Body Positioning

[DeeDee13 0]

I recently spun out of control with one instructor on my first non-tandem. I was told it was because my legs were too bent. My friend on the other hang had similar leg problems but just remained a little unstable.

Why (in watching a lot of videos where legs are a problem) do some students spin out of control and some don't? Some have bent legs to the point that they touch their butt and are only a little unstable. Some have bent legs and go into crazy spins and tumbles. Any thoughts? Does weather ever make a difference at all?

[Remster 30]

Quote

Does weather ever make a difference at all?

Not in the slightest.

Any un-symmetrical body position will result in a turn. The speed of that turn will depend on a few things: how un-symetrical you are, how far from your center of mass the disymetry is, etc...

Student have the added issue that they are usually pretty stiff: this often amplifies even the small and moderate turns.

Bottom line, listen to your instructor, and relax.

Remster

[lolimfalling 0]

its not that their legs are bent that makes them spin out of control its that they are not symmetrical as mentioned. if u bend both legs to until your heels touch your butt you will be unstable and begin to slide backwards but you will not spin at all. if u have one leg bent more than the other, it doesnt matter if there bent to your butt or just a little bit, your going to spin.

[humbled1 0]

Quote

its not that their legs are bent that makes them spin out of control its that they are not symmetrical as mentioned. if u bend both legs to until your heels touch your butt you will be unstable and begin to slide backwards but you will not spin at all. if u have one leg bent more than the other, it doesnt matter if there bent to your butt or just a little bit, your going to spin.

perfectly stated!

"Tell ya the truth, I don't think this is a brains kind of operation."

[rygon 0]

its not only the legs either...if your arms are asymetrical or even if your body is not straight it can induce turns...its a totally alien environment so will take soe geting used to

[djmarvin 2]

Based on your statements I am guessing you are doing a single instructor jump. If that is the case then the legs on your butt are causing you to backslide around the instructor (your pivot point). Students with legs on their butt and not a lot of issues probably have either two instructors holding on or no instructors holding on. Positive leg pressure may help your case, but obviously your instructors can best help you there since they are seeing what is going on and we are a bunch of tools with no life on the interwebs.

DJ Marvin
AFF I/E, Coach/E, USPA/UPT Tandem I/E
http://www.theratingscenter.com

[drudchen 0]

Quote

Based on your statements I am guessing you are doing a single instructor jump. If that is the case then the legs on your butt are causing you to backslide around the instructor (your pivot point).

Man, those AFFIs! Too lazy to side-slide in the direction of student's backslide

[bwilling 0]

Quote

Any thoughts?

Yeah. if there's any way you can supplement your AFF training with tunnel time, you can take the best, and probably the most cost effective route to success.

It's a lower stress environment, with better instructor feedback than skydiving free fall offers, at a lower cost than skydiving. Highly recommended if possible!

"If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

[kawisixer01 0]

One suggestion that helped me in the beginning was to always pay attention to your leg position....and I'm not talking about just on the jump. I'm talking about throughout your day. Many of us just use our legs without ever realizing where they are, what they are doing, what position they are in. Throughout your day start doing "leg checks" just heighten your awareness of what position your legs are in at that moment. This will help you gain a new awareness of your legs, and being aware of and using your legs during the jump is very important. Don't stop at your legs. If you have a twist in your pelvis/waist this will also induce a spin because you will actually have one leg lower than the other. This will ease as you become more used to falling through the sky and start to loosen up. I was very rigid and tense when I started out but once you are able to relax a bit it becomes easier.

[NiteQwill 0]

As a student, I've always learned to "tap my feet together" quickly when in a dive or doing a dirt dive to know my body position. I also did a lot of tunnel time. I feel those two methods have helped me a lot with keeping my body symmetrical.

"Fail, fail again. Fail better."
-Samuel Beckett

[Broke 0]

Think straight and toe taps. Of course I am not an instructor, so ask your instructors about that

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

[popsjumper 2]

Quote

Man, those AFFIs! Too lazy to side-slide in the direction of student's backslide

Hey! Wait a minute! Chasing students is FUN! Makes me feel like I'm earning my money!

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[PeregrineFalcon 0]

Slightly off topic here, but there are AFF courses where there's only one instructor on level one?

She said, "I recently spun out of control with one instructor on my first non-tandem."

Is this just a cost-cutting thing or does someone see a benefit to this?

[theonlyski 8]

Probably did the Tandem progression for levels 1-3 and switched to AFF for level 4.

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[Plukk 0]

Quote

Slightly off topic here, but there are AFF courses where there's only one instructor on level one?

She said, "I recently spun out of control with one instructor on my first non-tandem."

Is this just a cost-cutting thing or does someone see a benefit to this?

I just finished my AFF a few days ago and I only had 1 instructor for all 7 jumps. My only tandem was a week before starting the course just to check the place out.

It could be more cost effective for the DZ, especially since my AFF was cheaper than a every other place I looked at.

Plukk

[regulator 0]

My home DZ does stp rather than aff. They require you to do 2 tandems, and then after your complete those you transition to one AFF instructor until you get your license.