With a hop, jump and a backflip, Scots have quickly become fans of one of the newest sporting crazes to hit the UK - trampolining.

Scotland is set to welcome its fourth trampoline park in Aberdeen next year, and it appears that as a nation we love donning a set of grip socks and springing into action to get active and have a little fun no matter the weather.

Ryze, who operate two trampoline parks in Edinburgh and Glasgow, say that in just over a year they have welcomed more than 300,000 customers through the doors at each centre, with a recent study suggesting that 49% of children aged four to 15 just love to jump.

So with plans for English-based company Jump In to expand to Scotland and Ryze looking into its third site, we jumped into the world of trampolining to find out why its such a hit with Scots.

A Scottish obsession?

Back in December 2014, Scotland's first indoor trampoline park Airspace opened to the public in South Lanarkshire.

With more than 35,000sqft of spring-based fun, the park was the first of its kind in Scotland and was at the time of opening the largest of its kind in Europe, boasting a floor filled with trampolines, foam cubes, basketball hoops and dodgeball courts for some seriously springy sports and gym classes.

Airspace's opening paved the way for rival company Ryze to open parks in Glasgow's Kinning Park and Dalkeith in early 2015.

Ryze say that they have welcomed more than 300,000 visitors to each of their Scottish sites in just a year.

Now Aberdeen will bounce into the trampoline scene with new company Jump In, joining the plethora of Scottish parks in January.

So why are they so popular?

Scott Fairgrieve, CEO of Ryze UK, explains that the recent phenomenon began in Australia, with parks soon springing up across the southern hemisphere and in America.

He adds that trampolining has been popular for decades, citing traditional sports clubs and trampoline parks in holiday resorts which have had children jumping for joy for years.

"It's been around forever, trampoline parks have been around for a long time. It's really just taking it to a new level."

The recent phenomenon has built on the traditional frames and foam mats and expanded them over spaces totalling tens of thousands of square feet. The chance to play games such as dodgeball and basketball is a hit with customers, as well as simply bouncing for hours on end with friends and family.

Scott explains: "If you're playing football and you're fantastic at football and I'm rubbish, we're not going to have a good game. With trampolining, if you can do a double backflip and I can just bounce up and down six inches, we can both go and have so much fun because we can push each other."

"Trampoline parks are popular with families" adds Vernon West from Jump In. "Kids love to jump. A recent survey by Mintel found that 49% of four to 15-year-olds trampoline while 23% do so regularly."

Problem parks

While trampoline parks have been heralded for getting people of all ages active, injuries and planning permission have dogged some sites in recent months.

Ryze endured a series of burst springs since opening in Scotland; in February last year the Dalkeith park was broken into with £10,000 stolen from a safe within hours of opening.

The Midlothian-based park then closed amid 'licensing issues' one month after its grand opening. Concerns were raised when it was reported that 100 incidents had occured during the centre's first three weeks, including 38 injuries, seven of which were serious.

However, Ryze Edinburgh reopened in time for Easter two months later, increasing first aid training following the concerns and addressing the number of injuries, the owners said in context it was "better than the industry norm" with 25,662 people using the centre in that time.

In March, Ryze revealed it intended to open its third Scottish park in Dundee, however, plans for an earmarked site fell through in June. Scott explains that Ryze still plans to open in the city and are looking at other sites, with a view to opening ten parks in total across the UK, working to a schedule of two new parks a year.

So is it good for you?

Depending on your weight and the intensity of which you jump at, a 30-minute session on a trampoline could burn up to 200 calories.

However, trampolining's real selling point is that it is a suitable style of exercise for all ages, thanks to the low impact it can have on joints. Compared with running, trampolining reduces the impact on limbs by around 80% while still giving muscles a good workout.

Scott says: "You basically get a full body workout with trampolining, it's good for your heart, it's good for your adrenaline."

It may be an excellent way to get people of all ages moving, but Scott notes that the majority of customers treat a day at the park like a fun family activity like going to the cinema or bowling rather than as a means to keep active.

He says: "People come along to jump and have a great time and they are doing exercise at the same time which is brilliant.

"We do run Ryze fit classes and different programmes, so there are people who come for the fitness, but I would say 90% of our customers come just because it's fun."

Airspace told STV that "Ten minutes of trampolining is better for you than 30 minutes of running, or 30 seconds of instant abs, if you ask me."

Ryze not only caters for those looking to keep fit, but also for funseekers. They hold weekly theme nights and a ClubRyze evening, transforming the park with a laser show, glow in the dark bands and club music.

High flying success for sport?

Becoming an Olympic sport in 2000, trampolining athletes from around the world have since showcased their athleticism on the world's stage at the last four Games, with three trampolining athletes selected to represent Team GB this year alongside ten other gymnasts in Rio.

With Scottish trampolinists scooping medals in all categories at the Trampolining and Tumbling British Championships earlier this month, it would appear that the craze doesn't appear to be abetting soon, with parks springing up across the UK and more and more people becoming interested in the gymnastic sport.

Perhaps by the time the 2020 Olympics roll around, the UK will have an even bigger team of high flying athletes who bounced into the sport after becoming hooked at their local park.