Training for when you're not in the air.

[AlexCrowley 0]

I'm not sure this is the correct forum, but this seemed more of an open ended question than the Safety and Training forum seems to cover.

Im looking for advice and information so I can put together an off-season program for myself.

My question's aimed at those of you who approach skydiving as something more than a fun way to spend a weekend, (not that I consider that attitude good or bad. I'd be very interested to hear from people who understand 'beginner-mind' style concepts.

In New England we're rapidly appraoching the end of the season, soon it'll be a case of hoping the weather breaks enough to get in a recurrency jump.

What I'd really like opinions on is stuff to do on the ground that will help in the air, specifically:

- Exercise: anyone out there have any good training systems they use? Yoga, martial arts, weight training etc? Beyond basic body fitness I'm interested in particular systems and methods that directly impact your physical conditioning as it relates to skydiving.

- Books/information: I continue to read the Parachute and it's Pilot, the Skydivers Survival Guide - currently: Mental Training for Skydiving and Life (so far interesting, need to find this DeRosalia guy though). Any other publications, websites that deal with the mental and mechanical aspects of the sport written by those who know what they're talking about?

- Recovery groups? Hell, I figure most of us are addicted, do skydivers get together for 12 step programs? Seriously - seminars? non-boogie type gatherings dedicated to skydiving?

Stuff that doesnt need covering: Nothing specifically about skydiving that is covered by coaches - I'm looking for ground based stuff that can be done regularly. I can hit a wind tunnel or a boogie if funds permit. Im really interested in putting together a system I can maintain all year that will help maximize what I put in and get out from the sport.

Anything else anyone can think of?

Thanks in advance for your help, hope this doesnt come out sounding too weird.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[Mike111 0]

The skydiver's Handbook by Dan poynter is a really good all round book covering everything, so that could be good for keeping all the skills in check.

another thing - breakaway DVD, That covers all maflucntions and is good visaully - www.paragear.com.

That could be a really good buy as it would give you confidence mentally that you knew all your stuff.

Hope that helps

[AlexCrowley 0]

The Poynter book is the first one I bought - before I took AFF, a great book and I should have mentioned it. I think its still the only skydiving book I've found in mainstream bookstores.

Great idea on the Breakaway DVD, I'll put it on the list.

Thanks Mike.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

The Poynter book is the first one I bought - before I took AFF, a great book and I should have mentioned it. I think its still the only skydiving book I've found in mainstream bookstores.

Great idea on the Breakaway DVD, I'll put it on the list.

Thanks Mike.

You just aren't totally hooked yet. When you start planning winter trips to Florida or S. California and pre-arranging tunnel time, let us know.

Until then, I would say it's important to stay flexible.

[nate_1979 9]

Watch alot of skydiving videos
When out at sea, I drove my shipmates mad as I watched skydiving videos on my laptop nearly every day.

FGF #???
I miss the sky...
There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't.

[chutem 0]

Sounds like a trip to Eloy for x-mas is what you need.
James

[pilotdave 0]

If you don't mind the cold, you might be surprised how much winter jumping you can do in new england. Start looking for a good pair of gloves now.

A lot of new englanders also go down to lake wales, FL in late january for the great white north boogie. Get some tunnel time too.

It's freaking august though. Way too early to start thinking about winter!

Dave

[AlexCrowley 0]

Quote

You just aren't totally hooked yet. When you start planning winter trips to Florida or S. California and pre-arranging tunnel time, let us know.

Until then, I would say it's important to stay flexible.

Tunnel time is already planned for November/December. (including a well orchestrated email campaign to the new Skyventure's crew in NH).

Gloves are also on the shopping list.

Boogie in FL is pretty much guaranteed. There's a very good chance of heading down to AZ this year, if I can get the people together and find a decent deal (like prepaying for 200 - 500 jumps and getting a decent price on them).

I'm not a huge fan of mediocrity, especially if it's myself. I learn (in fact, humans learn) by creating connections from already existing knowledge, the more information and preparation I can discover for myself means that information I am given by my coaches and others I jump with will be easier to assimilate, and also will allow for the beginnings of an early BS detector

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[Gravitymaster 0]

Sounds like you are on the right track. Good on ya! 200 to 500 jump ticket huh? Damn!!!

[AlexCrowley 0]

Over two weeks with a few friends?

Surely some smart DZ out there would come up with a decent price for bulk buying in advance........right?

[sits and waits for PMs from smart DZ owners ]

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[Sneakerz 0]

Thats why I left Buffalo and moved to Florida, the only real "off season" we have here is during the summer and that is only defined by the DZ being less busy because everyone elses DZ up north is open so they dont have to come here. During the winter it is usually packed with northerners, teams, military, etc etc etc

---------------
"Once you find a job that you like, you never have to work another day in your life"

[chutem 0]

SDAZ in Eloy will make you a deal on bulk ticket purchases. I don't know what the current price for 100 ticket blocks is. If you are setting something up for Eloy don't forget to sched. time in the new wind tunnel. Also there is some top name coaching available most of the time. Come to the sun.
James

[Lostinspace 0]

Quote

In New England we're rapidly appraoching the end of the season, soon it'll be a case of hoping the weather breaks enough to get in a recurrency jump.

Jumptown only shut down in January last year.

