Landing on your butt?? Is this possible?

[ashworthy2k 0]

After writting a post on December 9th, lablled BROKEN BONES - lower body, i have spoken to some one who say's that if you feel you may be coming in way too fast you can land on your bum?

I didn't know this was possible? Is he correct in saying this?

Do you need special protection or equipment to do this?

Cheers guys!

[BillyVance 34]

It depends on how fast you're going and how level the ground is. You could do a baseball slide, although a PLF might be preferred if you don't want to repair holes in the butt of your jumpsuit.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[wmw999 2,439]

It's an advanced landing technique. Imagine that you're landing too fast to take the impact on your legs. Does taking it on your back seem like a good idea?

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[freefalle 0]

I land every one of my tandems in a sitting position. I've slide more than a few landings in under my sport canopy in as well

[peregrinerose 0]

But you have how many hundreds of skydives behind you... you aren't a student who may flare too high or too low/ not at all and then take that entire impact on their spine. One of my students had 2 spinal compression fractures from doing just that. He'd have been fine if he PLF'd.

I see no problem with experienced jumpers butt sliding. I have a huge problem with teaching students to do so though.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[gimpboogie 0]

I was just about to chime in and say all my landings are on my butt.... it's easy

until I read "advanced" technique...
and decided to just share my experience.

Being a paraplegic I need to get my legs up and out of the way so I can land on my butt each time.

Initially (Im doing tandem progression right now, and after the wind tunnel test to see how stable I am in FF alone I'll start the AFF and hopefully be solo by June)...
my coach told me I tried to flare at 30f -my 4th dive...if it wasn't for him pulling up the toggles I would not be here telling this.

then it got better.. after he gave me a good talking to. and basically told me I'll kill myself if I do not learn the landing part clearly and well.

I learned it... fast after that.
By my 6th dive (onward) I've been flaring properly about 4 feet above ground...
I plan my approach so I have tons of room to
ride out the canopy as long as I can to bring down the speed until I feel it is barely moving forward and by then I usually am about 6 to 4 feet...
then it's just a full brakes and the canopy gently places me on the lap of the Earth like I didn't even come from the sky... as if i just placed myself down onto the grass.
i do not have any bruises, skid marks, burns or marks on my pants either.. no grass slide burns.... nothing.

Only one time (6th dive) I flared so low that my left leg had time to 'catch' some grass on the way by.. digging a bit of a lump of grass n dirt inside my shoe... that was as eventful as the butt landings have been.

Mind you, I;m flying such a docile canopy that when I tried to bury the toggles in one dive, the canopy slowly awoke from her slumber and began to move as a newly awakened bear out of hibernation....
so that could be a reason why the landings on my butt are so easy and simply non-eventful.

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[councilman24 37]

You can do it but as Wendy said it is an advanced technique. In 1987 I shattered the distal end of my tibia. My ankle has limited motion. For quite awhile I could not take a running step with it. So if I had any forward speed left I had to slide. I got very good at flaring for my butt. But I really landed on my leg. I'd tuck my leg under like a baseball slide and slide on my hip thigh and calf leaning to one side. Then I'd pop up at the end like. I got so good at flaring for my butt if I wanted to land on my feet I'd flare too low.

Eventually one screw in my leg broke and started backing itself out. After I had that removed I could take a running step again. For years I kind of flared low because I was used to flaring for my butt. Had to retrain my judgement.

But landing square on your rear end isn't a good idea. Lots of tandem masters do it routinely but that is with tandem canopies.

IF you decide to try this be very, very careful.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[gofastrlbrown 0]

I have seen someone break there back landing in that position. Plus it is a pain in the butt.

It is strange, the more I practice, the better I get!

[stemcell4all 0]

I was hurt in 2001 & became a para. I've jumped many times since then & found wearing a sports girdle helps alot. There are many out there I found the best to be made for BMX or snowboarding. The girdle for hockey are a little big. You can add or remove padding for whatever your needs.....

[url]http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1769884&cp=&origkw=girdle&kw=girdle&parentPage=search&searchId=23525149623

Men get laid, but women get screwed.
I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid.

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man.

[gimpboogie 0]

Quote

You can do it but as Wendy said it is an advanced technique. In 1987 I shattered the distal end of my tibia. My ankle has limited motion. For quite awhile I could not take a running step with it. So if I had any forward speed left I had to slide. I got very good at flaring for my butt. But I really landed on my leg. I'd tuck my leg under like a baseball slide and slide on my hip thigh and calf leaning to one side. Then I'd pop up at the end like. I got so good at flaring for my butt if I wanted to land on my feet I'd flare too low.

Eventually one screw in my leg broke and started backing itself out. After I had that removed I could take a running step again. For years I kind of flared low because I was used to flaring for my butt. Had to retrain my judgement.

But landing square on your rear end isn't a good idea. Lots of tandem masters do it routinely but that is with tandem canopies.

IF you decide to try this be very, very careful.

Thank you,
much respect your experience.
As you describe the landing on your leg,
it explains what i am doing, as I view my video.
Since I don't feel my butt, (not a 'pain in the butt for me )
I'm not sure where I'm landing.

The grass in the shoe came from landing as you describe your style was,
before the pin broke.


Careful, yes....
thank you for the reminder.
Im going into AFF in a month and a half to two....
and I need to remind myself just how hard the ground is, since I do not feel it unless I'm landing on my torso, head or arms.

This is propably why Angus wants me to fly a bus for a canopy.
I think he wants me flying around 300 sqf canopy for my AFF.

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[Trae 1]

in reply to "Landing on your butt?? Is this possible?"
..................

yep . is it desirable ....nup.

Many tandem masters will say they do it every day no problems.
what a lot of TM's never have to experience is the pain and discomfort their passengers can have after a butt slide . especially if the ground is not perfectly smooth .You see it's the passenger whats taking most of the landing loads.
I've heard TM's talk about letting the passenger take the hit and that this is an advantage

The adrenalin of a first jump experiece can hide the dull ache in the butt till later when the post jump alchohol wears off.

personally i'm a bit sick of watching TMs break every landing rule in the book, late toggle hooks , sliding in on their passengers butts, down-wind landings so they can slide down their slippery slope...

Some TMs avoid jumping after the grass had dried out cause it hinders their slide...too much friction.

Every long term butt slider I've met has broken their tail bone doing it .
You can guarantee they've broken many of their passengers as well.
It looks unprofessional and it probably is but hey every does it so it must be cool



in reply to " Do you need special protection or equipment to do this? "
....................

Now this would be a mighty fine idea if you plan on doing a lot of butt sliding even though some people do come better equipped that others to soak up all their butt sliding impacts.

little tip .....learn how to do a perfect PLF . they're fun if done right and can save your ass outside skydiving world as well ... unlike any butt slide i've seen.