How to track properly?

[Maurix 0]

Hey guys,

I didn't know where to post this, but if it's wrong, please put it into the right Subforum ...

Well so here is my problem ... I just recently did my AFF course and am now at jump 14.
As my coaches said I am pretty good and have talent at skydiving but I suck at tracking (I said that not my coaches^^)

I did a little of tracking at my Level 7 and 2 Solo jumps where I tried to track. I don't really know where my problem is ... I start bending my legs so that they are straigh and then i begin bringing my arms further back until they reach the position they should be at. The problem is that I always start shaking around ... I start shaking from side to side and from front to back ... I tried arching more, I tried arching less ... but nothing helps ... I am kinda getting frustrated ...

Do you guys have any advice or tutorial video or something ? Cause I wanna get better at this, for Wingsuiting later and for seperating when I am getting into RW and FF ...

Thanks in advance guys, hope somebody can help me

[cbrown1311 0]

First, talk to your instructors, get in person coaching, there is no substitute. Second, how much time total would you say you've spent tracking? 1 minute? 2 minutes? You wouldn't expect to be really good at anything else with so little time, tracking, and in fact skydiving, is no different. You just need to jump more. Really awesome your trying to get better, and especially awesome that you are taking the time to learn tracking, as it will inevitably save your life some day, but it will all come with practice and coaching. Go out and spend time at the DZ and make some jumps.

[davelepka 4]

These are skills that should have been covered both during your AFF and coach jumps. Cat F and beyond all feature tracking as part of the jumps. Consult with your instructors or coaches as to why these skills were not taught/confirmed.

On the whole, what you're describing is basic instability. When learning to track, you do not need to sweep your arms all the way back to your sides. You can hold your arms partly swpet back to keep them wide and provide stability. As you gain experience in a track, you can sweep your arms further and further back as stability allows.

It's similar to the arch. As a new student, you are encouraged to arch 'hard' to be stable, and as you progress and become more comfortable and balanced in the sky, you'll relax that arch for a more neutral body position.

Overall, as an unlicesed jumper, get with your instructors or coaches if you have questions or concerns about your skills.

[Maurix 0]

Thanks for your quick response ... yeah I already talked to my instructor and he too said I just had to practice ... I am gonna ask if my next 1on1 could be a "track" jump because I wanna know what he thinks I am doing wrong ...
Well I guess I spent prolly like a minute tracking but I don't really know because always when I try to track it feels as if I am not moving forward, just starting to shake. Other students tell me they really feel how they start going incredible fast forward when they track ... it's pretty frustrating ...

I made a little video of my jumps ...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151646341062146&set=o.348191171960156&type=2&theater
... but there ain't the "tracking" from lvl 7 in there ... just some "trying to get closer to the coach" ... but I guess I'll real quick upload the Level 7 Jump so you can see a little of my first tracking trys ....

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

I was going through my log book the other day and realized that about 80% of my jumps off coaching are tracking jumps. I didn't feel like I was that great at it either, but I'm getting to the point where I HAVE to pick my spot (The pilot selected one works great for belly jumpers) and can cover a surprising amount of distance. I also have to check my spot at 7K and turn around if I've passed it.

What I'm trying to say is it improves with practice. For a while I was just working on whatever I was weakest at -- exit, landing, speed control and so forth. I ended up just really enjoying tracking.

Right now you have a pretty basic understanding of how your body works in the wind. The only thing that can really improve that is experience. I was watching a much more experienced skydiver practicing head-down transitions in the tunnel and reflecting on how much I still have to learn, 100 jumps in with a couple hours in the tunnel. This guy probably has at least a couple thousand and I could still see a difference between his skill level and that of his tunnel instructor.

The skill show by the tunnel instructors... that's what I aspire to. They seem to be able to be perfectly stable and still in any body position, and know exactly how much they need to move to accomplish a maneuver. I get the same feeling looking at them that I used to with martial arts masters. Compared to them, I'm just a clumsy child. I may never reach that point, but I'm willing to spend at least the next couple decades trying!

