Gagging to do AFF but few issues? Any advice on Landings?

[ashworthy2k 0]

Hi i still havent started my AFF course but have done a tandem - where we landed by sliding in which i didnt want to do as i wanted to feel how hard the landings are!!

Around 5 years ago i had a car accident where i broke my pelvis, legs, shattered knees, and a really bad ankle injury as well as losing half a big toe.

I grew 9 inches of bone for my leg using a ilizerof frame and my ankle was screwed amungst other things!

Now i am totally fine - except a have limited movement in my ankle and cant put a major hard impact through my knee. My other leg is 100% ok now.

I have a physical job now, can jog for limited periods and have been backpacking/travelling round the world where i did a tandem and loved it!!!

So now i want to go solo by doing the AFF course. My doc says its ok but she doesn't know too much. I think as long as i dont come in at a very fast speed and at a hard impact i'll be fine.

Was wondering do you need to be a fast runner to land ok and you do you need to be able to take really hard landings... and what would you class as a hard landing? Jumping from 15 ft??? Not to0 sure on that.


Hope you guys could help me out on this! Cant wait to start doing my course!!! Woop Woop

[peregrinerose 0]

I've never heard of anyone 'gagging' to do AFF before. I'm glad I won't be your instructor... getting puked on isn't my thing

Part of your training is how to do a PLF (parachute landing fall) which is designed to distribute impact of a less than ideal landing or landing situation (trees, corn, water, etc) over your entire body to help minimize damage done. I'd recommend being a darn good PLFer (but then again, every student should be that!). A good stand up landing does not require you to be a fast runner... I certainly am no sprinter and do just fine, with practice and training, you will too.

Your doctor has approved of jumping, so as long as you make the DZ staff aware of your situation and past injuries so they can train you accordingly... go have fun.

One of my AFF students last year was run over by a car, literally. Destroyed his pelvis, femur, lots of guts. He had some issues being a little lopsided in freefall which caused him to turn, but he fixed the problem and did great.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[humanflite 0]

Hi,

Some good advice there!

I would also suggest the following as a 'backup' measure.

Wear a decent knee and ankle support on your affected leg, just until you get the hang of stand up landings.
I really whacked it in on my first jump due to not flaring (at all) and twisted my ankle a bit. It was 4 weeks till I could jump again!

And it took me about 10 jumps to get proficient and have gentle touchdowns.
Having said that, from jump 2 onwards, none of them was overly hard, just not very pretty on the odd occasion!

Also, if you can afford it , it may be worth doing a few more tandems just to get a solid idea of what height 10-15 feet looks like when coming into land.

Ask your instructors on any of this though as they will be the best ones to advise you.

Good luck!

[peregrinerose 0]

Quote

Hi,

Some good advice there!

I would also suggest the following as a 'backup' measure.

Wear a decent knee and ankle support on your affected leg, just until you get the hang of stand up landings.
I really whacked it in on my first jump due to not flaring (at all) and twisted my ankle a bit. It was 4 weeks till I could jump again!

And it took me about 10 jumps to get proficient and have gentle touchdowns.
Having said that, from jump 2 onwards, none of them was overly hard, just not very pretty on the odd occasion!

Also, if you can afford it , it may be worth doing a few more tandems just to get a solid idea of what height 10-15 feet looks like when coming into land.

Ask your instructors on any of this though as they will be the best ones to advise you.

Good luck!

I have to emphatically disagree on the recommendation of tandems.... when you land on a tandem, you usually butt slide, so students who do a lot of tandems before AFF try to do the same kind of landing, as that's their instinct. Trying to butt land is the most common way I've seen students get hurt on landing... broken backs when you flare too high or too low or too fast or too slow and try to land on your ass are horrible, ugly, take a very long time to heal (and most importantly, scare the living crap out of your instructor!!)

PLFs prevent injury, prevent twisted ankles, prevent stressing weaker joints.

Taking 10 jumps to 'perfect' stand up landings is utter horse shit. It took me 50 jumps to stand up consistently, and even now at pushing 800 jumps, I still have an occasional off-foot landing for various reasons (I'm smart enough to not even try to stand up a landing in a soy field, or freshly plowed field, for example). It doesn't matter if you have 1 or 10,000 jumps, you will fuck up a landing at some point, PLFs will save your ass... lots of tandems and a habit of butt sliding will get you hurt.

The knee/ankle support suggestion is a very good one though... just make sure it's something soft and easily worn under a jump suit so it doesn't become a snag factor.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[ashworthy2k 0]

Thank you guys, this information it is helping me a lot. Peregrinerose you said you had a student who had very bad injurys - how does he get on with skydiving? Does having limited movement in you ankle affect freefall much?

