My second jump - keep hurting feet

[yuriythebest 0]

My second jump - hurt my feet a bit both times but I'm getting better - hopefully my next jump will go better.
Btw anyone how if loosing 5-10 kg will make my landings better? I'm 2m/85kg, (6.6ft/187 lbs)

Skydiving in Ukraine costs around 45$ per jump, and around 130$ for tandem jumps - since I am not a wuss I of course went for the regular jump. Last time I jumped on a d5 parachute, this time on a d6 (both are domes, but the d6 has control strings). apart from the leg pain afterwards I had an awesome time and hope to do it again once I'm up to 100% and after I do some leg strengthening exercises.

vid - jump at 1:15 I'm the first one of the second batch - wanted to smile for the camera this time and succeeded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4Umcg6oiuEY#t=71s

photos http://imgur.com/a/xsz4Y

3D video of boarding (the 3d can be turned off) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOJqmocycNE

so, to recap:
q1 : will loosing 5-10 kg help?
q2: once you land in a dome style parachute - should one fall over instantly or wait for a split second for the shock to be obsorbed?

[pchapman 262]

yuriythebest

q1 : will loosing 5-10 kg help?
q2: once you land in a dome style parachute - should one fall over instantly or wait for a split second for the shock to be obsorbed?

Losing weight will help (as does better physical fitness), although good landing technique is more important for most people.

Others may have better advice as I have only occasionally jumped rounds, and never in 'the old days' when it was common in North America. But here goes:

For landing round canopies, you do want to be rolling in a continuous motion. You don't want to take the impact just on the legs and then fall over. But you do still want to take much of the force on the legs as you start to fall and roll. A good landing is easiest if there is a slow amount of sideways motion. Too little and you tend to crumple vertically (slamming knees to chest or butt on ground); too much and you don't take enough force on your legs as you fall to the side and body slam the ground. You can compensate for poor sideways motion by angling your legs. E.g., if coming straight down, put the legs a little to the side so you'll tend to tilt and roll to the side. Sideways motion (or sideways with a little forward) is easier to deal with than forwards or backwards.

At first it can be hard to anticipate when exactly one will hit the ground, as humans are used to jumping from things and accelerating towards the ground, but not having a constant fall rate under a parachute. It takes time to get a feel for how much leg tension is too much or too little, so you neither take too much force or too little in the legs.

Instructors should be able to help refine your Parachute Landing Fall. I'm assuming the technique is pretty much the same in the Ukraine as in English speaking countries.

[sundevil777 94]

Quote

At first it can be hard to anticipate when exactly one will hit the ground,

...which of course is why students using rounds, for many jumps, not anticipating at all is part of the training (so newbies are told to look out at the horizon to prevent it). The brain will not only anticipate wrong, but the natural reaction is often to pull the legs up as part of that incorrect anticipation. Pchapman probably knows this, but I thought it was worth an emphasis for others that are jumping rounds.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[irishrigger 32]

let me get this right, you are 6'6 and 187lbs? why would you want to loose more weight? hell i am 6'5 and 300 lbs
but the lighter you are will help when jumping rounds, but no matter it normally hurts when you land a round! best you can do is to make sure your feet and knees are together and do a good PLF!
does your club have any square canopys to jump for student?

[yuriythebest 0]

irishrigger

does your club have any square canopys to jump for student?

my dropzone only has d5's and d6's for beginners - I jumped from a d6 last time (800 meters/2600ft) and it was a bit less painful though my leg is still swollen - it will again take like a month or more before I'll consider myself 100%. mm - maybe I should Indeed not look at the ground and instead look at the horizon - I'll ask my instructor.

wow, you guys have soo many jumps - how is that even possible?

[irishrigger 32]

i do not have that many jumps considering, there is many people who have lots more. plus i been jumping almost 21 years.
also if you work full time in the sport you can clock up many jumps fairly quickly.
for example an ex aff student of mine from just over 4 years ago just beat my jump numbers!

but hey we all had to start with one!

do you wear supporting straps on your ankle when you jump? what kind of foot wear do you use?
for rounds i would recommend a good support strap plus some para boots.

Rodger

[melch 0]

I'm still learning sport canopy but I have plenty of round canopy jumps (T10D) with equipment.

A few tricks that always worked for me that helped me from plowing a trench when I landed:

-Feet & knees together
-Not sure how the D5/6 work but I always pull my slip around 60-70ft rather than the 100ft recommend in the opposite direction of drift
-Feet & knees together
-Take a deep breath and allow my body to go limp...don't anticipate the ground or you will have the tendancy to reach with your feet which can lead to foot, ankle, and knee injuries especially at night
-Feet & knees together
-Honestly, I always found closing my eyes after I had pulled my slipped helped. This is terrible advice when jumping a steerable canopy but for round canopys where you don't have much to do other than collide with the ground...check below you to make sure your landing area is clear, pull your slip at 60ft, and close your eyes. Keeps you from anticipating the impact.
-Feet and knees together
-Practice your Parachute Landing Falls off of an 18-24inch platform over and over. 5 points of contact: balls of feet, calf, thigh, buttocks, and lat muscle.

Meh PLF:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsA9sF33Y2c

One of the better PLF videos that I could find.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWQvq-6dB9Y

Notice how he exposes the side of his body that will strike the ground so that it is slightly curved and assist with the rolling of his body as the momentum carries him up and over.

Hope this helps.

[nigel99 144]

Practice your PLF (landing fall) till you can do it in your sleep. Good technique takes a while to master - I've got about 60 to 70 jumps on a 28 foot round (C9).

For rounds you want to be confident doing the PLF off a platform about 1-2m high.

If you can travel to a dz with squares that would be best

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.