Arm bruising

[Tigerfly 0]

I only have 16 jumps now, but I notice every day after jumping my upper arms have a few bruises each on them. I'm not complaining, if I have to deal with it, it's still worth it. Really?! Lol. Thanks! Oh and this bruising is nothing. I'ts been worse.

[mark 102]

Tigerfly

I only have 16 jumps now

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woman

Let's blame it on student equipment made for guys. On your next jump, see where the over-the-shoulder part of your rig is after your canopy is open. It won't be on your shoulder, the way it is when you put it on and gravity makes it sag. When your canopy opens, the harness snaps up and out, and bangs into your raised arms. Guys sometimes get similar bruises, but not as bad because usually the harness fits better and their shoulders are wider.

Mark

[Tigerfly 0]

Thanks! That makes sense...because one of the bruises is a straight up line, must be from the edge of the arm straps on the rig. So, when I buy my own rig, how do I ensure I get one that will fit better. Is their certain companies that make containers that fit better for women? i should probably actually post this on the women's forum.

[skydivecat 3]

If you decide to buy a new rig made to your measurements, it can eliminate the problem. My rig was made for me and the RSBS (random skydiving bruises) have pretty much gone away.

If you do buy used gear, finding something made for someone close to your size/measurements is the best way to go.

As a female jumper, I haven't heard any brand is really better than another, just personal preference. If you can, try on a few rigs and see what features you like best. I'm an average sized girl with an athletic build, 5'6 150bs, so I can't offer too much specifics as I'm basically the size of a lot of guys lol.

[RiggerLee 61]

With out seeing the rig on you it's hard to say what is happening. Generally the rigs are too wide for small girls. Try making sure that the chest strap is tight. If you pull the yoke, the part that comes over your shoulders, inwards a bit with the chest strap it may help to keep the pull of the yoke on opening on your shoulder rather then on your arms. Even under canopy you'll find your arms banging into the yoke as you reach for your toggles and fly the canopy. Saw this a lot in CRW, Canopy relative work. So if you can have your instructor shorten your main lift web so that it fits you better, helps to keep it from rising off your shoulders, and make sure your chest strap is pulled in as far as you can get it, it may be easier on your arms on opening and under canopy.

But the truth is it really wont go away till you get some thing that fits you a little better.

You may have to get over being so girlly. Think of it as a badge of honor. A cool conversation starter as you invite people out to the drop zone. Your attitude will change. Before you know it you'll be showing off your first good scare, braging about your ripping hook turn and growssing about the stupid barbed wire fence the farmer put up and how it ruined your swoop.

Lee

Lee
[email protected]
www.velocitysportswear.com

[sammielu 3]

What they said ^^^^.

My bruises when I started looked exactly like 4 fingers digging into my arms, embarrasing for my non jumper boule friend to have people notice, but I loved an excuse to talk about jumping!!

Better fitting gear will fix it. In the meantime, tighten leg straps as tight as you can (to minimize up/down motion in the harness during opening) and ask your instructor how tight that chest strap should be (and main lift web adjustment, if you have one).

When you're ready to buy gear: buy used. Search on here or PM me for pointers. You won't really know what features are important for you to pay new prices for for a fee hundred jumps... so jump, listen to your instructors, jump more, try things (try on all kinds of rigs on the ground), make mistakes, jump more, see what you like or don't etc... just jump, have fun, and remember skydiving is a long game full of fun where there will always be things you want to try or buy, but you have to keep money for jump tickets or no jumpy for you.

[wmw999 2,122]

I still get bruising sometimes. So off and on, it might be with you forever, depending on how easily you bruise. I do bruise easily.

I used to volunteer at a homeless shelter; one of the guys (a big guy, with plenty of jail and prison time) saw them once, and I pretty much had to show him video online of me jumping to convince him it wasn't from abuse.
Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

It's not just a "woman thing". I'm a guy and I get those exact same bruises.

It's also not a "student rig" thing. My harness was built to my measurements (bought it new and yes, I was measured correctly).

I've always called them "Random Deployment Bruises". They just seem to appear sometimes after a day of jumping. I think they come from the main lift web and the three rings. Think about how your arms are when you pitch. The upper arm has a good chance of being swung down across your body and bouncing off the three rings.

On a lighter note: A woman once told me it's really hard to be a girl skydiver in a relationship with a guy who doesn't jump. You disappear all weekend on a regular basis and come home broke, exhausted, with bruises in some rather odd places, talking about a "3 way with an inflatable donkey."

And just tell anyone who asks:

It happened last weekend while I was playing in the sky with my friends. Those clouds can be tough.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[Joellercoaster 6]

If you ever get rid of the harness ones, just take up 4-way and they'll come back. There are even slot-specific bruises

(The shin/ankle one is a great reason to skip IC when your new team are figuring out slots...)

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[obelixtim 100]

A lot of times its from riser slap as the canopy deploys, and most times you won't be aware of it happening. As you are pulled upright, a lot of times people raise their arms, (its almost instinctive) as if you are reaching for toggles, and as that happens, the risers flail around and contact your arms.

I used to lose chunks of skin off my hands until I started wearing gloves, and couldn't work out why. Nylon risers are quite abrasive.

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[pchapman 261]

Tigerfly

The sky beat me up? Really?!

There are a number of tales on dz.com (and ones I've heard in person), about women and their tales of bruises, some visible to other people, and some discovered only when one showers.
Guys get bruises too from hard openings or poor padding or rigs that don't fit well, but it tends to be the girls who have to convince friends, colleagues, or their gynac that no they aren't being abused. No need to call the cops or social workers!