I would also like to know about ankle/ knee supports. any ideas? Are there any companys that make them especially for skydivers?

[peregrinerose 0]

I'm not at the DZ with that student any more, but I worked with him for probably 5-6 jumps and he always did a nice job. The lopsided body position was his only real hurdle and he found ways to compensate for that (and you will have the same issue with limited ankle mobility... you'll adapt with the help of your instructors).

For knee/ankle supports, I'd contact whatever physical therapist you worked with after your injuries.. they know your injuries and limitations well and will be able to point you in the right direction. There's nothing like that specifically skydiving in orientation, as the injury dictates what kind of support may be needed more than the activity.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[No_Phear 0]

I just thought I'd share my experience, and let you draw from it what you want, but it may bolster your confidence. Exactly 5 years ago, on Oct. 23rd, I was also in a car accident. My injuries were, Fractured neck @ C2, 3 pelvic fractures, collapsed lung, full thickness burn on my left arm equivilating 8% of my body, 5 hemmorages and 7 contusions to the brain, and I was in a coma. Now while it took some time to recover, and I later had back surgery in 2007 for a herniated disk,

I still had a desire to skydive, after having done my AFF cat A in 2001. I never bothered with a tandem. Anyway, so in Aug 2008, I started over again, made a cat A, and after 3 weeks off, went the second weekend of September, and really got busy getting my license. Finished up Oct. 3rd.

Now with 58 skydives and a B-license, I have definitly had a few hard landings, and bruised my tailbone a couple of times, but even the day after bruising my tailbone, I was jumping again. I recently got results from a MRI, which says I currently have a slight herniation of a disk again, which I have made 57 skydives with. To make a long story short, I love skydiving, and have had to overcome some obstacles to enjoy it, but it is all worth it. So, I am certain that you will find a way, and even if you get a minor injury, pick yourself up and keep at it, it's worth it!

Tact is not my specialty.....

Dirty Sanchez #453

[ashworthy2k 0]

Thanks for that speach No Phear. I think its amazing what people can do if they set there minds to it!!

[No_Phear 0]

Quote

Thanks for that speach No Phear. I think its amazing what people can do if they set there minds to it!!

Then again, maybe I'm just insane!! lol

Tact is not my specialty.....

Dirty Sanchez #453

[humanflite 0]

Quote

I have to emphatically disagree on the recommendation of tandems.... when you land on a tandem, you usually butt slide, so students who do a lot of tandems before AFF try to do the same kind of landing, as that's their instinct. Trying to butt land is the most common way I've seen students get hurt on landing... broken backs when you flare too high or too low or too fast or too slow and try to land on your ass are horrible, ugly, take a very long time to heal (and most importantly, scare the living crap out of your instructor!!)

PLFs prevent injury, prevent twisted ankles, prevent stressing weaker joints.

Taking 10 jumps to 'perfect' stand up landings is utter horse shit. It took me 50 jumps to stand up consistently, and even now at pushing 800 jumps, I still have an occasional off-foot landing for various reasons (I'm smart enough to not even try to stand up a landing in a soy field, or freshly plowed field, for example). It doesn't matter if you have 1 or 10,000 jumps, you will fuck up a landing at some point, PLFs will save your ass... lots of tandems and a habit of butt sliding will get you hurt.

The knee/ankle support suggestion is a very good one though... just make sure it's something soft and easily worn under a jump suit so it doesn't become a snag factor.

OK, maybe I didnt word that right.

I see what your saying about the tandems, maybe its not such a good idea re the butt slides. But at our DZ they recommend people do a tandem or two before AFF, mainly for the sensory overload bit, so the landings may not be included in the thought process!....


I totally agree on PLF, I did firstly faceplants and then a few PLFs

I didnt say in 10 jumps I perfected stand up landings?!
I meant it took me 10 jumps to stop face planting. After that it was hit and miss for another maybe 20 jumps or so but they were much softer as I had learnt not to flare to high..
and since then (250 plus jumps) Ive stood the vast majority up, apart from a couple of fast downwinders that were unplanned..

But your advice is good...mine was ill thought out

[BUBLHED 0]

Don't let your injuries stop you. By the sound of things you're in better shap than I am. The one thing you must do is learn how to PLF well. I don't always flare at the right time but I can roll my fat ass on the ground really well and get up laughing. Not to pretty but not painfull either.

ATTACK LIFE ! IT'S GOING TO KILL YOU ANYWAY!!!!

[teamshred 0]

Well checkout this online Adaptive skydiving Manual for the disabled: http://www.jagworksdesign.com/html/Para%20Manul%20opening%20page.htm
Rod Mack CSPA D-422