My frirst Jump there was 12/04/04.

[freefalling2day 0]

Well,.. the good news is that the tunnel is coming!
The bad news is that we will not be open by December,... but should be in Jan. / Feb. of 2006.
No cold air in our tunnel!
On another note,.. jumping in the winter is not that bad you just need to wear lined gloves and gortex.
Blue Skies!
Laurie

[bob.dino 0]

Perris do substantially discounted team rates, and they have a tunnel on site. Contact them for more.

[AlexCrowley 0]

Thanks for all the advice on where and how to jump. I may not have been overly clear on my initial question, which is more about overall life training FOR skydiving.

examples: Yoga for flexibility (which style if any?), weight training (what to focus on), any land sports (inside) that helped with whatever aspects of skydiving.

In otherwords, if you were a really serious skydiver who was interested in becoming a champion (not that Im intending that) what has worked for you, or would work for you?

This is a question for the other 24 days of the month that I can't get to a DZ.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[mailin 0]

Hey Alex

The best thing you can do i the off season is jump.

Seriously.

The cessna still goes up in the winter (although I was chicken and made several trips to FL instead ) and tickets to FL were cheap enough that I made 40 jumps in the 'off season'.

As they say - every problem you have isn't one that can't be solved with 1000 jumps

Just jump - no harder than that!


Jen

Arianna Frances

[AlexCrowley 0]

Hey Jen,

I understand totally about the thousand jumps, I'm pushing for the next 975 as soon as possible. I'll be jumping in the off season whenever I can.

I'm not talking about ironing out problems through experience, I'm talking about a holistic approach to skydiving to be the best skydiver I can be. That doesnt start at jump # x00 or x0 or even x000, that started the moment I decided I was going to become a skydiver, which was months before I ever drove to the DZ for my first jump.


There is no discipline on this earth that is JUST about performing the activity involved. It may be anywhere from 25 - 95% of the activity but there's always X% that needs attention. I am specifically interested in that X percent. It's the X percentage that sets you apart from everyone else. It is the X percentage that means that every time you jump you get more out of it than the guy who wants to fun jump a few times.

Let me give you an example:

As a pro-wrestler the only thing that counts is the show. As someone in the main event that averages about 15 minutes of GO time per show. I started pro-wrestling and I wanted to be the best I could, other than work out in the ring every spare hour until my body wouldnt respond to my brain - I sat down with veterans and worked out a training plan, got back into martial arts, ate better, did cardio, read the history and watched many hours of old classic wrestling, did tons of visualization and mental preparation. As a result I am considered one of the best at what I do, won an award for being the best in New England in my first year of the business. I'll win it again this year. Working with guys who approach things the same way we've taken the company from barely selling 20 tickets per show to selling out our home venue every month and drawing 120+ to spot shows in new areas. Our TV show is watched by 2 - 3000 people each week. Through all this it has never been about anything more than meeting my personal goals, if the rest of the world wants to tag along and see where im going that's fine by me, but it isnt the motivation. Pushing myself further, beyond what I considered possible, constantly.

As every sports coach will tell you: It was a biological fact that a human being could not ever run a mile in under 4 minutes, this had been proven time and time again. Until Roger Bannister did it, once he proved it could be done people started breaking that barrier every few weeks, nowadays it's totally commonplace.

This didnt happen just because Bannister ran a lot, it was because he tapped into the X% beyond the mechanics of moving his body forward for 1 mile in as short a time as possible by using his legs.

It's the X percentage that makes the impossible unlikely, and the unlikely commonplace.

I've only just picked up the DeRosalia book, but the program he discusses in it is very similar to what I'm talking about here, except I'm hoping for more mundane pointers to things also.

Or maybe I'm just ranting incoherently to myself like a drugged horse.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[Ron 7]

For skydiving it is mostly mental.

Focus on your mental skills.

For physical general good shape, the better fit you are the better jumper you will be.

No real specific areas needed, just general good shape with stanima.

Being in good shape makes everything easier.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[AlexCrowley 0]

Thanks Ron,

Now: which mental skills?

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[goose491 0]

Quote

For skydiving it is mostly mental.

Yeah. 1% physical, 9% mental...

Yoga type stuff, IMO is the best idea for the body. The key is to stay flexible and limber.

Visualisation. You mentioned it for wrestling... same story. Picture yourself doing everything you want to do in the sport. Picture yourself doing it right. Watch lot's of videos... drive your friends nuts!




















......The other 90% is all about looking 'cool'

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[Paige 0]

Quote

No cold air in our tunnel!

In a recirculating tunnel you want all the cool air you can get. They are bloody hot

Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate
www.TunnelPinkMafia.com

[freefalling2day 0]

We will have pretty good control of the temp due to the massive louvers on the sides of the return air towers.
Blue Skies!
Laurie

[Paige 0]

Quote

We will have pretty good control of the temp due to the massive louvers on the sides of the return air towers.
Blue Skies!
Laurie

Sweeeeeet

Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate
www.TunnelPinkMafia.com

[Gravitymaster 0]

Quote

For skydiving it is mostly mental.

Focus on your mental skills.

For physical general good shape, the better fit you are the better jumper you will be.

No real specific areas needed, just general good shape with stanima.

Being in good shape makes everything easier.

And beer...lots of beer to help maintain the "arch".