Side sliding - advice please

[woodpecker 0]

I have my belly flying dialed in (ie. turns, flips, barrel rolls, etc) except for sliding. Not sure what I'm doing wrong.... but I would like to hear from you experienced people on YOUR technique/what you do.

thanks in advance,

Billy

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?

[Stumpy 284]

My 2p worth?

Same as an in place turn (leg and arm input), except you use the same arm and leg. The trick is getting the balance of power right between the two so you maintain the heading correctly.

Whats going wrong?

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[woodpecker 0]

Problem is I end up turning and not sliding. Its not a strong turn, but def. not a slide.

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?

[Samurai136 0]

Which way are you attempting to sideslide and what kind of rotation?

A left side slide = a synchronized left (counter clockwise) center point turn with the upper body and a right center point turn with the legs.
If the inputs are synchronized and equal you will have a smooth side slide to the left. If the inputs are unequal, you will experience some rotation in the direction of the strongest input.

It's a balancing act. To eliminate the rotation component you will need to equalize the inputs. That may mean more or less input; which you will figure out through practice.

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[bob.dino 1]

Quote

Problem is I end up turning and not sliding. Its not a strong turn, but def. not a slide.

If you're trying to slide right and find yourself turning clockwise, use less upper-body input. If you find yourself turning anti-clockwise, use less legs. When you can side slide slowly but accurately, you can work on speeding it up.

[Mark4 0]

My guess is you end up turning in the direction you are trying to slide. This is most common as initially people tend to fly with their arms more than their legs.

... if you are doing the opposite then ignore the advice that follows

When you are doing a turn this doesn't matter as each component, arm and leg adds to the turn. However with side sliding, if you can't efficiently generate movement with both, there will be a problem.

I would first practice turns using each component, especially your legs. You should be able to do more aggressive turns with your legs only than your arms only.

When you then try side slide think about leading with the knee. Think about using your legs for the power and your arm to steer. You shouldn't have to worry about the arm input to much to start with. Just looking at where you want to go should be enough to ensure you slide rather than turn.

As you have already said the most efficient way is to get someone skilled in FS to video and debrief you. Also a coached tunnel session is a great place to learn these skills.

[woodpecker 0]

Thanks all for the advice.

Tunnel time next week and next 3 days at the DZ. Lets see what happens.

SONIC WOODY #146

There is a fine line between cockiness and confidence -- which side of the line are you on?

[Ron 10]

I am assuming you are turning left on a right slide? Is it like most people that it starts out turning and then you hold that turned position but slide sideways?

If so, your lower body input is greater than your upper body input. Put more upper body in or less lower body in. Maybe you can start the upper body first.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[Eatgrass 0]

Pull an arm and leg slightly in on the side you want to slide towards, having problems? If you have those 206 jumps, a video will tell you what words cain't about your mistakes. bsbs/the grass eater

[Eatgrass 0]

Quote

Problem is I end up turning and not sliding. Its not a strong turn, but def. not a slide.

Ahhhh your problem is turning durning a slide attempt? Don't flex youre torso, keep a disciplined boxman,
pull the direction of slide arm & leg in symmetrically.
(slightly) most novices make big ungainly changes, be subtle.
If you can't maintain heading you have a unbalanced airflow problem, get video and see whats sticking out to far and causing the turns. Back in 1994 we had an rather small A lic type that spun on every jump, his rented container was to large-hung over one side...Only way to slow him so other novices could dock was for a D to catch him in a side dock and drop the off side knee. Ill bet you are either flexing the torso or pulling in the arm further than the leg. You should have the proper fitting gear by now but check any add on's like Altimeters or hook knives....it doesn't take much to screw your airflow up man....I've seen experianced RW types backslide because their jumpsuit was unzipped down to their chest strap. You need to get your body and mind together---most probably in your case its a unconcious flex to one side or the other or else your initiating the turn by hand....Video should tell an experianced RW type exactly where the flaw is.

WORK ON IT KID AND IT WILL COME bsbs

relax kids, all you need is airtime airtime airtime and the ability to relax of course
Plan your dive and dive your plan bsbs