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

[virgin-burner 1]

Maurix

Thanks for your quick response ... yeah I already talked to my instructor and he too said I just had to practice ... I am gonna ask if my next 1on1 could be a "track" jump because I wanna know what he thinks I am doing wrong ...
Well I guess I spent prolly like a minute tracking but I don't really know because always when I try to track it feels as if I am not moving forward, just starting to shake. Other students tell me they really feel how they start going incredible fast forward when they track ... it's pretty frustrating ...

I made a little video of my jumps ...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151646341062146&set=o.348191171960156&type=2&theater
... but there ain't the "tracking" from lvl 7 in there ... just some "trying to get closer to the coach" ... but I guess I'll real quick upload the Level 7 Jump so you can see a little of my first tracking trys ....

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[Maurix 0]

Ok, finally uploaded the videos ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BKSv_K7F-o is the Lvl 7 jump

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI72VftVPtw is the compilation stuff ... blocked for Germany ... as always ... but you can use proxtube or something I guess ...

[davelepka 4]

Not too bad. It does look like you're trying to 'snap' into the full tracking position too quickly. You don't have to go 'full' track right off the bat, you can ease into it as you develop the feel for the position.

Start by pushing your legs straight but still keeping your feet shoulder width apart, and when that feels good and stable, then bring them together. Once you can that with stability and control, start to sweep your arms back.

Start with your arms straight out to your sides, this will help with heading control and stability. Once that feels good, move your arms back to a 45 degree sweep, and do that until you feel 'good'. Finally, move them all the way in next to your body.

Once you have your arms/legs where you want them, move onto rolling your shoulders forward and de-aching your torso.

Tracking is not a natural position, and there's no reason you need to go 'all in' at once. Break it down into sections (as outlined above) and work on them one at a time. It make take several jumps for each section, but by the end of 10 or 15 jumps, you'll have all the pieces together.

Keep in mind that just putting your legs out will move you forward, so if you have heading control and do just your legs for 5 or 6 seconds, you can get good separation from a 2-way jump (you shouldn't be in bigger groups at this stage anyway, you need to learn to track first). So you can work on the 'sections' of your tracking skills at the end of RW jumps, and it won't take long to get into the 'full' position.

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Looks like something you're doing is making you turn right, can't tell if your arms and legs aren't symmetrical at that point or if you're leaning. That also looks just about right for where you are right now, so it's just a matter of practice.

Dunno if it'll help much, but this guy has a pretty good camera man and excellent form, so you could check out "Chapter 2, Tracking" at the 3:52 mark of This Video. It's still one of my favorite skydiving videos.

If you have a wind tunnel anywhere near you, you can't really do tracking there but they do help with your overall stability and ability to hold a heading, so that might be worth checking out too.

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

[Maurix 0]

Thanks for your advice, the next couple of jumps I'll practice what you just told me, sounds pretty good :D Thanks a lot !

@Flying: Thank your for your reply too. The video is definetly awesome but I don't really think it helps me a lot right now because I know what it has to look like and I always think I am doing it the right way but it doesn't work :P ...

For the stability and heading ... I think I do have a good heading right now (maybe because I already spent 10 minutes in a tunnel ;) ) but I think I won't go to the tunnel again before winter ...

[rohicks 2]

Maurix we both are pretty much at the same skill level right now.

I have two jumps on video with a little bit of tracking. Mine are not excellent, but I don't think they are terrible. You can check them out. Not sure if you'll learn anything from them though.

This was my first time tracking away from someone. It's near the end before deployment.
http://youtu.be/w0z8ZPIiRzQ

This was last weekend. I did some tracking away (which was decent), and was supposed to come back. However, our break off altitude came around to fast to track back to my coach. So I tried to break away, and pretty much tracked in a circle lol.
http://youtu.be/y-_5z-unfsY

Good luck. I'm still learning as well. Don't be so hard on yourself especially with minimal time in the sky. More jumps is all we need.