The female jumpers have to convince people that they are in a consensual and usually (but not always) loving relationship with their parachute ... even if playtime with it does get a little rough at times.

[RiggerLee 61]

Or you could just tell people that you'r into S&M, which is not completely untrue, considering the slightly masochistic nature of the sport. Just start waving your arms around, gushing about harnesses and how you were suspended last weekend. Take a picture of your self in the drop zones hanging harness. By the time you get to how you met these guys and did these awesome four ways all weekend and would you like to see the video? They will be running away. The subject will never come up again.

Lee

Lee
[email protected]
www.velocitysportswear.com

[evh 22]

obelixtim

A lot of times its from riser slap as the canopy deploys, and most times you won't be aware of it happening. As you are pulled upright, a lot of times people raise their arms, (its almost instinctive) as if you are reaching for toggles, and as that happens, the risers flail around and contact your arms.

I used to lose chunks of skin off my hands until I started wearing gloves, and couldn't work out why. Nylon risers are quite abrasive.

I think this is the correct explanation. I had those bruises too, and they disappeared when I stopped grabbing the risers during deployment.

[Bob_Church 7]

Try to open in more of a "Stable Spread" configuration rather than "Superman Flying." If your arms are a bit further apart the risers aren't as likely to slap them on the way up. Bring your elbows out farther then bend your forearms forward to stay stable.
If you're on long enough delays try practicing this before opening.

[Tigerfly 0]

I'm an average sized girl with an athletic build, 5'6 150bs, ***

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That describes me perfectly. Just delete the athletic build though for me. Someday I hope to say that again!

[Tigerfly 0]

I've already left my 6 inch heels at home! How much "less girly" can I get?! haha my friends are already fascinated that I've even jumped out of a plane. I just feel like a bit embarrassed by the bruises around strangers. I live in Florida. Still wearing tanks and tee's. I go pick my kids up from school in the office and goshhh I can't imagine what they think! Lol. It really looks like someone has been grabbing my arms. That's all. I'm really not very girly. I hate shoe shopping. Can't understand the need for a new purse every month either. Would much rather save for a rig or spend it on jumps. but, I do think of it as a badge of honor I guess. Well, more like I look at the bruises and cry inside because I want to be jumping again, NOW!

[Tigerfly 0]

This is the best! Will do! Haha

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[riggerrob 558]

Like the other posters said: most of the bruises are caused by poorly adjusted student harnesses where " one size fits nobody!"
Hah!
Hah!
Definitely ask a local instructor to show you the finer points of tightening leg and chest straps. The primary function of chest straps is prevent the shoulder straps from spreading so wide that you risk falling out of the harness head-first. As modern harnesses are more precisely tapered, the less important the chest strap.
Start by tightening leg straps and MLW until you only have 3 or 4 fingers-widths of slack between the top of your shoulder and the underside of the yoke when hanging under canopy. Another way to test this is to ask a strong friend to lift you by the shoulder straps.

Be cautious about tightening your chest strap so much that it limits your arch. Adjust your chest strap - on the ground - so that you can arch and still insert a fist between your chest strap and sternum. Avoid the temptation to tighten your chest strap too much when riding in the airplane.

In comparison, I am a guy who stands 6' tall and weighs more than 200 pounds, broad shoulders, etc.
I used to get similar bruises on my biceps from early tandem instructor harnesses .... most of those TI harnesses were built for shoulders wider than mine. I suffered bruised biceps until I learned to tighten the chest strap the correct amount. I also found it easier to steer without my biceps rubbing on the shoulder yoke.
On a related note, I had to learn to keep my ears and fingers clear of main risers during openings. Tandem risers can be as hard as iron crow bars during opening!
Keeping my hands off the risers until after opening-shock reduces finger injuries, but I still needed to wear thin leather gloves to avoid losing small pieces of skin from my finger-tips.
Psssssah!
Tandems ruin my cuticles!

Finally, when ordering a new harness, ask an experienced rigger to measure you, because you cannot accurately measure yourself. Second choice is asking a tailor to measure you since harness-measuring methods are based on tailors' methods.
Usually a harness factory will review your measurements and build you a small shoulder yoke. For example the letter "A" on a Javelin data panel indicates a small shoulder yoke.
Similarly, when a Vector data panel reads "14-1" it means a 14" MLW and the shoulder yoke is 1" shorter than a medium.

[tigra 0]

I had a similar experience with an attorney / client who very discreetly pulled me aside and offered assistance after a mishap left me with a black eye and some very ugly bruising on my arm in the summer when covering up with long sleeves wasn't a viable option. He honestly didn't believe it was from skydiving and made sure I took his card in case I changed my mind. But most people wouldn't even ask what happened. They would just look away in discomfort assuming the worst.

[obelixtim 100]

tigra

I had a similar experience with an attorney / client who very discreetly pulled me aside and offered assistance after a mishap left me with a black eye and some very ugly bruising on my arm in the summer when covering up with long sleeves wasn't a viable option. He honestly didn't believe it was from skydiving and made sure I took his card in case I changed my mind. But most people wouldn't even ask what happened. They would just look away in discomfort assuming the worst.

Before they ask, just say; "You should see the other guy"....

My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

[barefut 0]

Risers have slapped me a couple times and left bruises like that

Whale oil beef hooked