The Globe and Mail

Jason Burnett catches his breath as he climbs off the trampoline after completing a training routine full of astonishing flips and twists upwards of 20 feet in the air.

The Olympian walks directly to a TV screen and plays back video of his performance, scrutinizing every millisecond.

Propelling oneself to such extreme heights and breathtaking acrobatics requires a trampolinist to be conditioned precisely and to be acutely aware of what each body part is doing at every instant. Feet hitting the trampoline bed at the wrong time, the wrong angle or with insufficient power won’t give the athlete enough air or velocity to perform the skills (moves) and earn points from the judges.

Canada’s Olympic hopefuls in trampoline are immersed in the science of success. Their coach, Dave Ross, has a degree in physics and is an equipment innovator with a sophisticated sense of how a trampoline moves and reacts. They also rely on specialists in biomechanics, Pilates, ballet, performance psychology and strength and conditioning to tune their bodies and minds to succeed in an explosive 20-second event where every degree of movement is crucial.

VIDEO: Olympic trampoline athlete Jason Burnett competes for thrills

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