Need to learn blocks

[KathleenL 0]

Does anyone have any tips for learning blocks?

[simplyputsi 0]

Find 3 other people and jump with them.

Your guess is as good as mine. We'll figure it out one day, hopefully soon

c ya this weekend!!!

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[rehmwa 2]

ideas

1 - Creep them where you can, walk the rest (hard to walk some blocks that have verts, but you can lay down the intermediate pictures to get a good idea of the look and feel of that target picture) - a lot. But have someone that knows them talk you through the method so you aren't training bad habits

2 - http://www.teamfastrax.org/divepool.aspx has flash animations and they are color coded to a very good continuity plan. It'll give you the general gist of the moves, but not necessarily the best cheats and timings. That site has a TON of great stuff. Mario's team site used to also

3 - I used to just go to skyleague.com and play any of the top team footage they have and call out the random and blocks (letters and numbers) as they ran through the dive. You learn it at the pro's speeds and it comes very fast.

4 - Jump the blocks/practice. If I have someone brand new, we invest some time and do 3 point dives with a single random and a single block. That's a commit with 22 blocks in the pool. But have someone that knows them talk you through the method so you aren't training bad habits

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[damion75 0]

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Does anyone have any tips for learning blocks?

Tunnel tunnel tunnel. Once you have walked them through as mentioned above.

Get a couple of good coaches and do 2 on 2 camps in the tunnel where you can work the block over and over without having to worry about your altitude.

Having the two coaches flying with you, rather than one guy trying to tell the four of you what to do will give you the feel for how it should be and prevent the learning of bad habits!

***************

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

[rehmwa 2]

That's a good point, and brings up the question to Kathleen...


Kathleen - Are you wanting to learn how to FLY the blocks (notes practice and coaching methods)? Or just how to recognize them (review and study - usually needed anyway to move to learning to fly them)?

(e.g., know that Block2 is called Sidebody Donut/Sideflake Donut and that it's a 3 way donut with a side body, and the individual flyer and the 3way split off and rotate relative to each other such that the donut looks to spin backwards 360 and finished with the solo in a compressed acc on the person he originally was side body on - maybe plus some of the neat stuff teams do to make this more efficient) x 22



Either way, watching vids of the pros a LOT helps in both. Coaching and tunnel even better

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Dazzle 0]

If your phone has java (most vaugely recent ones will do) then DiveGen will do you draws and has all the blocks and randoms in it.

Handy for a bit of visualising when you have a few spare minutes.

Does Rookie, A, AA and AAA draws.

[billvon 2,400]

1) Get some ground coaching from a good coach before doing too much walking. Many blocks are not flown as shown on the IPC dive pool.

2) Walk them a lot so you get the "feel" for them.

3) Watch some video (tunnel video is great) of teams doing blocks. It will give you a better sense of the timing. Note that you will likely be going MUCH more slowly than what you see on the video.

3) Once you start flying them, start with the easier non-switchers. 21 is a good one to start with. 7 and 9 are pretty straightforward, and are more random-y. It's often better to start off with distinct staging for the staged blocks (the 21 has three stages for example) and stop drills for the more random-y blocks (like the 9.)

[panzwami 0]

The Fastrax site also has actual vid of all the blocks, both on exit and in flight.

http://www.teamfastrax.org/blockVideos.aspx

[rehmwa 2]

Quote

The Fastrax site also has actual vid of all the blocks, both on exit and in flight.

http://www.teamfastrax.org/blockVideos.aspx

I did not know that. Sweet.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[KathleenL 0]

OK you and I will work on this this weekend. There are five teams coming to the meet. It will be great and we have a bunch of folk showing up to get in on pick up teams.

[KathleenL 0]

Awesome! Thanks for the link to fastrax. I will check that out. My husband sent me to the tunnel with coaches when I had 20 or so jumps and I learned stability and levels really well. My coaches made me fly five 2 minute dives in the tunnel just staying still and on level with a spot on the wall. They flew all around me stole my air. Bumped into me and took grips. That was the best thing ever to learn as a rookie, IMO. I learned the randoms fairly quickly after that. I think I did ok because I stayed level and with the formation. Next time in the tunnel I learned mantis and flying with hips and legs. 360's, sideslide etc.
I only have 100 jumps but I am ready to tackle the blocks.

[KathleenL 0]

I think your right about the tunnel. I believe I might get my coaches to go with me once again.

[KathleenL 0]

I have been watching hours of video and studying the draws etc. It took me awhile to figure out that the pro teams were slot switching. I am sure that I am not ready to learn that. I know and can recognize on video all the blocks most of the time. The mirroring and slot switching threw me for a loop for a minute though.

[KathleenL 0]

Bill you are so right about the block not being flown like the IPC dive pool. I have had some coaching and have flown the following blocks 21, 4, 8

My best most recent 4way with a block was
O,M,E,21 we turned 17 points but only 14 in time because I boogered up the exit out of the King Air.

Everyone laughed at me when we landed because by had never turned points in a four way that fast and by the third zig-marque I was looking at my altimeter thinking it was time to track and we were still turning points.

Also, it should be known that the folks I jumped with have tons and tons of jumps and made me look like a much better 4 way jumper than I am. I was just excited to keep up with them. And to have an awesome video with me in it.

I am going to ask around for coaching and learn 7 and 9 next. I agree with you that they look easier than some of the others.

[domsdad 0]

I read one of the earlier post, someone mentioned staging your blocks. I've found this to be a key element and for me probably the most important element to good block work next to eye contact. This works better for teams rather than fun jumps though because you actually stop the skydive.
I learned this from Chris Irwin. We would stop or stage the block and we would have to wait for the key, then finish the block. An ex: would be with stardian/stardian once the outside center & inside center cross we would stop and break the momentum. Wait for the key then complete the block. The purpose is to learn to slow down the block or break it in half to get a better picture. The other is to stop the momentum. Until we understand how and where to move we tend to get our motions going in the wrong direction so by the end of the block we're a little or a lot out of whack. As we get more use to the block and our individual and partners jobs then we gradually eliminate the stop. On comes the speed

[KathleenL 0]

Awesome advice! I am at the DZ now getting ready for a big junping day tomorrow. I will try the stopping in the middle idea and report back tomorrow evening.