Practicing PLF

[lawrocket 3]

I did another student jump today. One of the interesting requirements is to demonstrate a PLF under canopy. I did the PLF today.

It was, perhaps, on of the single best tasks I have done. I'll admit to not wanting to PLF, and doing a face plant because of it. Now, I am far more comfortable with it.

We practice emergency procedures all the time. PLF should be one of them. Reading the incidents about landing injuries really makes me think that a PLF is an emergency procedure that needs to be drilled more often. I read on here today about a couple of events where a PLF would have been appropriate.

There really seems to be a lack of emphasis on practicing the PLF How many injuries could be minimized by it?

I know I am a newbie, not even a-licensed, but the PLF is no longer a mystery. If I weren't so new and inexperienced, maybe I'd chat with someone that I saw do a face plant. But at my experience level it just wouldn't seem right.

I'd like to see some experienced people chat with people like me who on't PLF when they should have. And for people to practice the PLF more often.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[AggieDave 6]

PLFs can help, although under a lot of the canopies used today, PLF really isn't an option.

At the speeds that a lot of canopies travel, a PLF could cause some serious injuries (fast forward speed = face plant/wrong angle of roll and slide to prevent injury).

With that said, I've had to sink my canopy down in an off DZ landing, I knew it would stall (and it did about 3 ft off the deck), I PLFed and walked away perfectly fine!

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Shark 0]

Jerry,

You should discuss this with your instructors, then have them evaluate your landings. Your off field approach and landing with me was very good.

Mark

[Zenister 0]

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At the speeds that a lot of canopies travel, a PLF could cause some serious injuries (fast forward speed = face plant/wrong angle of roll and slide to prevent injury).

i have to disagree with this dave. a proper PLF easily turns into a roll and even at worst (even at high speed) only really risks wrapping your self in your lines & canopy. All the more reason for people to practice the technique so that it becomes instinctive.

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[AggieDave 6]

I can see your point, although I still disagree. I'm actually really good at PLFs (even though I wasn't taught by the best over at that place...Ft. Bragg), but I've still only had to really use it twice, in situations I consider proper for them. For other stuff I end up doing some sort of slide roll that's sort of hard to explain, but has saved my butt a couple times.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[AggieDave 6]

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You should discuss this with your instructors, then have them evaluate your landings. Your off field approach and landing with me was very good.

Exactly!


Jerry,

I'm sorry I didn't state this in my previous posts (usually I do in my posts to students, since it is VERY necessary with outside info).

Mark one squared away instructor and will lead you right.


Sidenote:

The FJCs I teach and the students I coach, I teach them how to PLF, but state that on the majority of their landings, if flaired and flown properly, they won't need it. However, I teach that the position to approach the landing with is feet/knees together (bent) and prepaired to PLF. If they don't have to, then they're in the perfect position to step out of that position land normally.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[lawrocket 3]

Dave:

Mark has been my instructor, and I intend to use it early and often.

The post was merely my commentary on what I believe to be the benefits of the PLF training. I have to demonstrate a PLF for my license, so I did it.

I'm just frankly a little tired and concerned abou the sheer number of face plants I've seen, and even of people sliding in on their butts (which I've learned is very dangerous).

But, thanks for the advice, Dave. As much as anybody else on this board, I value your advice!

Cheers.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[poohbeer 0]

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and even of people sliding in on their butts (which I've learned is very dangerous).

Could you tell us why that is dangerous? My ass is nice and fat so a soft place to land on if the feet wont work I think

------- SIGNATURE BELOW -------
Complete newbie at skydiving, so be critical about what I say!!
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

[lawrocket 3]

Compression fractures of the spine aren't pleasant. Landing on the butt is a good way to do it.

It's caused a lot of injuries.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[markbaur 0]

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PLFs can help, although under a lot of the canopies used today, PLF really isn't an option.

At the speeds that a lot of canopies travel, a PLF could cause some serious injuries (fast forward speed = face plant/wrong angle of roll and slide to prevent injury).

A PLF is an option for me under my X-VX93 (thanks GroundZero! a fabulous canopy!).

A face-plant is the result of a poorly performed PLF, in turn usually the result of a rarely practiced PLF, and ultimately usually the result of poorly taught PLF. (Although if the PLF is poorly taught, lack of practice is probably a benefit.)

Mark

[riggerrob 558]

Yes, PLFs are a valuable skill. I had PLFs drilled into me when the Canadian Airborne Center was still in Edmonton. Since then PLFs have allowed me to walk away from landings that would have crippled mere mortals.
I remember when turbulence collapsed half of my canopy at 80 feet over California City. I immediately went to 3/4 brakes and clamped my knees together. The landing bruised me all the way from my left calf to the left side of my head. Then I surprised the ground crew by standing up and waving at them!

Even if you do not perform a text book PLF, as long as your legs are clamped together, you vastly improve your chances of walking away from a bad landing.

[andy2 0]

I think this applies from riding bikes for 6+ years. If you roll it also greatly reduces your chance of injury, you really need to displace that energy that would otherwise be snapping bones. That is at least my experience with falling on hard ground.

---------------------------------------------
let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[skybytch 259]

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teach them how to PLF, but state that on the majority of their landings, if flaired and flown properly, they won't need it. However, I teach that the position to approach the landing with is feet/knees together (bent) and prepaired to PLF. If they don't have to, then they're in the perfect position to step out of that position land normally.

Please add some PLF practice to your FJC. PLF's are a survival skill. Like any other survival skill it should be taught be telling, showing and doing. Telling them what to do doesn't build muscle memory.

I drilled my students in the pea gravel pit, or on rainy days in the hangar on an exercise mat. PLF to the left, PLF to the right, until they could do it perfectly.

