So what should i practice on my next dive??

[Viking 0]

I havn't jumped in like two weeks i didn't get to jump this sunday like i had hoped b/c my mom had planned somthing without telling me. Anyway this next weekend I WILL JUMP!!! and i was wondering what i should try. I can either keep working on my dearching and my turns but after that i am blank you guys got any solo excersises for me to try??
I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet

[FallnAngel 0]

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I can either keep working on my dearching and my turns but after that i am blank you guys got any solo excersises for me to try??

Heya, Viking!
I only have 95 jumps right now...not sure what jump # you're on now, but checking back in my logbook for my first jumps off of student status here's what I did:
I spent about 4 jumps just tracking, in preparation for the day when I would be jumping with others and needed to really get away from everyone...I practiced pushing my arms down, and my butt up to get as flat a track as possible. I'd track out for a count of 10 then turn a 180 and track back the other way so I didn't get too far out from my spot. Also, after I felt pretty good about my form, I introduced barrel-rolls into the track...it's like you're a spinning rocket! Lots of fun!
I also spent several jumps perfecting on-heading front & back flips and learning different ways to do them.
Another thing is to try center point turns, using only your legs instead of your arms and keeping your eyes on your original starting point. This also gets you ready for when you need to be able to turn tight & close so you don't hit your partners with your legs as your turning.
You can also practice doing side-slides, although it's a little hard to tell if your doing it right when you're by yourself without a point of reference. But still, you can practice moving left or right while keeping a heading and at least get some muscle memory going with it.
I practiced different exits also, lots of side-diving with feet on butt, and outside float exits where you need to present to the wind & get "big" as you leave the plane. Hop 'n pop exits are another good one to practice, especially if you ever want to give cRW a try.
After about 25 jumps, I started spending a few jumps doing solo sitflying...definitely not successful at first, but after awhile you'll get to where you can hold your heading and do some turns and modify your fall rate.
Under canopy, I practice using my back risers and adjusting my glide, flying slow in brakes, making lots of flat turns until it's automatic, making turns with my front risers...things like that. I usually plan ahead before the jump for what I'm going to practice and then spend that entire canopy ride doing drills. I always stop the drills, though, by 1500' and get ready to enter the landing pattern.
Hope that helps give you some ideas...I'm sure the experienced folks out there have tons more, but those are the types of things I was doing from right off of student status.
Blue Skies!
Karen

[jfields 0]

Hey Viking,
Before the end of your jump, I recommend you practice pulling at least once.
On the serious side, one thing you can start on is your tracking. It is a skill you will definitely need once you start doing RW, and just for general safety. You can work on it by picking a point on the horizon (or far away) and tracking towards it for a few seconds. Return to a stable position, do a 180 turn, and track again.
In your particular case, I think working on a less Gumby-ish body position would be a good idea as well.
Feel free to disregard this, as you'll probably have more jumps and experience than me shortly. I wish I could jump even every two weeks.
Justin
My Homepage

[FallinWoman 1]

Here's what I would recommend
1. tracking
2. barrel rolls at the end of a track so you check the airspace above you before you deploy
3. finding other groups while in freefall. I never did see other groups while I was a student, and I am glad that I now have the awareness to look for them.
4. paying close attention to each of your limbs. What is your right arm doing. what happens if you change its position?
5. having fun, cuz that it was it is all about!!!
Blue skies,
Anne

[Viking 0]

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Before the end of your jump, I recommend you practice pulling at least once.

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In your particular case, I think working on a less Gumby-ish body position would be a good idea as well.

oh your killing me here
ok you guys have mentioned tracking. This is my track at the moment. How do i get my hips lower and my legs to flatten out?? Do i just try to dearch and push down with my feet??
I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet

[Albatross 0]

OK. I like the idea of practicing the track because a good track will save your life. To help the flat track get the hips up into the slow fall position and press the hands down just below your hips and cup as much air as you can.
For the jumps I thought that the atempts to sit fly and just the attempts to get unstable were great. I would stay away from trying to learn andturns because you won't have a reference and may ingrain bad habits. When are the Night pictures going to be up.
Flare Damn it!!!!!
Albatross

[FallinWoman 1]

Two words...
STOMACH MUSCLES
tighten them abs and pull your lower body to the same plane as your chest. A track should be FLAT!!!!
Blue skies,
Anne

[Viking 0]

Chris i should have them up by thurs night. I will also have pics of that 34-way from the ground as they hit break off and tracking away and then as they all dump. Pretty damn cool looking.
I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet

[Shark 0]

So, Vike,
What Category are you on? Tracking is probably the skill to improve on. Other than that, practice your floating exits and dive exits. Presentation to the relative wind is essential to a good exit. When you start jumping with groups they will gracious if you have a good exit and will probably ask you onto more skydives. This is were your time and practice will pay off. Finish the skydive with a good track.

[Viking 0]

Hey shark where the hell were you??
anyways ya i need to work on my exits as well seeing as my last kinda hurt (if you don't remember i did a diving exit on my first solo and i wasn't far enough to the front of the door and my left calf got nailed on the way out!!)
please explain floating exits. I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet

[Albatross 0]

Floating is the people outside of the plane on a side door and the people at the edge or on straps on a tailgate aircraft.
Flare Damn it!!!!!
Albatross

[Viking 0]

so its basiclly a poised exit just handing outside the plane? Details detail!!! I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet

[jumpervali 1]

You should do a tracking dive soon. Exit anyway you like, then do a LEG turn 180, go from neutral into a track. Another leg turn 180 the other way (right or left) and track again. Rinse and repeat. These two skills are for the formations that you'll be flying to and from. Most of all have fun and keep it simple.
jumpervali

[fonz 0]

> This is my track at the moment.

That's not a track, but a delta.

Many people, including instructors, seem to use these words at random
though. They usually say track, regardless of whether they mean a "real"
track or a delta.
Blue skies,
Alphons
P.S. I have to admit that I'm still doing deltas rather than tracks, too.

[chicagoskydiver 0]

This all seems like pretty good advice except one thing you should keep in mind. When you're practicing your tracking, make sure your doing it in a direction perpendicular with jump run and keep a good eye on what's below you. That way there's no chance of tracking into someone else's airspace which can happen very easily if you're doing a long track.
Oh, by the way, do I get royalties for that tag? LOL
Hackey

[flyhi 24]

When you track, your body should look like the cross section of an asymetrical airfoil. Round on top, flat on the bottom. If you arch when you do that, you are defeating the purpose. Push up with your stomach. Hold your arms straight with your palms down and PUSH with them. Roll your shoulders forward. Point your toes.
I have a friend who tracked away from an eight way with your body position and the worst possible thing happened. He was caught on video and stayed in frame the whole time. The beer cost alone almost killed him.

"My cousin is an agoraphobic homosexual, which makes it kind of hard for him to come out of the closet." - Bill Kelly
flyhi

[Shark 0]

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Hey shark where the hell were you??

I was locked in a classroom for the coach course and/or was doing the eval dives for the rating.
Also, Chicagoskydiver has some good advice regarding the tracking. Track perpendicular to the line of flight of the jump run. Again, for safety.

[Viking 0]

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Oh, by the way, do I get royalties for that tag? LOL

no
but i'll give you credit for it. I am 6'3" (6'1" after i jump!! ) so when i get my track down i should take off like a fucking bullet!!! i would love to see that on video!!! I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver