How interesting can a jump be?
That is my only thought as I gingerly venture into Airborne, a trampoline park located in the bustling Khader Nawaz Khan Road. A couple, along with a child, are the only occupants thankfully — because it is a lazy weekday evening — and they will eventually be the only three people in the world to watch me if I goof up and perform an act that could potentially make it to a list of The World’s Greatest Disasters. I put on my socks with grips (they can be rented from the place for ₹50) and step into the 3,000 square feet indoor arena that has about a dozen trampolines of different sizes that people can jump on.
Now, the Internet defines trampolining as ‘a recreational activity done on a device consisting of a strong fabric between a steel frame using any coiled springs’. I’m still thinking of that complicated definition even as my 22-year-old trampoline instructor Soundhar K looks at me with a degree of suspicion. “Here, hold my hand,” he says, as he guides me to the first trampoline. I look at a row of trampolines that needs to be jumped on even as Soundhar tells me the two cardinal rules that one must know before an attempt. “Don’t land on your toes, and don’t bend your knees. Ever.” He stresses on the ‘ever’ to indicate that he is very serious about it. But that didn’t silence me — someone who is used to asking questions for a living. And, without thinking, I ask: ‘What will happen if I do?’ With a wry smile he answers, “You’ll twist your ankle. I’ve treated people here who’ve done that.”
Fairly quite convinced that the safety precautions are in place, I attempt my first jump from one point to the other. But I’m still at the same spot. I try it once again. No. I am here.
Sheepishly, I look at Soundhar. “Keep your feet close when you jump. When you want to break the momentum and stop, keep them far apart.” It’s a piece of advice that works like gold. My feet soon travel a dozen centimetres up in the air, and well, that’s just the beginning.
I attempt jumping from one box to another, considered the second step in this recreational activity. The first time I make an ugly landing, but as I try a couple of times, I improve. Soundhar demonstrates the jump from one box to another like a professional, and proceeds to even roll on the floor and get up. It reminded me of a Prabhu Deva step from the song ‘Chikku Bukku Rayile’, and he smiles when I tell him that. “I have a habit...of not watching any videos with respect to trampoline centres across the world. I like to create . Everything that I try out here are things I have created over months.” He mostly teaches professional gymnasts who frequent the place, but trampolining isn’t for them alone — the flyer to the arena states that “you can jump here, whether you’re 3 or 63.”
Inspired by the Olympics
That was the primary aim of Mohammed Wasif, CEO, when he thought about setting up this place. “We wanted to come up with a physical activity concept that takes you away from smartphones and computer games,” Wasif explains. It was around the same time that he chanced upon the Olympics on television — and watched an hour of trampoline gymnastics. “The sight of adults jumping was so thrilling. I wanted to recreate it for the Chennaiite who wants to have fun, and work on his/her fitness at the same time.”
It was a challenging exercise (“the labour didn’t know how to assemble the setup”) that involved a lot of fixing and taking off. And after months went by, they had something in place. All this action happens at a terrace in Nungambakkam, which he describes as a “dead space that would eventually generate additional revenue for landlords”. Today, thanks to increasing patronage mainly from the IT sector, he has diversified and has set up smaller spaces where one can experience trampolining — at Marina Mall on OMR and Mayajaal on ECR.
I make a mental note to visit them later, but right now, I have a challenge ahead of me: to jump from one box to the other, and then to another — with a basketball in hand — and try shooting it. I attempt, and fail. I look helplessly at Soundhar. He picks up the ball from me, and confidently plunges into a trampoline, and jumps his way from one to the another before shooting the ball. He does it like a dream. I’m betting a thousand bucks that I’ll do it too the next time I visit.
Airborne – The Trampoline Park is at 10/29, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam. Thirty minutes cost ₹ 300. For details, call 48571235 .
Other places in the city include JusJump Trampoline Park (Radhakrishnan Street, T Nagar). For details, call 8754453953.
In this column, we hunt for adrenaline-filled activities in and around Chennai
