ff1 and ff2, Wake up and smell the coffee BPA!

[freeflyeuphoria 0]

The FF1 FF2 stickers system would have been a good thing if it were used properly. As an FF coach (and official FS coach) i have seen too many people with the FF1 FF2 stickers in their book whom should not have them.

a. They havn't got the skills they require to have them.

b. it was a bit of an old boys free for all when, they first came out u can have that one ive seen u sit fly (or be!!!!!)

c. To many CCI / Instr have given them out when its clear the people with them shouldn't have them in the first place.

[SpinDoctor 0]

So it's not the FF 1/2 system or the BPA's fault.

I seems that local FF coaching 'ratings' have been given to the most current / persistent / freeflyer at some DZs, without there being a process similar to the FS rating.

So - does there need to be a more structured FF coaches rating? Or now that the 'old boys free for all' has finished (??) is freefly coaching taken a bit more seriously.

If FF 1/2 awards are being given out correctly - then this thread is reduntant.

If not, are we still in a period of transition from the 'old boys club'?

I guess it's very much dependant in each DZ and who runs (any: FS / FF) the coaching.

[Edit to add:] In theory, all of these ratings are not given out by the coach, but an advanced instructor, probably on the recommendation or otherwise of the coach in question.

Anyway - what do i know, I can't freefly that well and love 4 way. Flat is the new phree

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Connextion: British 8 Way Team
www.bodyflight.co.uk
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[Joolee 0]

I agree with Gus. We need to take care of ourselves so if you are unsure about your capabilities or those of others, don't go on the jump. I was invited on a 5-way ff jump with my mates once but was unsure about it so when the plane was running in i let them all bundle out, waved, and jumped out 5 seconds later...hee hee

You can always run any potentially worrying jump past the CCI (as you should anyway with any group ff jump)

Joolee
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p.s
Hi Gus, don't know if you remember chatting about Empuriabrava a few years back now. Been on any exciting holidays since then?

[meatbomb 0]

Bint! That was my 500th!!!!! You totally spoiled it...I'm surprised I even let you jump with me anymore, now I've got my meaningless FF2 sticker!

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Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii!
Piccies

[WrongWay 0]

Hey, call me a stupid high hoped American but I think that's ten times the system we have over here. As I stated in another thread, the only "licenses" we have are the AD and the 3d award.

For the FF1, I think it's awesome that they force somone to do maneuvers that should be taught on a regular basis but are usually dropped off. For instance, proper exit with the feet into the relative wind. You have no idea how rare it is here to find someone who knows how to properly exit in a sit (without just stepping off and flailing for a few seconds till we're off the hill). Not just that, but forcing a stable and controlled hand dock (or double) is an excellent idea, as well as a controlled sideslide or carve, along with transitions.

And the FF2, it's all basic "I'm competent at head down work" stuff, which is GOOD. My opinions on this are the same as the FF1. It's good to know that proper exits have been taught along with basic needed skills.

I guess my whole point here is that the problem does not lie within the structure of the "licenses", but actually seems to be in the way the instructors hand out the stickers.

Being in the US and not being qualified for such an instructors rating, this should be taken with a grain of salt, but if I were an instructor qualfied to hand these out, there are certain things I would look for in a test for each person. In a sit: Can they fly with no hands? Can they take hand grips and hold them stable, as opposed to taking a quick dock and pulling away? Can they demonstrate good fallrate control by moving up as if for a totem then back down for a hand to toe dock? Can they fall stable and down the tube well enough to lay a base? Can they exit properly, feet into the wind, with a hand grip maintained? Is this hand grip loose with little/no tension? It's also the same for flying head down: Can they fly staight down the tube well enough to lay a base? Can they demonstrate complete upper body independence by moving their arms and not moving in the sky? Can they take docks with either or both hands? Do those docks have little/no tension? Can they hold them for at least 4-5 seconds smoothly? Are they flying with their legs? Can they demonstrate good control in both froggy and daffy positions? Can they demonstrate good control in slower fall rates (ie. with sitflyers)?

There are written requirements and there are unwritten requirements. There's a difference between a person barely squeezing through and being very proficient. It's not the program, it's how the instructor implements it.

Oh, and Kevin (TMF), I agree that the AD is a relatively easy dive to complete. The skills required to fly with a ball, do two hand switches and two transitions are not very difficult. However, the difficulty and prestige of the test don't in fact lie in the skills required. They lie in the ability to do those things under pressure. Relaxation is the key to freefly, and if you have all this stress from the money involved, the "pass or fail" risk, the badass flyer you're in the air with, what you'll have to tell your friends on the ground, the risk of losing the ball, and all the other stuff that comes with it, it can be hard as hell to relax. So long story short, a person can have the skill needed to pass the AD, but they will fail if they don't have the skills to work at a high level of performance under high stress. That's what the test is about, operating smoothly under stress, not just being able to fly with a ball.

Edited for spelling.

Wrong Way
D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451
The wiser wolf prevails.