Forward motion in a Daffy

[PhreeZone 20]

How is the best way to get controlled forward motion in a daffy?
If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will....

[Trent 0]

What's up Phree! Hope you're comin back to see us sometime... when we've got both Otters turning.
I assume you're asking this question for yourself... so that's how I'll try to answer...
2 things. Almost every professional freeflier I've jumped with has told me to avoid learning the daffy as your primary head-down position. People who are thin and lanky, like you and me, really do not need to fly daffy on regular freefly jumps. Try flying in the X position and really concentrating on your legs. You might think they're out as wide as they can go, but they're not. Try flying with really strong, straight legs and think about doing the splits. Usually, you can fly slower than you thought. Since you're using strong legs, most of your forward/backward movement is going to come from your hips. Watch Alaska Jon fly, he's a great example of this.
Flying daffy will eventually be necessary for small movements and usually you'll use it on bigger formations where you're trying to dock on a base. The daffy I use is more of a 45degrees off-kilter X position. One leg is slightly forward of my torso, and the other slightly back. You can get forward/backward movement by moving your hips in the direction you want to go. For smaller adjustments, you can adjust the angle that your legs are bent... to go forward, you'll have to apply more pressure on your back leg to both counter the front leg and to move forward. Do the opposite to make small adjustments backwards.
I don't have the attention span to write more right now, but I hope that helps.
Rock on!

[CanEHdian 0]

Hi Trent,
"You can get forward/backward movement by moving your hips in the direction you want to go"
- So it isn't the same as flying the X ? ...where to move forward you bring the hips back and vice-versa to backup?
Maybe I'm not reading it right - long day at work! ;-)
CanEHdian

[GrumpySmurf 0]

'Hard day' for the miracle worker?
They beating you up at TMI, again?

[PhreeZone 20]

The problem is that I am yet to be able to get stable with no sliding with the X position, but I sliped into the Daffy after a few tries and it seems to be going good. My X position looks just like a tracking dive with the forward motion that it creates. So.... I'm thinking that if I can at least use the daffy as a fast HD position I can try to work on the X while having a recovery position.... does that make sense or should I just do "Subterminal drill dives all day? " alone?
If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will....

[Trent 0]

PERSONALLY, I feel like the hip movement is the best way in any position (even in a sit) to move forward or backward. In a daffy, however, it seems easier to make SMALL adjustments forward and backward by increasing the pressure on either the front or back leg, because in an X... if you drive forward and realize it's too much drive, you have to swing your hips back, which brings both legs forward and results in the wobble you may have seen people do. With the daffy, you've got one leg in front to counter any drive from the back leg... makes for smaller, smoother adjustments. For me, anyway...

[Trent 0]

I would really try to get the X position first. Once you get that, using a daffy when you really need it will be much easier and you'll understand what your legs are doing to your flying. I've seen a lot of people trying to unlearn daffy because that's how they learned on their own. Keep working the X. faster, FASTER, FFAASSTTEERR!!