Kids Tramp Training: Grabbing Your Board
In this kids' trampoline training lesson, Nev coaches a young rider named Rocky through his first four snowboard grabs. If your kid is starting to hit small jumps in the terrain park, grabs are a simple way to add style, and the trampoline is a great place to learn them before the snow arrives.
Nev and Rocky talk through the plan before getting on the trampoline.
Start with the knees, not a bigger jump
Before any grabs, Nev has Rocky focus on bringing his knees up toward his chest. The goal is not to jump harder or higher. Pulling the knees up is what brings the board close enough to grab.
Nev also watches for the board kicking up behind the rider. Keep the board flat and jump from a flat foot. On a real snowboard, boots and bindings limit how much your ankles can move, so a flat board on the tramp is closer to how it feels on snow.
The four grabs
Nev keeps the names simple and tells Rocky he does not need to remember them all right away. Here are the four grabs from the lesson:
- Indy: back hand on the toe edge.
- Weddle: front hand on the toe edge.
- Melon: front hand on the heel edge.
- Stale fish: back hand on the heel edge. You can just call it stale.
Rocky reaches for the toe edge while keeping his board level.
Coaching cues for young riders
- Bring the board up to you. Leaning over to reach for the board will throw you off balance on a snowboard. Pull your knees up and bring the board to your hand instead.
- Stay on the X. Try to take off and land in the same spot in the middle of the trampoline. That is the same balanced position you want when you take off and land a jump.
- Keep your body in line. Look ahead like you are looking down the hill, and keep the rest of your body and board straight.
- Grab and hold, do not slap. Just touching the board is what Nev calls a "cat slap." Grab the board and hold it. That is what makes a grab look stylish.
Melon grab: knees tucked and a real hold on the heel edge.
Practice game: four bounces, four grabs
To finish, Nev challenges Rocky to do all four grabs in four bounces in a row. Once that feels easy, have a friend or parent throw out the names of the grabs at random so your rider has to react. The more grabs happen without thinking on the trampoline, the easier they come on snow this winter.
A training board sized for kids
Rocky trains on the Kids Tramp Board, which Nev says is a good fit for riders roughly 6 to 12 years old. It gives young riders a board that suits their size while they practice grabs and balance at home.
Want to train alongside your kids? The Tramp Board Essentials is our entry level adult tramp board, and the Tramp Board Pro is the better option if you are into serious training.
