altichick 1 #26 February 23, 2006 This is a really broad generalisation but... As students, guys tend to grasp canopy control more easily than girls. Guys seem more able to think in 3D than girls (think that's been shown scientifically but I'm too lazy to find a link). Guys also tend to have better speed perception / depth perception /reaction times. Perhaps a physical difference +/- because they are encouraged to develop those skills from an earlier age through sport, driving, video games etc. So when it comes to canopy flying they are building on skills they already have rather than learning new skills. Throw in a dose of testosterone and greater upper body strength and I think maybe that's why most swoopers are guys. Physically, girls tend to be more flexible which is generally a good thing in skydiving. (Except the L1 AFF girl who realy did have her ankles behind her head when she arched!) Guys tend to be stronger but that doesn't seem to be as important, at least for most skydiving diciplines. Don't sweat the petty things... and don't pet the sweaty things! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #27 February 23, 2006 ... and hip joint construction (butt up when leg apart more than with men) ... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> That is more of an individual (i.e. too lazy to stretch on a regular basis) problem than a gender-specific problem. Usually women are more flexible than guys, especially through the hips. I have jumped with plenty of women who could still arch when their knees were wide apart (i.e. mantis). I don't know why, but young guys seem to instinctively fly tandems or PFF with their knees a mile apart, which makes it impossible to arch through their hips. Maybe they feel a need to show the world how large their testicles are??? Maybe they should wear kilts??? I am getting tired off pounding on guys' butts and they do not always respond to "toe taps" signals. Oh! And trying to physically pull their knees together is like trying to bend bridge girders. Maybe next time I will just "tap" the offending male in the testicles. That should help him close the gap! Hee! Hee! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #28 February 23, 2006 QuoteIssues: 1> Having to deal with smaller canopies due to smaller weights(a 105lb girl can't jump a 1.0 WL for quite a while off of student status). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Two issues here: First, wing-loading does not down-size in a linear fashion, because when lines get shorter, canopies get "twitchier" regardless of wing-loading. A Stiletto 120 is twitchy, no matter how heavy you load it. That is one of the reasons you see few women jumping sub-100 square foot canopies. The second reason is that few women have the testosterone advantage that drives them to show the world what big balls/what tiny canopies they can fly. Women tend to be more conservative in their canopy choices because they are brighter. On the other hand, many young guys get in way over their heads with poor canopy choices. Part of that - poor decision making - may be driven by previous good luck and fast reflexes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites riggerrob 643 #29 February 23, 2006 Wouldn't eyes farther apart make depth perception better? i find it very difficult to judge height close to the ground (often resulting in late flares). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> All junior jumpers struggle with depth perception. A common problem is staring at the ground under their feet. This is problematic because it is very difficult to judge your distance from a rapidly-moving object. The usual solution is to remind them to shift their focus to the far fence or the far horizon, which moves slowly. The second problem is arm position. Far too many junior jumpers start their flare by pulling their elbows to their ribs. Then their forearms are parallel to the ground and they try to finish their flare with only trapezoid muscles (back side of the upper arm, opposite to biceps). Most women do not have strong enough trapezoid muscles to finish their flare. Not all young guys have enough arm muscle either, but a higher percentage of them can "muscle" their way through an awkward flare technique. The usual solution is to teach them (both men and women) to start their flare by pulling their hands to their shoulders, then rotating their elbows up and back. That allows them to use triceps, pectoral and a bit of latimus dorsi muscle to finish their flare. I had to learn that technique the hard way, under 520 square foot tandem canopies. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #29 February 23, 2006 Wouldn't eyes farther apart make depth perception better? i find it very difficult to judge height close to the ground (often resulting in late flares). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> All junior jumpers struggle with depth perception. A common problem is staring at the ground under their feet. This is problematic because it is very difficult to judge your distance from a rapidly-moving object. The usual solution is to remind them to shift their focus to the far fence or the far horizon, which moves slowly. The second problem is arm position. Far too many junior jumpers start their flare by pulling their elbows to their ribs. Then their forearms are parallel to the ground and they try to finish their flare with only trapezoid muscles (back side of the upper arm, opposite to biceps). Most women do not have strong enough trapezoid muscles to finish their flare. Not all young guys have enough arm muscle either, but a higher percentage of them can "muscle" their way through an awkward flare technique. The usual solution is to teach them (both men and women) to start their flare by pulling their hands to their shoulders, then rotating their elbows up and back. That allows them to use triceps, pectoral and a bit of latimus dorsi muscle to finish their flare. I had to learn that technique the hard way, under 520 square foot tandem canopies. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
