I can't fly in a stand . . .

[kelel01 1]

Can anyone tell me what the body position is supposed to look like? Should hips or chest be forward, or should you be completely straight up and down? When I try to stand, my feet fly up in my face. My sit is rock solid (and mobile), though. This damn stand is hampering my ability to get down to a group if I start off (or somehow end up) high. It's irking me.

Now, I know I should get coaching, and I will next weekend. But if anyone has any experience with this kind of problem and would like to chime in, I would love it. Thanks!

[VectorBoy 0]

Look at PLFXperts avatar. Start with something like this. With practice you should be able to bring your arms down and out. If this doesn't work blame her not me.

[dharma1976 0]

just try extending your legs from a sit

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.

[kelel01 1]

I've been trying that for 100 jumps now. That's when my feet fly up in my face. I've held it a couple of times for a few seconds, but I was always crooked.

I can't figure out how everyone else is so stable in such a rigid position.

[FFlyer 0]

Some things that helped me when first learning to stand was to make sure my arms were in the correct position first ie: not far behind you, they should be slightly bent and out to your sides. Then I also found it easier to keep my legs shoulder width apart as opposed to closing them while standing. Its just like standing on the ground in the sense that its easier and more stable (at least to start out with) to have your legs slightly apart.

And just like when you started with sitflying you really need to punch your legs down and be strong about it. The wind IS going to try to push your legs up and you just need to not let it do that.

Good luck!!

[Pendragon 1]

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I can't figure out how everyone else is so stable in such a rigid position.

Nothing in freefly is ever rigid; any position will require some degree of dynamic input and it helps to be relaxed.

Check you've got your sit right; if you're not flying that properly, any problems will just be exaserpated in a stand as it's faster and the balance point is even finer. For example, some people have a tendancy to fly with their arms too far back (they're usually compensating for poor body position and not sitting upright.) Going into a stand from there isn't going to work too well. Ease into it slowly.. you're not trying to lock your legs out!

BTW - are you wearing a suit that's particularly baggy around the ankles? There might be too much volume for you there, causing you to "pop-up"

--
BASE #1182
Muff #3573
PFI #52; UK WSI #13

[karenmeal 0]

Make sure that wind isn't hitting your calves or shins. That part of your leg needs to remain perpendicular to the ground. (Unless you're trying to drive or something.)

If you're just trying to get down to a group you can try going into a partial stand up and raise your arms a little bit to spill more air.

"Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

[kelel01 1]

Ok, these are all good tips. I can speed up a little bit, but once people get a certain distance away from me (lost a group on a linked knee exit that I was diving out after yesterday), they're gone. My goggles flying off my face didn't help either.

I'll try to keep them in mind this weekend.

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[sclosoma 0]

It sounds to like your not ajusting your upper body when you press your legs down so you just flop on your back. If you press your legs down you have to make sure you bring your butt in and your upper body needs to fallow.

"Don't mistake common stupidity for common sense"
-Bill Dause

[kelel01 1]

So, basically completely straight up and down? No hips forward, chest forward, anything like that?

[yardhippie 0]

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So, basically completely straight up and down? No hips forward, chest forward, anything like that?

correct. those adjustments will cause you to drive, backslide or flop on your back.
Get your butt down there early on July 1 and we'll do some jumps.
Im only doing 30 that day.

Goddam dirty hippies piss me off! ~GFD
"What do I get for closing your rig?" ~ me
"Anything you want." ~ female skydiver
Mohoso Rodriguez #865

[ntacfreefly 0]

OI! Speak to me this weekend at the DZ

To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders. ~ Lao-Tzu

It's all good, they're my brothers ~ Mariann Kramer

[yardhippie 0]

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OI! Speak to me this weekend at the DZ

dont listen to him. He'll be the ONLY one than office staff at the DZ this weekend!


and then they're those other guys wearing jump suits like his...
they might could help ya.

Goddam dirty hippies piss me off! ~GFD
"What do I get for closing your rig?" ~ me
"Anything you want." ~ female skydiver
Mohoso Rodriguez #865

[ntacfreefly 0]

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He'll be the ONLY one than office staff at the DZ this weekend!

