Arching through chest

[websean 0]

Hi everyone,

I'm still a pretty new jumper and have developed a bad habit of arching through my chest instead of my hips. This gives me a pretty slow fall rate and I'm already very light to begin with, so I have trouble keeping up with other jumpers unless they flatten out. Moreover, this usually causes me to tumble a bit while riding the hill before stabling out.

I've been told I have a perfect arch on the creeper, floor, etc but when I get in the air I revert to arching through my chest.

Has anyone else struggled with this? All advice is appreciated!

[mathrick 2]

Tunnel. Coach. Punching you in the back until you do it right, then reviewing the video.

"Skydivers are highly emotional people. They get all excited about their magical black box full of mysterious life saving forces."

[councilman24 37]

Stick your dick out and put the back of your head against your rig.

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

[rehmwa 2]

councilman24

Stick your dick out and put the back of your head against your rig.

seriously this ^^^^

Arch --
it's not the chest
it's not the belly
it's not the hips

you girlfriend asked for an extra inch, give her two
(insert non-gender based equivalent here for those sensitive to this type of talk - or pretend it's Speaker's Corner)

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Gene03 0]

Picture a drunk dude urinating in an alley. No matter what genitala you're equipped with.

“The only fool bigger than the person who knows it all is the person who argues with him.

Stanislaw Jerzy Lec quotes (Polish writer, poet and satirist 1906-1966)

[diablopilot 2]

Squeeze you butt cheeks together and lift your chin. It's about knowing which muscle groups to task....

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

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

diablopilot

Squeeze you butt cheeks together and lift your chin. It's about knowing which muscle groups to task....

Yeah, damn, I can open a beer bottle or crack a walnut with them, now!

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[tikl68 6]

Clinching your but cheeks is a good one,even while standing around. Do it while talking to some one and pay attention to what your hips do. A good drill to reaffirm this muscle memory is when you are at home lay down on the floor with a pillow under your thighs and a pillow under your rib cage so that the only thing touching the floor is your pecker/pelvis. Keep the pillow that is under your thighs close to your knee and dont use a big one for that area, and watch tv while doing this to force your chin up.

[JohnMitchell 16]

Make sure your feet and knees aren't too wide. If the legs are spread too wide, it locks the hips in the pelvis and prevents you from getting your hips-forward/legs-back.

[websean 0]

Thanks everyone! I haven't really been thinking about chin up + clenching butt cheeks together so I'll definitely work on that during my next jump. Also, I do have a tendency to spread my knees pretty wide which makes arching (correctly ) really tough.

[websean 0]

rehmwa

you girlfriend asked for an extra inch, give her two
(insert non-gender based equivalent here for those sensitive to this type of talk - or pretend it's Speaker's Corner)

Haha I've been single since I started skydiving, therein lies the problem!

[riggerrob 643]

You could use negative reinforcement ... or you could use positive reinforcement.

Negative reinforcement involves thinking impure thoughts about naughty lads sneaking up behind you.

Positive reinforcement involves fantasizing about sneaking up behind the most beautiful woman in the world.

Either fantasy will clench your butt cheeks together tighter than a misers' wallet.

[JohnMitchell 16]

websean

Also, I do have a tendency to spread my knees pretty wide which makes arching (correctly ) really tough.

Ahh, that's a common problem. We just might be on to a specific remedy for your problem.

[chuckakers 425]

Gene03

Picture a drunk dude urinating in an alley. No matter what genitala you're equipped with.

I've always preferred this type of approach. When I was teaching I always told my students to "act like a big ol' fat guy" by sticking their entire belly and crotch forward rather that arching with their back (often equals chest).

Also, stop "trying" to arch. We tend to use our arms and hands a lot in everyday life and that ends up getting transferred unconsciously to freefall. Often jumpers aren't actually trying to arch in their chests - they are trying to pull their arms back and elbows up to the point where they arch across the chest to get that done. Don't use your arms to arch. Just put them in the correct position and do the rest with your pelvis.

Relax and think "fat belly". Repeat.

Chuck Akers
D-10855
Houston, TX