marked (with round depressions) by the
bouncer’s legs?
• Do you have enough room above and around you? Extend your arms fully and see
if they hit the ceiling, or any objects to the side of you.
• Make sure that no objects nearby will topple over, or be vibrated off of their
purchase and come crashing to the floor; if you bounce indoors, keep a special
eye on small knick-knacks on the tops of bookshelves.
It is very important to make sure that wherever you are rebounding can handle the force
of bouncing that is transmitted through the rebounder legs into the floor. Once, while on
vacation in Mendocino, California, in a rented cabin right on the coast, I put the
rebounder on the second floor and began bouncing. Just a couple of minutes later one of
my family member’s came racing up the stairs, telling me that the whole house was
shaking and that I better cut it out!
On the Rebound, draft 1.0, © 2004 Jordan Gruber, All Rights Reserved; Confidential, Please do not Reproduce - 40 -