Yeah yeah, I'll be at The Farm ruining my gear in the pond while you kids are ruining your gear in the salt water

To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders. ~ Lao-Tzu

It's all good, they're my brothers ~ Mariann Kramer

[marks 0]

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So, basically completely straight up and down? No hips forward, chest forward, anything like that?

kelly, it is just standing on the air, just like you stand on the ground.

[marks 0]

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He'll be the ONLY one than office staff at the DZ this weekend!

Yeah yeah, I'll be at The Farm ruining my gear in the pond while you kids are ruining your gear in the salt water

ian, the water isnt half as bad as sand or dirt. my canopy does fine at the farm, but when we go to comps with sand, i can see it being ruined jump by jump.

[kelel01 1]

Well, I think someone nailed it earlier - the air will try to blow my legs back up, just like it did when I was learning to sit - DON'T LET IT.

K.I.S.S.

[marks 0]

nevermind!

[apoil 0]

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Well, I think someone nailed it earlier - the air will try to blow my legs back up, just like it did when I was learning to sit - DON'T LET IT.

K.I.S.S.

Practice a little bit at a time. You are basically just practicing a stronger sit. Push your legs down until you start to lose stability. As soon as you feel that, tuck up, recenter and push back down into your SIT.

You are training yourself in having SIT be your recovery for stand (and everything else)

Not everyone can punch all the way into a stand right away. I sure couldn't.

So keep practicing that recovery. Each time, you will be able to push down a little bit further, and recover a little bit quicker. Eventually, your "recovery" will be so quick that it looks like a transition. And eventually you will be all the way in a stand and holding it.

The skills that you have developed along the way are essential for any group vertical flying as well as for eventually learning head down.

[mattjw916 2]

It also took me what felt like forever to get a stable stand... once I got comfortable in my headup I just started pushing down with my heels and tried feeling where I was going. It also seemed to help when I had someone to look at and concentrate on, that way instead of getting stiff and trying too hard, I just pushed down into a stand and added forward or backward drive to remain relative to the other flier without thinking about it as much.

NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

[kelel01 1]

One more thing:

Do you think it makes it harder that the only time I try is when I've already lost people, so I'm looking down?

I mean, if I look straight out, I'll hit them.

[apoil 0]

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One more thing:

Do you think it makes it harder that the only time I try is when I've already lost people, so I'm looking down?

I mean, if I look straight out, I'll hit them.

How many "people"?

It doesn't sound like you are ready for freeflying in groups.

[kelel01 1]

2 or so.

I've only lost a couple of groups. Last one was last weekend.

And maybe I'm not ready for flying in groups when I don't know their flying tendencies. This was a fast group, which I wasn't expecting. I sit at 160-165, and they just hauled ass.

[losty 0]

What I found immensely helpful with headup was to grab some foam pool sausages and play with them under water.

You can do mock headup on it; Arse/Sit/Stand and transitions in between and also 'hanging ten' standup forward movement.

Its analogous to freefall in that it is an unstable position where the lighter parts will want to rise.

In freefall your legs are lighter(simplified) than the rest of your boday and if you dont balance properly you will end up on your arse.

In the pool the sausages being lighter than water will want to push your feet back up just like in the air and it requires a similar balance and pressure to maintain the position.

(note it will not be exact but bar costly wind tunnel what is ?)

You can emulate the drag on your arms by using a pool sausage or experimenting with floaties.

To transition from your arse/back you cant just push your feet straight down you have to tuck up first otherwise your just fighting the air. You also have to put your arms out behind to get some lift and upright your torso before finally pushing down into a sit or stand.

The same rules will apply in the pool and with some imagination and understanding you can see how you can practice alot of other headup in the pool.

I hope that made some sense? It would be alot easier to just show you. You can do all sorts of stuff on the ground without having to pay for

"20 minutes of boredom and one minute of disappointment"

I met Amy Chmeleki at NOX Boogie in AUs and she said she used to spend hours and hours practicing headdown on the ground by doing headstands.

Yahoo Serious

[bloody_trauma 2]

this should do you good

http://www.avalorefreefly.com/resources/articles/headupfallrate.pdf

Fly it like you stole it