Newbie Back Flying tips

[choll15 0]

Just getting into backflying in a few tunnel sessions, and really struggling!! I just can't seem to get it right and have a crappy tendancy to spin/slide/crash!! Whilst amusing for spectators it's getting on my nerves! Determined not to give up - if anyone has any back-to-basic tips - I'd be more than grateful! I've got nearly 2000 belly jumps, but they're worth diddly now the world is upside down! In fact it's like I've never jumped! lol...

I've been shown the basics but my body refuses to fly stable!!.. maybe being 6' 5" doesn't help, but I know it can be done as I've seen some awesome flyers that were a similar size to me (Chris in PVSV springs to mind)

I refuse to give in until I'm broke!! HELP!!!!

Chris

www.southparc.co.uk

[skymama 35]

Do you want tips for the air or for the tunnel? If it's for the tunnel, I can move the post for you.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[choll15 0]

Hi
Well, both I guess - posted here as I thought that most knowledgable freeflyers would check this forum out!

It's all good! Just if you saw my back flying - you'd take pity on me too - or run away for safety!!

www.southparc.co.uk

[nigelh 0]

Oh i see!!
My advice wasn't good enough for ya

You looked to be doing very well the other night, i'm sure a few more tries and you'll have cracked it.

Nigel

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Sponored by NZ Aerosports, CYPRES 2, Tonfly & L&B

Team Dirty Sanchez #232

[dharma1976 0]

relaxing helps :-P

I find as soon as I tense up I start to suck :-P

Cheers

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[Stumpy 256]

Quote

My advice wasn't good enough for ya

I think we found your problem!!!!

(sorry Nigel - couldn´t resist!!)

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[Sonicfreefly 0]

Relaxing is the key. The harder you try and muscle it the worse it gets. I visualize lying in a hammock letting the air support me. My arms and legs are relatively loose with even air pressure on either sides of my arms. Try to keep your head back as if lying on a pillow. I tend to look up at the centre of the fans. This far from covers all the little details, but I hope it helps you out a little bit.

[choll15 0]

Hey, thanks guys...

Relaxing sounds like a good place to start! Thanks for the tips - I'll let u know how I do!

Nige - your advice was fine, mate... I just started to suck again later on!!

www.southparc.co.uk

[patworks 5]

Betcha this solves da problem or money back!
[Advise if you'd like to see illustrations or animated How-to] Enjoy back-flying! I did 1 hr in one session 100% on back-flying and hurt for days!

What Is Back-flying?

Back-flying - the spine is parallel to the horizon; the relative wind is on the back. Pat

When back-flying, you’re skydiving while lying on your back (Figure 26). You fly face-up instead of facing down with the wind in your face. Visually, your vista is the blue sky above you; the ground below is nearly out of sight.
M-ball.TIF
Figure 26. The back-fly’s low center of gravity makes it a very stable freefly position.
Back-flying has few limitations since it offers a wide range of fall-rates and maneuvers. You can fall slowly with belly-flyers, or rapidly along with head-down skymates. You can track far and fast or hover still, no-contact. Your legs are extended for lateral movement, or tucked out of the wind for straight-down fall. Turns are intuitive and easy.
Back-flying is not the same thing as chute assis or sit-flying. The relationship of the spine to the horizon line and the direction of the relative wind are different for each mode. Sit-flying has you ass-down with the wind on your butt, and your spine mostly perpendicular to the horizon. Since back-flying is back down, the spine is parallel to the horizon and in the relative wind. While sit-flying is rather like trying to stand on slick ice, back-flying is closer to relaxing in a hammock. Sit-flying is a close cousin of standing vRW and requires strong constant use of the stomach, arm, and leg muscles. Back-flying is a friend of relaxation and allows you to rest on the air.
Back-flying’s stability stems from the fact that it is not a wind-deflecting position at all. Arms and legs are not held out into the wind, but are allowed to blow up above the body and provide stabilization, like those feathers on the badminton birdie. Arms, legs, head, and torso are brought out of relaxation and into play only when movement is desired. Achieving relaxation while back-flying requires the ability to do nothing at all while in freefall; doing nothing requires control and awareness.
Compared to other freefly modes, back-flying is natural to learn and easy to apply. This ease stems from its familiarity as the natural position of the body at rest. Remember, we spend about one-third of our lives sleeping, usually on our backs. So, learning to back-fly is almost as easy as learning to lie down. And, things don’t really look upside down while you back-fly. In fact, back-flyers have a natural view and perspective on a relative work skydive. It’s easy to control levels and proximity while back-flying.
BACKend.TIF
Figure 27. Use arms and legs in a back-fly to move up, down, and horizontally in relation to other freeflyers.
How low your center of mass is determines how stable you find this position. The lower this center, the more inherently stable your back-fly will be. In fact, any object that has a low center of mass tends to be stable and self-righting. Of all the freefly vRW modes, back-flying has the lowest center of mass. Other intrinsically stable positions include the basic stable, boxman, RW stable, and vRW Stable, inasmuch as each has a low center of mass.
Why and How to Back-fly
Back-flying is a sky-frolic. Not only is it fun, it leads you easily into the moving poetry of freeflying. It’s fun because it does not require much work. You just let go and do it. The less you work and the more you relax, the easier it becomes. Moreover, it is a great solo dive—try it!
Back-flying requires and teaches relaxation. It is pleasant to relax while back-flying on a solo jump because you are less distracted. You’ll discover that while thus reposing in the air, it is gratifying to look around you. Relaxed and gazing at the scenery, the notions of actually seeing and really feeling can be grasped. This understanding will help you to discern the subtler notions found in head-down vRW. If the yoga and Zen stuff that freeflyers preach doesn’t appeal to your more meat-and-potatoes approach, try back-flying. Unlike head-down, it does not require the split mind-set of both a placid mind and super-tuned reflexes.
To learn how to back-fly, start with this prescription: Lie on the floor on your back. Relax and imagine the fierce wind of freefall is pushing on your back. Pretend that the wind grabs your arms and blows them upward towards the ceiling. Correspondingly, the heels are picked upward. You appear to be suspended from the ceiling by your hands and heels. This is what back-flying with a fast of fall looks like; this position is called the Magic Ball (see

Pat Works nee Madden Travis Works, Jr .B1575, C1798, D1813, Star Crest Solo#1, USPA#189,