Teaching a perfect seat landing is really simple, however, this trick can be a bit more difficult compared to skills like the pike jump, tuck jump, or straddle jump, as your students may need to practice a bit more.

A seat landing, often known as a seat drop, is a straightforward skill to teach as it simply involves moving from a straight jump to a sitting position, with straight and flat legs at a 90-degree angle to your body. The difficulty level of this skill is 0, however, it is one of the harder skills to master at this level.  As a result, you may need to monitor your students to make sure that they are completing this move correctly, and feel confident while doing so.

Here’s how to teach a seat landing…

Step One: Get Them Jumping Straight

Get your students to begin jumping confidently and with technical correctness. A straight jump consists of a vertical jump while bouncing on the same spot with a straight back. It’s the simplest move to teach in trampolining, but when students start to land in a different position (as opposed to changing shape mid-air and returning to a standard straight jump before landing), it’s important for their balance to be perfect, and  their bounce completely straight,

They will also need as much height as possible, so have your students lift their arms above their head when they reach the peak of their jump. Then, as they start falling back down to the trampoline, they will need to move their arms down and push through their hands. This will allow them to build more energy and to bounce higher on their next jump.

Step Two: Get Them Ready To Sit

Once your students feel confident enough to do basic jumping it is time to teach them how to do a seat landing. To be able to teach this skill you will need to make sure your class are jumping high enough to do a seat landing and bounce back up. Also, make sure that your students are peaking their jump (reaching the highest point of the jump) first, and then completing the drop move so that they have enough time to complete it correctly.

Once they have a high enough bounce, your students need to lift their legs straight out at a 90-degree angle to their body and prepare to land in a seated position before bounce on their bottom. Their knees and feet need to be aligned and together, with their toes pointed.

When your students first make contact with the trampoline they will need to raise their arms above their head to help gain the momentum needed to push themselves up again. They will then be in an upright, straight jump position again.

Step Three: Extra Safety Measures

If your students are worried about hurting themselves or not being able to do it the first time then you can place a safety mat underneath them on the trampoline. As they jump and get ready to complete a seat landing, push the mat directly underneath their bounce. Most trampolines will have a square section or a cross on them in their centre – try and get your students to land on these as it will help them to practice and focus staying balanced and stable during their seat landings.

Step Four: Correcting Common Faults

Some of your students may tend to fall back as they’re trying to gain their balance when completing their seat drop. This is because the second bounce of a seat landing is hard to control when they are first being taught trampolining skills. It may take your students a few attempts to really get in control of their balance and manage to get back up from their seat landing into further jumps. Practice is the cure for this one!

Another common fault that learners may do is try to put their hands down during their seat drop. This can be dangerous as it may cause wrist injuries and potentially broken bones if they put too much pressure on their arms and hands. Your students need to put their hands down flat on the trampoline bed, beside their hips, as they land. It’s important for them to keep equal amounts of pressure on both hands, or they will fall to one side. 

Finally, your students need to keep a straight back as they land, as another common error is to lean backwards, rather than keeping their back vertical during the landing. Leaning back will also cause them to lose their balance, and make it impossible for them to bounce back onto their feet and land the skill.

Learn By Doing…

Much like trampolining can only truly be learned on a trampoline, the fine art of teaching trampolining skills is best learned on a trampoline, with fellow teachers to act as ‘students’ to instruct. If you need any extra guidance or advice, we can meet all your trampolining and gymnastics training needs. We offer Trampolining and Gymnastics Level 1 and 2 Courses in Durham, Kent and Manchester for both student teachers and qualified teachers. To book your two-day course give us a call, or drop us an email us.