Backsliding advice?

[jee 0]

I am having difficulty getting my head back in a sit. I have a coach and all of that but I just can't seem to make that simple move. Of course with my head forward my hips are back and well.....I backslide. Not like a rocket or anything but enough to make a difference. Of course when I try to go forward my feet end up coming up and then my head goes forward and my hips go back and the cycle begins again. Any suggestions or advice? The freeflying discipline isn't anywhere near as easy as some people make it look.

[Suavel 0]

I'm no pro but what helped me was leaning back with my whole torso. At first I felt like I was leaning back way too far but video showed me that I was straight up-and-down.

[SPAWNmaster 0]

i am no pro by any means, as well...but if you get some video and compare how strong the relative wind felt on your back when you're backsliding versus what it looks like on camera that will help you gauge how much further to lean back.

from what ive learned in the few ff jumps i have, i get the impression that a lot of it is learning to feel the relative wind in a different way.

think back to your AFF days when you were learning to not backslide in belly flying. it feels like you have your feet straight like in a track but they're clearly not!

i think you get my point. good luck!

[AUSkyguy 0]

Try and lean back at the waist, like you are in a chair that leans back slightly, and focus on keeping your head up at looking straight ahead at the horizon. If you are still back sliding focus more on leaning your upper torso back and pushing against the wind with your back. Also you should Def. get video, I hope that is included in your coaching... If not you should request it

Hope this helps
-Chris

-Chris Martin

[JGarcia 0]

Quote

I am having difficulty getting my head back in a sit. I have a coach and all of that but I just can't seem to make that simple move.

Hi Jee... I'm sure you've been told to "feel" the air against your back, but if you're like me, "feeling" isn't quite cutting it at this stage of your freeflying career. Maybe instead of thinking about getting your head back, you can try thinking about your overall posture, which you can def. work on while you're on the ground. The problem is that you can be looking UP, thereby thinking your head is back, but if your chin is further forward than your chest, then your overall posture's gonna suck and you'll still be back sliding. Most of the time, simply getting your shoulder blades/upper back to rest against the relative wind will go a bit further to improve that overall posture.

The way you can practice this on the ground is to sit on a chair, making sure your heels are directly below, or slightly in front of knees. If they're behind you're knees, you're already causing a backslide (barring any other compensation) when the air hits your shins, and this also burbles your lower thighs, increasing your fall-rate. Make sure your back is straight. Now place your arms parallel to the ground straight out to the sides (making sure they're not behind you at all). Bend your elbows to between 45 & 90 degres (forearms should now be pointing more towards the front of you). NOW THIS IS THE IMPT PART: try to touch your elbows behind your back as you point your nipples towards the sky.
Yet another way I think about it and teach it is "ass out, tits out.". You almost want to create a "shelf" with your upper back to support your body...especially important once you begin to take docks IN FRONT of you. If you're doing it correctly, it'll look like you're arching the UPPER part of your back, while keeping the lower back straight (See attached pic). NOTE: My arms aren't in the exact position I described above because I'm pointing to my head with my left arm and having to compensate for that a bit. Nevertheless, the silver stitching on my jumpsuit will show you how my upper back is arched. And YES, you can do this, even with your rig on.

Quote

when I try to go forward my feet end up coming up and then my head goes forward and my hips go back and the cycle begins again.

If you have issues with floppy legs, think about flying with your heels down/toes up. This will make your leg stance much stronger against the relative wind. Also, you may want to think about just thrusting your hips forward to move forward (don't think: move feet forward). If you're trying to stay relative to someone, you will need to slightly stand (decrease surface area exposed to the relative wind)to compensate for the added surface area you're exposing to move forward. Remember, you can have the perfect upper body position (and still back slide) if you legs start creeping back towards your butt.

If you have access to a wind tunnel I suggest going and hooking up with a good wind tunnel coach/instructor. It will go A LOOOOONG way to perfecting your body position in a sit.

Let me know if what I described helps...

Cheers!

--Jairo

Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

[jee 0]

Hey Jairo,

Thanks for the tips. This is exactly what I was looking for. A way to get your body to do something using an alternative thought. I will be on the next load to try it out!
I am going to the tunnel soon in Orlando. I bought 5 hours with a friend that we intend to use up in 2 or 3 weekends.
If you know or can refer a good coach I am open to suggestions.

[JGarcia 0]

Quote

Thanks for the tips. This is exactly what I was looking for. A way to get your body to do something using an alternative thought.

I'm glad this made sense to you and hopefully it'll make a big difference in the sky once you apply the concept. I find that there's always more than one way to get results, and not everyone learns with the same technique. I'll PM you regarding coaching, as I live 20 mins from the wind tunnel in Orlando.
Cheers!

--Jairo

Low Profile, snag free helmet mount for your Sony X3000 action cam!

[hparrish 0]

This is a great reply and covers all the important topics. Two tools I recommend in following this advise.

Allot of folks are positive their arms are not behind them forcing them to lean forward with their torso to counter balance, and causing a back slide, from the air hitting their chest.

A trick to use (in addition to the shoulder blades tool), is to make sure you can see your hands on each side of you in your peripheral vision while looking straight ahead. If you can see your hands on each side they are'nt behind you.

Another trick I use is pretending my parents are telling me to sit up straight and exagerating this position. Good Posture means everything in clean freeflying.

[tuck 0]

hey dude

a GREAT freefly tunnel coach for orlando is Martin Skrzypczak. You can contact him through this website: http://www.tunnelcoach.com

super cool guy and for sure one of the best around


good luck

-Rev Tuck

:::Team Scarecrow:::
East Coast bad boys of body flight

[GRU 0]

just push the belly button in front and think of keeping it there, the direction you want to go should be pointed by it.

fly free
GRU

[pilot-one 0]

Keeping this thread alive.

I have a similar problem. I have difficulty keeping my feet out. In other words the air is hitting my shins. I am trying to fix this now by trying to keep my feet out where I can see my toes kind of. It's hard and I inevitably end up on my back.

[Steve_Lewis 0]

Quote

I am trying to fix this now by trying to keep my feet out where I can see my toes kind of. It's hard and I inevitably end up on my back.

Arch your back, get your chest pushed out, don't hunch your shoulders. "proud!"

My coaching points for me after most jumps...