Aug 6, 2001, 11:07 PM
Post #1 of 23
(1488 views)
Shortcut
cure for potato chipping??
Can't Post
On my lvl 4 jump i would start chipping when i would try to do some turn i would arch like a SOB and it would go away but i couldn't turn for shit. is there any advice you guys can give or a video i can pick up ??
Remember when Sex was safe and skydiving was Dangerous?
I had the same problem....several different things were causing it for me. First off, when it starts, take a deep breath and look out at the horizon and relax, that will usually fix it. If not, check your legs. Not just that they're even with each other, but that your knees (not your feet) are shoulder width apart. I tend to let my legs come together, keeping them wider gives you better stability.
Since you live in SoCal, I feel I should recommend going to the wind tunnel over in Vegas and spend some time in it.. Not much - maybe 10 minutes total, if that.. Even though the Flyaway tunnel is not the most realistic thing in the world, it will help you with the basics.. It also helps that you have a coach right next to ya helping you out..
All I can say to stop the chipping....relax.. I know, it's what everybody says - but how do you relax when somebody is trying to shove a planet up your ass? It's just something that comes with experience.. I honestly do believe that the tunnel will help - and you can get like 15 minutes of tunnel time for the price of(or less than) one single JM AFF level..
is there a wind tunnel in Socal or do i have to drive to vegas for it?? oh and about the legs together thing i think that be it b/c i tend to keep my legs together too. i wish i had gotten that damn video!!! oh well this next weekend i will get the video and hopfully figure it out. thanx guys
Remember when Sex was safe and skydiving was Dangerous?
As mentioned by several people already it really helps to relax. But the question is how? I found that relaxing at the same time as exhaling a big breath of air to really help with the relaxation. Exhale, relax, arch - the arch will be relaxed rather than hard. Try it on the ground a few times, you may be suprised as how tense you were - at least I was...
Exhale, relax, arch - the arch will be relaxed rather than hard. Try it on the ground a few times
Even better, try it on the plane. After you don your goggle and helmet a couple minutes before exit, close your eyes, take a deep breath through your nose, exhale slowly through your mouth and visualize a nice relaxed arch. Do that a couple times. I'm always real keyed up as we get closer to exit time and notice that my hands are clenched etc. Doing this really relaxes you and makes for a more enjoyable freefall.
My technique for mental prep and relaxation in the plane. This is what I was using, and then taught again when I took my Coach 2 courses.
Mental rehearsal of the entire jump at 2k (dive, points, setups, keys, track, pull, emergency procedures) Again 2/3 up (6 or 9k depending) Then once I gear up completely (helmet, zips...), relaxing with 3 deep breaths, inhaling by nose, exhaling by mouth, controling the exhaust During the 2 minute warning, a quick rehersal of just the points.
The relaxing method is what I always use (when the stress is high), and suggest others use (or at least give a try)
Remi
skymama (D 26699)
Moderator
Aug 8, 2001, 10:52 AM
Post #12 of 23
(1341 views)
Shortcut
is there a wind tunnel in Socal or do i have to drive to vegas for it??
As Lisa said, Vegas is the closest to you right now.. They say there will be one in SoCal at the sports complex, but I have no idea if that's really a go - and if so, does anybody know when it's scheduled to open?
I think the drive to Vegas(what, 4 hours each way? Make a weekend out of it!) would be worth it.. You will not only be able to sort out your chipping problem, you will be way ahead of the game for your future AFF levels when it comes to turns and such.. If you buy 10-15 minutes in the tunnel, the coach will likely get ya doing turns(using both arms and legs), fall rate changes, stability excercises, etc... Just be sure to request a coach that is also a skydiver, and tell 'em your problem.. I think they're all skydivers out there, and some of 'em are instructors out at Gravity Zone Skydiving..
Like I said, it's not totally realistic, but it's enough that it will definitely help you out..
ROTFLMAO, Mike!! That was a good one for the middle-of-the-week-three-days-before-skydiving-slump.
Actually, that came from a camera flyer friend of mine that many of you have heard of....Jan Davis from Lodi.. Her quote was.. "There I was in freefall, minding my own damn business, when someone tried to shove a planet up my ass!"
I had an issue with spinning on my level 4. Got into a tumble because I was trying to fight to correct the spin. Doesn't work. Mother nature is much stronger than any of us. What nailed it for me on my next jump on level 4 was that I submitted to the wind with an arch and simply focused on loosing the tension from my arms, legs and body. I automatically came back into a belly to earth position and held it with stability. I know it's a bit weird to be talking about relaxing when you are plunging down to earth but hey ! it works. Don't focus on getting it right. Just try enjoying the fall. breathe, smile, arch, look at the horizon and don't fight the motion. Just lie there still and relaxed.
I had a fair amount of oscillation (bobbing) on my level 3 and I thought I would reach harmonic frequency and explode. In addition to the advice you have already been given, the cure for me was letting the fingers/hands/wrists go completely loose. I was coached to do this on my level 5 jump and it really worked. Just like steering dampers on motorcycle handle bars, flaccid hands and fingers absorb, and dampen, oscillations and shudders. Practice it on the ground, but be careful who you are around when you are rehearsing your limp wristed style :-)
Since I’m new (15 freefalls) I don’t know all the jargon yet. I was wondering if potato chipping is referring to a spin or the bobbling caused by being stiff as a board. I know relaxing can cure both.
Aug 13, 2001, 9:15 AM
Post #19 of 23
(1216 views)
Shortcut
Re: exact meaning of potato chipping?
[In reply to]
Can't Post
In reply to:
the bobbling caused by being stiff as a board.
Larry, it refers to the bobbiing due to being way to stiff...
and a spin wont stop just from relaxing, some students get out of control because they relaxed causing there legs to get out of sync with one another and causing a flat spin...
Viking, If you've not already corrected this problem, spinning and whatnot, I experienced this on my first few solo student (if that even makes sense-AFP instructor with me but not docked) jumps. I found myself spinning uncontrollably (later watched the video and I spun 13 times, I shit you not, 13) and was scared to hell. I finally thought to just HARD arch, as if I had first exited the aircraft, and it solved the spinning immediately. Try it. It works.
Viking, As this is my first checking of posts, I am not sure if you passed or not, but CONGRATS if you did!! As for your hard arch, I didn't mean the tear-drop you are so good at! I meant keeping a slight de-arch, ... OK, you got me. The only way I can explain is that my instructors made up a "new" hand signal to try and get me to de-arch. Unlike you, I have a beer gut that is really really aerodynamic. So, I guess what I meant by "hard arch" was with your legs below your head and parallel to you body, as opposed to above them. Does that work?
I meant keeping a slight de-arch, ... OK, you got me. The only way I can explain is that my instructors made up a "new" hand signal to try and get me to de-arch. Unlike you, I have a beer gut that is really really aerodynamic. So, I guess what I meant by "hard arch" was with your legs below your head and parallel to you body, as opposed to above them. Does that work? 
