0
Jackpunx

Skills Camps

Recommended Posts

I did a skills camp this weekend.. It was very cool..
We started out with a tracking dive.. When I think about it now .. it sounds like normal.. but when I learned to track in AFF..
They never mentioned looking between my legs at the other skydivers, or checking my altimeter during track..This was very cool
Then we worked on some exits. I never realized when jumping with someone else how much easier the exit is when the inside guy drops down instead of jumping up and out.
Then I learned Mantis and how to adjust fall rate in this position.. it was so much easier than Box.. It was like holding a ball to push air and just as easy..to move my hands towards my chest for a second and I droped like a rock..
then we moved onto leg turns (center point)
When in AFF they talk about leg turns.. I though I had it down but could never figure out why when I did it.. I would move away from the center..LOL
this weekend I learned to do it with my knees. It was amazing..
So now Im doing better exits, better tracking, Mantis, better fall rate and leg turns..
I cant wait to get back and try all this some more..
I’m going to add a couple more new tasks and then take them in the tunnel where I can hone them.
Any one else do a skills camp of any type?
BTW.
Did I mention this is all free?
These people are giving back to the sport.. How cool is that.. I cant wait to do that one day;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

They never mentioned looking between my legs at the other skydivers, or checking my altimeter during track


???
Can you elaborate



In AFF they showed me how to track/break away.. They said to do it for 4-6 seconds, slow down, clear and pull..

Skills camp.. He showed me how to tuck my head so that I could look under me, between my legs and see the other person breaking away in the other direction.
Also I never thought to check my Alti during tracking .. but my hand was right there.. so .. why not look..
with my head down, toes pointed, hands below my body I tracked flatter and could easily see my alti..
Did they show you all this in AFF?
was I sleeping during that part of class..lol[:/]

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Sounds like MJ's 2 Way camps. I went to his camp once 8 months and 150 jumps ago. He was late that day so Dan BC stepped in and jumped with us. MJ came soon after in spite of being somewhat hurt. I felt a little guilty for making him jump.

His tips about tracking and exiting were really helpful to me too. He sometimes arranges tunnel time with free coaching. If you gather enough people, you might be able to request a tunnel session through him on your schedule.

Check out the Excel camps at Elsinore. They're free too. Those folks are excellent coaches and I cannot say enough good things about the whole dz.

A lot of people give back to the sport as individuals but to have a dz sponsor free, ongoing camps with the coaches donating their time...wow. Lucky you for living in SoCal near two awesome dzs. How's the job market out there? ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Any one else do a skills camp of any type?




I did both skill camps at Elsinore & Perris. Exel camp with Melanie at Elsinore is great......Mel is awesome.

As well as 2-way skill camp with MJ at Perris. MJ's camp is hardcore.....he expects 110% from anyone/everyone who join his camp. At any rate both are great!
"Love is doing small things with great love."

Lacrosse: Legally beating men with sticks since 1492

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I just learned how to really track last week...after 200 skydives. I would go on tracking dives and have like 95 mph fall rates, but had a hard time ever getting forward drive. Everyone would tell me afterwards I just needed practice. Practice what?

Curt Swanson, the freefly LO manager at Perris, gave me a 5 minute dirt dive/lesson the other day. Tuck my chin, look down my torso, bend slightly at the waist. Holy mackerel! All of the sudden I was moving out...It was the single largest skill improvement I've ever had from one jump to the next.

If you are into horizontal to earth, belly down RW and want to do some tunnel time, check out Meeker Mondays. Chrisitie Frikken puts it on. Cheaper pricing and good free coaching. If you search on here you can probably find something, or ask at Perris next time you are out. Have manifest page her or something...Might be an advertisment on the bulletin board in front of Square1...maybe something on the Perris website.
Get in - Get off - Get away....repeat as neccessary

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Skills camp.. He showed me how to tuck my head so that I could look under me, between my legs and see the other person breaking away in the other direction.



Hmmm. Perhaps this is a good coaching technique? Not sure... personally I prefer to look where I am going whe tracking - forward, left, right, down, and (towards the end) up to make sure that there is no-one else near me. People from my group going in the opposite direction are not something that I am concerned about! :S
***************

Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
People from my group going in the opposite direction are not something that I am concerned about!
Quote



There have been a few times when people broke off from a formation and tracked in basically the same direction never knowing their buddy was right next to them. when you look between your toes as you're tracking you can look back and see everyone from the formation tracking away, this is one of the reasons i do it, plus it does help you de-arch and get more forward drive. Obviously this is going to differ depending on the size of the formation, ie. being in the center of a big way you wouldn't want to do this. Also when you first turn to track you should take a quick look straight ahead to see where you are about to fly.

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

People from my group going in the opposite direction are not something that I am concerned about!

Quote



There have been a few times when people broke off from a formation and tracked in basically the same direction never knowing their buddy was right next to them.



And if you read what I have written then basically you are agreeing with me. Behind you is not the place to look - people going the opposite way are not a threat.

When you start doing bigger stuff with staggered breakoffs you will need to be looking for the guys either side (who will start off tracking next to you) and possibly dead ahead for the guys who broke off ahead of you.

I still see no reason to start looking between my legs...:S
***************

Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I just learned how to really track last week...after 200 skydives. I would go on tracking dives and have like 95 mph fall rates, but had a hard time ever getting forward drive. Everyone would tell me afterwards I just needed practice. Practice what?

Curt Swanson, the freefly LO manager at Perris, gave me a 5 minute dirt dive/lesson the other day. Tuck my chin, look down my torso, bend slightly at the waist. Holy mackerel! All of the sudden I was moving out...It was the single largest skill improvement I've ever had from one jump to the next.

If you are into horizontal to earth, belly down RW and want to do some tunnel time, check out Meeker Mondays. Chrisitie Frikken puts it on. Cheaper pricing and good free coaching. If you search on here you can probably find something, or ask at Perris next time you are out. Have manifest page her or something...Might be an advertisment on the bulletin board in front of Square1...maybe something on the Perris website.



Ive talked , jumped and been in the tunnel with Christy.. she's a blast.. she's a really good teacher.. I'll hit the tunnel with her again soon.
I’ve seen some posts where they say its not important to look behind you..
I have very little experience.. but I can tell you by tucking my head.. I tracked really flat, fast and far and was able to see my alti. (tracked much better than someone with many more jumps)
Before I started my track I took a really good look in the direction that I was going..
I’m not sure how important it is to see the people behind me.. but it forces good body position and it cant hurt to guarantee separation by site

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

..
I still see no reason to start looking between my legs...:S



maybe sometime when somebody blindly tracks behind you, you may want to avoid throwing out in their face...yeah I know, it would be their fault but...I like the idea of knowing where everyone is...
My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
hmmm, I would have to think twice about whether people with that level of tracking ability / attention to safety should be on a dive big enough for this to be a risk... ideally before leaving the canteen let alone the aircraft...
***************

Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I still see no reason to start looking between my legs...


It teaches the neophyte tracker doing this in either 2-way, or "coached" dives more easily, the proper over-all body position to start with. Tucking the chin, and trying to peer back between your toes promotes naturally, and intuitively, the de-arch at the hips needed to perform a proficient FLAT TRACK.

I will still look back between my legs upon break off, to see where EVERYBODY is going (that's generally because I am already way out ahead of them anyway to begin with ;)). I do not "fixate" on it though, and ALSO will look left, right and in front of me (then again above and below prior to deployment) as well.

Sounds like an appropriate skills camp teaching technique to me.

Blue Skies,
-Grant
coitus non circum - Moab Stone

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0