jumppilot01 0 #1 April 4, 2002 Hey,I have recently got a stable sit down and can maintain heading and control fall rate. However, me trying to turn is complete guess work. How do you turn in a sit and do horizontal movement? Jumping season is here, and by the end of the summer I'd like to be doing alright. :-)thanks,-Adam Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymedic 0 #2 April 4, 2002 Lean back...go forward...lean forward go back....push down harder to speed up......turn your hands to turn the way you want to go....at least this is what works for me..it is almost more instictual after a while...Cheers....vasbytmarc"I have no fear of falling, I just hate hitting the ground"-The Badlees... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumppilot01 0 #3 April 4, 2002 Hey thanks a lot!I noticed you are from Naperville...Do you go to Chicagoland skydiving? Freefalin14 and myself will be heading up there before too long and want to see what it is all about.Thanks again,-Adam Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymedic 0 #4 April 4, 2002 I haven't been to Chicagoland yet other than to fill out a waiver...I have jumped SDC...that place is pretty nice....the crowd at chicagoland was most excelent even when I went in on a nasty looking day...people were very friendly in the hangers...anyway I digress...Cheers....vasbytmarc"I have no fear of falling, I just hate hitting the ground"-The Badlees... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyMissy 0 #5 April 4, 2002 To turn, I have found that generally, your body will follow your head. Look right-Turn right, etc. For me this applies to both sit and head down. I believe that there is probably some slight twisting of the torso caused by the head turn, however this is not conscious to me, it just feels like looking initiates the turn. Of course, you can look around without turning, so there must be some subconscious compensation going on in that case. Maybe I'm crazy. I dunno. But try looking one direction and "will" a turn, I bet it works. By the way, in head-down, forward and backward movement can be controlled just by moving the head forward & backwards (like a chicken :)).I'm not the man they think I am at home, no;I'm a rocket man.Sky World Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybutterfly 0 #6 April 4, 2002 i recently learned how to sit while out in az. i'd previously done rw, but devoted all my time to my sit while out there. i think the best way to describe how i turn would be to drop the arm/shoulder of the direction you want to turn. start letting up and compensating with the other arm when you want to stop. the best way to learn is through experimenting and slight movements. have a dive plan before you exit. once you feel like you have your turns down ok, start working on things like getting back into a sit after back and front flips. good luck and have fun! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #7 April 4, 2002 And cartwheels. Once your sit is solid, start doing cartwheels and flips, then you'll be able to use those as transisitons to other positions. "Homer Simpson, smiling politely." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zennie 0 #8 April 4, 2002 I've had the best luck, both in sit and head down, with the "turn the body" approach. It keeps things simple. After a while, your hands (and feet) sort of learn how to help steer on their own.Ramon gave me a good exercise that helped a lot when i was starting. The key to the game is to always maintain heading. So take a heading in your sit. Do left and right 360s and try to end it right on heading. When you have that, add in cartwheels, again stopping on heading. Finally add in front & backflips. Again stopping on heading. Eric Boyd added that when you're first starting it's better to work on one thing... such as turns... in a skydive rather than trying them all in the same jump. So try turns first. get that down. Then try cartwheels & get them down. Then try flips and get them down.Then try to do the whole routine in a single skydive.I have the sit routine down. Now I'm working on the same for head down. I have the turns so I'm now working on cartwheels. When I have the HD routine done I'm going to try and get both a full sit & HD rountine down in a single skydive. Then it's on to doing the same with a stand. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rogue108 0 #9 April 4, 2002 Also try to keep your fall rate up as you forward and back. As you expose more surface area by leaning forward (move back) and leaning back (move forward) you tend to slow your fall rate. I think this is one of the hardest parts of forward and backward motion in a sit is maintaining a consistent fall rate. Concentrate on keeping the fall rate up by compensating and pushing the legs down. Its a good habit to learn while learning motion in a sit before you develop bad habits like I have. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #10 April 4, 2002 Yup, yup, yup....Everything said here is good.I would add two things that have helped my transition from from the 2d belly world.....Get a copy of VRW by Pat Works http://www.works-words.comGet someone to video you for a couple of jumps, and then give you some debriefing.These two investments will progress you faster, and save you money in the long run.CyaD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflir29 0 #11 April 5, 2002 I had a hard time getting much forward or back motion at first. Leaning doesn't really do all that much for me. What I found that really lets you cover some distance is using your feet. Point the toes down and lean back to move forward. Also, push your feet down a little so you are using the back of your calves too. Point the toes up and lean forward to move back. Pull your feet in some so your knees are catching air too. Turning.....I just tilt my arms a little. Push down on the side you want to turn to and raise the opposite side a little. It's taken me 100 jumps or so but now I can usually fly to docks on a steady person within a few seconds. I watched video of me covering 60+ feet to get in, in about 2 seconds. "I'm a danger to myself and everyone around me!"-Clay Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumppilot01 0 #12 April 5, 2002 Hey everyone,Thanks for all your replies. I will try all the techniques you mentioned this weekend...Hopefully I'll report back on Monday with good news!Blues skies, -Adam Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MCZwy 0 #13 April 9, 2002 Hey man, the way I turn usually is just by tilting my hands from horizontal to the ground to diagonal... kinda like the ailerons of an airplane. Give it a shot and remember to tilt your hands in the opposite direction of each other so one palm is facing more back and the other is facing more front, otherwise I don't think too much will happen. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
