Time you found your bounce

Forget silly haircuts and men in skirts, David Beckham is a style leader after all. The latest trend spawned by King Becks is far more fun than gelling your hair into a mohawk.

To fix his injured foot in preparation for the World Cup, Beckham took to bouncing on a mini-trampoline. As a result, sales of trampolines have soared and there's a revived interest in a sport most of us haven't tried since school.

I never forgot my kit on those PE days - bouncing into my mates for half an hour was wildly preferable to freezing on a muddy field. Trampolining is still thought of as a kids' sport, but a few sports centres cater for adults, too, so I dragged a couple of friends to the Sobell Centre in Finsbury Park to give it another go.

We nearly bottled out when we saw a 12-year-old do a double somersault and back flip, but our nerves were calmed by our coach, Zane Hema, who said all we had to do was jump up and down ten times in a row. 'The idea is to stay on the cross,' said Hema. 'If you can't do that, then stay in the square, and if you can't do that, then go home.'

Once on the trampoline we regressed to giggling schoolgirls, bouncing about with our arms and legs akimbo and competing to see how high we could fly. Soon we progressed to twists, straddles (splits in the air), seat drops (bouncing on to your bum) and pikes (touching your toes) and by the end of the two-hour session we'd learned an entire routine. How proud we felt when we got it right, and how much more fun it was than going to the gym.

'It's a great way of getting your whole body working,' said Hema, 'as it's one of the few sports that exercises all your muscles.' Trampolining can also strengthen your spine, although it's not recommended for people with bad backs.

Aside from the fitness benefits, it's worth going along for the laugh. 'I love trampolining,' said my friend Naomi after the session. 'Can we go again next week?'

Adults £4.10, children £2.60 per session; course of six lessons £22.20. Sobell Leisure Centre, Hornsey Road, N7 (020 7609 2166).