[popsjumper 2]

In addition to what you've already been shown:

Tracking in a straight line is top priority.
The speed will come with more body position adjustments.

When you turn to track, look out in front of you, pick a target (heading), a cloud or something on the horizon, and track directly at it. You'll know you're getting better at it when you maintain the line all the way through deployment.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[dthames 0]

I had good success learning to track with solo tracking dives, planned specifically to work on tracking skills. The short time at the end of a normal RW jump just didn’t seem to allow enough time to tweak the body position and see the results.

If you want to practice landings and plan to get out at 5,000 feet, you can get a 10-15 second track right out the door on those jumps as well. (if you are the last one out on the low pass) Tracking on exit into the relative wind with no vertical speed is interesting.

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

[sky12345 0]

dthames

Tracking on exit into the relative wind with no vertical speed is interesting.

its much more interesting and challenging to track in the opposite direction to the relative wind :)

[JohnMitchell 14]

Davelepka had some great advice. From what I saw on the video, you were pushing your hands too far below your body. Notice that you're fairly level to the horizon because of this imbalance. That makes you wobble with little forward movement.

Okay, push your legs down straighter (notice your knees were still bent slightly) and flatten your torso more. Leave your hands back, above the level of your back. You will feel/see yourself in a more head down attitude. This is your angle of attack that makes you fly across the sky. If you rock or porpoise, roll your shoulders forward. As you progress you can push down on the air with your hands for more and more speed.

Stability cost performance; performance costs stability. A really good track is not a very stable body position, but with practice you can get very good at it.

[Maurix 0]

Hey guys, thanks for all the advice! Yesterday I was at my dropzone again and was able to do 2 jumps. The first one I wanted to do barrel rolls (which went perfect) and then I wanted to practice tracking again ;)
Well ... same thing happened as always ....

Then second jump I finally wanted to have that damn track on video so I asked one of my teachers to do a 1on1 with me and if we could do a tracking jump. He said that I should floater Exit with arms close to my body and then try to go into a track ... same as always started "wobbling" around ... so I relaxed went into box position and tried again and suddenly everything went smoothly ... I started tracking perfectly forward, it was awesome! I am just so happy! :D

I don't even know for myself what I did different but I suddenly felt what to do and I didn't even think about the steps to do, I just did it :D

Here is the video for those interested =) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoAakpex9jM&feature=youtu.be
(yes I didn't wave off ... guess I was so happy that it worked that I forgot about it :/)

So the next time I do a Tracking jump I will work on the body position, that I dearch more and put my head onto my chest ... if that works out good I will be super happy :D

Thanks guys!!!

[dthames 0]

Looks like some good progress. Congratulations! I said before, it helped me a lot to do some solo practice tracking dives so that I would have plenty of time to relax and feel the air.

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

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

Dude that's awesome! Did you notice you weren't potato chipping at all after you relaxed and went back into the track? That was as good a track as I've seen on any of our tracking jumps.

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

[JohnMitchell 14]

Really nice job.

To improve on it you can push your feet and legs ALL the way down, until your body is a straight line seen from the side. The arms looked super good. The porpoising or potato chipping you had at first was due to too much arch in the body. You can't really arch and track well at the same time.

I love the feel of a good track. I'm glad you're getting yours dialed in. Feels great, doesn't it?

BTW, I was surprised your instructor had you tracking up the line of flight, towards the next person's airspace. I was glad he had you make a right turn.

[Maurix 0]

It was planned that we would first track for couple seconds down the line of flight because we were the first who jumped out, all the other jumpers were tandems ;)

Thanks for all the positiv feedback :D and yea it really felt awesome when I finally tracked like that ... already said to one of my insturctors "first I wanted to get into freeflying, now that the tracking went so awesome I am overthinking that :P" ... maybe I can start with ~ 50 jumps to jump a tracksuit and fly with the WS people xD

I will definitely work more and more on my tracking until it's close to perfect and then post a video if I have one ... can't think about anything else but do another tracking jump but have to wait until 30th of mai :(