slowing fall rate

[tred 0]

jumping with people my experience or less lately, often means there is a lot of work trying to match fall rate. I have a pretty quick fall rate so am usually the one slowing down. As a student I was taught the "beach ball" method to try and cup as much air as possible. I have been going to the tunnel recently and they teach extending your arms and getting straight which in the sky has translated great and was able to use it over the weekend. going straight also seems to allow me more control to keep flying as well.

maybe this technique just works better for me but I was curious as to why as a student they teach to cup air as opposed to getting straight and if other people had similar results

[pchapman 261]

Someone else might have better info than me but this is the way I see it:

The beach ball technique I think is mainly just old fashioned. Old techniques get handed down without critical evaluation, especially in areas without as much coaching development.

If one goes from perfectly flat, to dearched, then one starts taking away surface area and there's less drag again.

If it were a solid object, like a disk, going from flat to cupped would indeed probably add drag -- the more draggy shape making up for the slight loss of projected frontal area. But for a person with arms and legs sticking out, the limbs don't really create any cup -- although one might get a little cupping effect from the torso.

Sometimes the "cup the beach ball" sentiment is understandable in that it is hard to get people to get away from the arch. So a person might go low on an RW jump and claim they went flat for maximum drag, but video shows them still partially arched including chin way up and lower legs pointing up. So it would be easy to say that they need to cup more -- technically true but imprecise about the end goal.

Hmm, I can see there could also be confusion regarding definitions of what is flat or cupped. A guy with more of a belly, if he is to get the front of his body flat to the wind, he may need to be dearched, cupped, with his spine. So he is both 'flying flat' and 'hugging the beach ball' at the same time, without contradiction.

So it can be a matter of precision of meaning in addition to newer vs. older teaching techniques.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

I started with that technique but mostly just dearch to flat and spread out now. I still fall pretty damn fast in either position, but at least have a chance to jump with other people if I want to. I've put a lot of time in at the tunnel. What really drove wind surfaces home for me were some stability exercises my instructor had me do, flying with my hands on my helmet or behind my back. You really have to maximize your surface area if you want to fly around with your hands behind your back. Side sliding that way is kind of fun, too.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[D13774 0]

It's just a matter of how if feels in the air. If you are new to adjusting fall rate, then in order to get straight, you have to de-arch to the point of "feeling" like you are cupping air when in reality you have just gotten flat. i.e. you feel like you are laying on a beach ball. This advice originated long before you could practice in a wind tunnel. blue skies!

[dthames 0]

If you have access to a Flysight, set the mode to Vertical speed and listen to the feedback as you practice getting slow.

It is a great learning tool.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[cbjetboy 0]

Dress for success. A slower suit can do wonders...it did for me. Also, get in the tunnel with a good coach to learn the best body position for you. Good luck!

Chad B Hall
Woo hoo!
My goal is to make every jump a fun and safe one. Blue skies!
Some of my videos...

[bodypilot90 0]

go long, heels in, booties working and it will slow u down. Hugging beach ball not so much.

[Joellercoaster 6]

"Hugging the beach ball" works a bit, but mostly by accident - it causes you to dearch your torso and flatten your hips, which is what is really helping here. The stuff with your arms and legs is mostly just spilling air and making you less stable. As you have found, there are much better methods that use your avaiable surfaces more efficiently.

I think it gets taught to brand-new jumpers because it's easy to describe and simple to perform, and it gives you an idea that your fall rate can be altered - I'm hopeful your instructors don't actually do this themselves, they're just trying to not give you too much to think about.

But I think this is a mistake! With the advent of the tunnel, even absolute beginners can be taught some fairly subtle techniques without the pressure of the first couple of dozen jumps frying their brains. Why learn things you'll need to unlearn in short order?

--
"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?

[tred 0]

thanks to everyone for info and advice. before going to the tunnel I would really struggle with slower people. now after the tunnel and learning a different technique, I am able to match fall rate with people I couldn't, so my intention of the post was more directed at why aren't we being taught this right away. I wish I would have had the going flat technique sooner in my training