The 15 minutes or so you spend doing this may save one of your students from a busted ankle on their student jumps... or it may save one of them from something far worse 200 jumps from now.

edit to add - if you didn't practice PLF's in your FJC (and even if you did) - practice them now. You can do it on any soft surface. It may save your ass someday.

[fundgh 0]

I have to admit I didn't practice PLF that much and I could use it! I biffed a couple landings this weekend and PLF was not used on either, fortunately on these, my skateboarding tuck and roll helped. But the legs together concept is sooo important....Question-I haven't figured out how to fly my harness by shifting my weight in it, but does having your legs together help prevent unintended turns during a rough landing?

...FUN FOR ALL!

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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my skateboarding tuck and roll helped.

Sounds like a PLF to me.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[AggieDave 6]

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Please add some PLF practice to your FJC

Did I ever said I didn't have PLF practice in there?

Because I do.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[gale 0]

Interestingly enough I just had this conversation with a skydiver yesterday...

I commented something like, "well if you're legs are in the splits when landing, you've already screwed up."

He made the argument that sometimes a PLF is not the right landing technique. Sometime you just want to spread the impact out over as much of the body as possible. Apparently one very famous and accomplished skydiver once illusrated this point to him by walking away from a very botched landing.

Comments? Sounds odd to me...but I'm just a 50 jump wonder...

Gale

I'm drowning...so come inside
Welcome to my...dirty mind

[markbaur 0]

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He made the argument that sometimes a PLF is not the right landing technique. Sometime you just want to spread the impact out over as much of the body as possible. Apparently one very famous and accomplished skydiver once illusrated this point to him by walking away from a very botched landing.

I don't think you can generalize from one incident, or hope that you can be as lucky as someone else.

As for spreading the impact out over as much of the body as possible, I can't help imagining a landing that begins by dragging your toes, on the way to doing a full frontal body plant with arms outstretched.

A PLF does spread the impact out over as much of the body as possible. What would be the better right landing technique?

Mark

[Zenister 0]

a proper PLF DOES spread the impact over as much of the body as possible and translates vertical speed into horizontal where it can be dissipated by continuing to roll if necessary...

here are a couple of references i found with a quick google search..

practicing the PLF

Improper PLF high on error list

Edit: this ones for Bill Von


i tend(ed) to do more of a roll ingrained from years of akidio, but the fundamentals are the same, and IME seemed to be equally effective..

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[Michele 1]

I have used a PLF (or my version thereof) on lots of falls that, had I not been totally comfortable with doing it, I likely would've been broken in several spots. (And yes, one actually included the splits...) It is a distribution of the energy which has been bringing you downward and now needs to be redirected forward without a limb or head getting in the way. If I needed to describe my version of PLF's, it would be more of a touch (feet), tuck (head down) and roll...and it comes from my martial arts as well as a gymnastic background.

I think it is unrealistic to expect a low timer to be able to land on his feet every time, and thus learning to fall properly is vital to someone walking away instead of being carried away.
Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[Casch 0]

I have this weird way of landing, I'm still getting used to stand-up landings. A lot of the time, I'll come down and flare, but I'll plane out so low that I'm basically dragging my butt. When I come towards the ground, my right foot comes back under my butt, so I'm sitting on my foot as I slide across the grass, then I pop up at the end. Sometimes I can't really tell if it's a stand up or not. But from this position, I find it really easy to roll about if necessary. True PLF's are much much better than this though, so ignore me hehe

[skybytch 259]

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so I'm sitting on my foot as I slide across the grass, then I pop up at the end.

What happens when your foot finds a hole in the landing area?

[petetheladd 0]

PLF has saved me from a few rough situations on a number of occasions.

I was just behind and to the side of a jumper 2 years ago who on a real hot day hit the same turbulence I did.
She went down legs akimbo and broke one, I PLF'ed and walked away, bit of a grass stain on my leg.

Although some people might be agile enough to triple flip with pike and stand up a landing. A PLF was designed to be the simplest way to spread out contact with the ground back in the days of round chutes where every landing was a thumper.

PLF - requires

Legs slightly bent and springy - locking the leg puts all the initial impact in that small period of time of first contact with the ground

Feet together - so the initial impact is spread to both Legs. Landing on one leg doubles the shock to that leg

Toes up - so the heels hit first and not the toes which will break easier and also means they wont catch dragging on the ground and bust the ankle.

Feet are angled to direction of ground motion so the roll is sideways w.r.t. the foot. - hence the foot,ankles do not catch and break the ankle.

The roll now starts from the bottom side of the leg smoothly up to the hip as the legs bends.

When your hip contacts the ground, back should be piked so the roll goes across the hips to flip the legs over and the otherside of the whole leg thumps the ground. - This saves your spine and head from taking impact.

So to recap

heels together, Legs bent and toes up.

Hit and roll.

AND Thats a PLF, My first 55 jumps were PLF'ed under a round canopy that gave you a good solid whack to the ground.

P.S. A PLF is of course accompanied by flying the canopy all the way to the ground.

No, Not without incident

[Casch 0]

I have, and I just slide right over them. Like I said, PLF's are MUCH better. These landings of mine occur only when I KNOW I can stand up the landing...and then find that I can't. I have performed a beautiful PLF when on the radio. The ground instructor had me flare around 15ft or so, and I flared like a mofo. Which bounced me up a couple feet...after just flying over an asphault road which brought be up a foot or two. I ended up basically falling from 16-18 feet. When I had finished the flare, I thought to myself...wow...this is high...this is going to hurt hehe..uh oh...PLF! And all was well...except my ground instructor that thought I broke something.

[skybytch 259]

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I have, and I just slide right over them.

Be careful with that... I know more than one person who've messed up knees and ankles doing the same basic thing.