AFF program falls short on PLF training

[skyborne 0]

I recently posted a message in "Incidents - Student Injury Anytown USA" I edited out some parts not relevant to that forum and moved it here which may be more appropriate. I am still on student status with 18 jumps, with further training postponed pending healing of current injuries. In the late 70’s I had many military jumps with Ranger and SF units, which brings me to the subject of PLF’s.

I notice way too many folks landing hard on their feet followed by their rear ends. My last hard landing that impacted my rear resulted in a spinal compression fracture in lumbar L5. While PLF’s are neither necessary or appropriate in many situations, in those situations it is warranted it can certainly minimize injuries.

It appears that the AFF program falls short on properly teaching PLF’s to its students. The program does indeed stress the importance of PLF’s and explains the five points of contact properly, but falls short on making sure the students can actually perform PLF's. In my military days this was very much ingrained with frequent practice PLF’s off platforms into sandpits to ensure proper form prior to jumps. The AFF program should mimic this for many reasons. It is actually a little harder than it looks for most people to get a PLF right, and takes some practice. It is also easy to forget if not practiced regularly. Practice instills proper form and a conditioned reflex response that is necessary in hard landing situations. This ultimately reduces the chances of jumpers tailbones impacting the ground on a hard landing and better distributes the forces on landing. Proper PLF practice is an excellent training tool that gets one used to a moderate fall from a four foot platform and minimizes anxiety and tightening up before hitting the ground. A cheap and effective training tool for any DZ teaching AFF.

This is just the opinion of a student skydiver. Some more experienced and better informed skydivers may have a difference of opinion or comments or otherwise correct anything I have said here. I welcome any constructive feedback.

[hchunter614 0]

At the drop zone that I jump at we do teach students how to do a proper PLF and make them practive it until they can do it properly.

(not bashing here but) If you've had military experience (and PLF training like you said you did in your post above) why didn't you perform a PLF instead of landing hard on your feet and then your butt?

[peregrinerose 0]

During the course of your training, were you made aware what a PLF is? Did you perform PLFs on the ground? During your AFF jumps, were any comments made on your landings (plf vs. butt vs. stand up)?

It sounds to me like you are blaming the AFF program for YOUR decision to land on your butt instead of PLFing. Look at the incident with the student at Mile-Hi.... clearly they were taught EPs as well as how to deal with a 2 out situation (per another student in the same FJC), yet they still did not perform either task appropriately.... did the FJC fail them or did they fail themselves?

Remember the question asked at the end of every FJC... who is responsible for your skydive?

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[diablopilot 2]

Maybe the one you took fell short, but the sore hips of my students say otherwise.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[repcool 2]

Most of the students I see last insist on trying their best to do a stand up landing instead of trusting the PLF like they were told to.

Just search around here in the Greets section and you will see how many people make a big deal out of standing or almost standing up their first few landings. The best compliment I ever got on any of my landings was "nice PLF".

[Broke 0]

I thank my instructors for teaching me the PLF. It works all the time when I fuck up a landing. Most recent memory started my flare too high, and though well that's a dumb move. Hit the grass and PLFed then I was getting dragged across the grass on my rig instead of my face.

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

Most of the students I see last insist on trying their best to do a stand up landing instead of trusting the PLF like they were told to.

Just search around here in the Greets section and you will see how many people make a big deal out of standing or almost standing up their first few landings. The best compliment I ever got on any of my landings was "nice PLF".

Yep. Back in '78 when I started training with T-10 parachutes, we were penalized if we actually did a stand up landing. We were told that even if we could do a stand-up, we better darned well fake a good PLF, because that's what's expected, and what's best.