Booties (again)

[samyueru 0]

So, I'm finally starting to jump using my booties on my jumpsuit. (I had been tucking them up inside my jumpsuit after my first experience of spinning uncontrolably with them)

Everything seems much more mushy when I'm wearing my booties - tracking I get a dive instead of a flat track), and turning is much less crisp.

Are there any exercises during freefall(besides simple experience) that'd help to reign in the booties and make me more leg oriented? I did a 2-way last week and having someone to serve as a relative spot in the sky helped - but once I was alone again during a solo, I seemed to regress.

Thanks!
-Alex

[chuckbrown 0]

You should go up with a coach or other experienced jumper (maybe with video) to get some feedback. Your tracking problems sound more like you're not catching air with your upper body; with proper body position, booties will make you scream across the sky. It's like anything else, practice, practice.

[Daizey 0]

Have you tried doing toe taps? My leg awareness was so horrible at first...my legs would be everywhere....also, one leg was dropping lower than the other causing me to spin...my instructor suggested doing toe tap...they helped so much! Definitely increased my leg awareness, kept my legs and feet level with one another and helped me to stay much more stable...

Also, I have the same problem with getting into a dive at first when i go to track. I have been told its because im not de-arching and that staying in a complete arch will cause ya to dive....and it seems to be true...once i loosen up and roll my shoulder a bit more forward, i come right out of the dive....

*daizey*

[samyueru 0]

Yep, doin the toe taps. They do definately help!
I guess it's just something I need to get a feel for. So impatient, tho! I want to be good! haha.

I was thinking about why I might've regressed on my solo - during my 2-way dive, I was watching my partner the whole time, and during the solo, I believe I was looking at the scenery (mainly the ground) the whole time, so that probably made my arch kinda crappy....

Well, 90 degree weather on the way, so I'll have a lotta practice, I hope!!!!

-Alex

[migliore 0]

Quote

Everything seems much more mushy when I'm wearing my booties - tracking I get a dive instead of a flat track), and turning is much less crisp.

With booties, your legs play a much more important role in your flying. Upper body turns alone will have less effect than before because you have two big rudders on your feet fighting the turn. Find a coach/instructor to talk about leg turns with. You will find that using your "rudders" to turn will produce much faster, crisper turns than arms alone.

Your diving during tracking is because you now have more drag on your feet which is pitching your body more head-down. You need to *de-arch* to prevent the diving and get a flat track. Good luck and have fun learning!

Shane

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

when I'm wearing my booties - tracking I get a dive instead of a flat track), and turning is much less crisp.

Thats due to not flattening out during the start of your track. Try this. Slow down your turn to track a bit, and regress your body position back to the student "delta" that you were originally taught. Go do some dives (solos) working on just this. Work on doing the delta and being flat, then start bringing your arms and legs back in. Focus on really rolling those shoulders forward, pointing those toes and arching your back like a cat (NOT your butt).

You'll get it, it just takes time.

Have you thought about doing Skydive University? I would highly highly highly recommend it, its a 20 jump program that, with a good SDU coach, can take you further faster then you ever thought possible.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[riggerrob 643]

I have had limited success teaching tracking via the old-school method (i.e. shaping from a delta).
The current fashion in teaching tracking is to start with de-arching/slow fall/hugging the beach ball, then shaping it into a track.
If you ever watch video of Air Speed members jumping with mere mortal skydivers, you will see Craig Girard "pop up" at break off time, turn and track out of the frame, while others are still figuring out which way to turn.