Head Up Flying Part 2

October 2000
Head-up Flying

Intermediate

The second in a three part series by Giles Fabris



Principles of the Mind
All limitations are self imposed. Your mind is a powerful force that you have at your command. If you really want to do something, keep at it. It may take a while but you will succeed if you really want to.
In other words, don't quit - ever.

If you are having trouble with the task at hand, relax. Sit down and think about your skydive, then run through it mentally; rehearse and commit to doing it right.
Focus as hard as you can. See yourself doing it correctly, with focus and in a relaxed state. Now go up and have another try.
Centre Point Exercise


Focus on this point in the air, your flying will improve. Many martial arts are based on this understanding of the way we naturally move - for us, this is an easier way to freefly.
As discussed in the previous article, we fly from our centre point (or centre of gravity). Often when starting freeflying, we learn to fly by holding our body in a series of angles against the relative wind.


We can move onto a new level of awareness next - that wherever we move our centre point
(C of G) our body will naturally follow. This will allow us to fly in a more natural way.

Try this
A really good exercise to improve our awareness of moving from this point is something you can do with a partner on the ground:

  • stand facing one another on one leg
  • try to lead/push the other person off balance with the other leg (raised off the ground)
  • focus on your centre of gravity as you gently push and are pushed
Collision Avoidance

Collision avoidance is an essential skill if you want to stay alive! The obvious avoidance tactics are:

  • don't jump with people you think may collide with you
  • get the basics before going out with others
  • develop "defensive" flying skills (not flying over people, approaching slowly from the start, keeping visual contact at all times)

However, even experienced freeflyers can hit each other:

  • the trick is to get out of the way.
  • If impact is going to happen: get small; keep fingers, hands and limbs in; protect your face and head. This will stop you "corking" into anyone else and protect you
  • seriously consider wearing a hard hat and an AAD (Cypres)
Group Stuff
No shit, there you were...
At your DZ, someone asks you to do a 2-way. On a 10 minute call a friend of a friend invites herself on your dive. Now a 3-way, you're talking about the exit. Two more friends invite themselves, its now a 5-way. At 10,000 feet another friend joins. Not wanting to hurting anyone's feelings, you nod. Already slightly worried you hear someone say "Let's just get out and have some fun". Its too late to say anything as the next group is yelling at you to get out. You all exit. By this time you're shittin' your pants - if you're not, you are unaware!

After exit, you lose two people and you don't see them until you've nearly finished packing. The others are both above you and below you. You have three people doing outside video or is that four? You see someone cork past you. Another foot closer and you could both have been hurt. On the ground everyone does the cool handshake thing and thanks each other for a great skydive... 		What's wrong?
Firstly, you could have been killed. To argue against this is pointless. I know someone who died this way.
Imagine this scenario with an FS group, all on different levels, geeking the camera, docking just for fun - I don't think so! This is because belly flyers as a group know more about falling relative than most freeflyers. Ask them, learn from them - only idiots let different disciplines divide people.
Think of your eyes as the headlights of your mind - shine them in the direction you want to go and you will probably get there
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