'formal' training for acrobatics?

[Zenister 0]

how many flippy twisty types are glued to the Olympic gymnasts skills on display

just wondering who has perused the acrobatic side of the house and who is going to talk one of these world class gymnasts into their first BASE jump and making the current 'standard' look like kids diving off rope swings?

What resources are there for this kind of ‘sub-discipline’ cross training?

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[hookitt 1]

http://www.adultgymnastics.com/

There's one site you can look at.

Look up dive training, and trampoline training as well.

I've yet to persue any formal gymnastic training since early high school, but a few of us have talked about it, and at least one friend has recently joined a training facility for that very purpose.

[meekerboy 0]

I did a year of high-board dive training where I live in the UK. Watching the Olympics makes me realise how good they are. I learned only the bare basics and would love to become good at it.

[Zennie 0]

Quote

at least one friend has recently joined a training facility for that very purpose

Geee... who might that be?

I'm extremely fortunate in that Houston is a mecca for gymnastics and diving training. Half the current Olympic diving team trains up in the Woodlands.

Brit and I went up there to talk to one of the caoches about possibly getting some specialized training. He seemed very intrigued but we haven't had a chance to pursue it much more since they were busy getting ready for Athens.

We watched some of the divers go from the 7.5m and 10m platforms.

If any of those guys/gals took up BASE they'd elevate the sport to an entirely new level.

I also signed on with a gymnastics coach nearby to do some trampoline and floor work.

I have some BASE videos with good aerobatics (i.e. Jeb's Year In The Life and a couple Dwain clips) to give them an idea of where things are and what we do.

- Z
"Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

[monkey1031 0]

signed up today.

hell yeah.

[ManBird 0]

I'll sign up so long as she's my study buddy.

"¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯"

Click

[leroydb 0]

yummy

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

[freakydiver 0]

It is EXTREMELY useful to learn from gymnastics.

-- (N.DG) "If all else fails – at least try and look under control." --

[Skinflicka 0]

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I'll sign up so long as she's my study buddy.

Is that really a dude or is she hiding her lunch money?

$kin.

Prizes to anyone who gets to read my posts before Mr Aiello's son, Tom deletes them.

[Stumpy 284]

I am (well was really!) a qualified Gymnastics coach. I would suggest that the best thing to get involved in is trampolining - it will teach you the spatial awareness and how your body works for twists and somersaults and all that kind of stuff without the months and years of pain and conditioning required to do this stuff on the floor/ vault/ high board. And incidentally, most high divers use trampolines for training. I'd say its like the equivalent of the wind tunnel for them! My gym used to have a mix of gymnasts, high divers, snowboarders and breakdancers training there!
One thing to bear in mind though, is that the skills may not be that transferable. I don't base jump (yet ) but when i learn't to backloop in skydiving, i was taught to do it in a way that would be COMPLETELY wrong for a gymnast - unless they have a fetish for half somersaults (ouch) I can see how it would be more applicable to base though as its more about the exit, n'est ce pas?

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[brits17 0]

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One thing to bear in mind though, is that the skills may not be that transferable.

In my limited experience, they are, very much so. The exits are completely different than throwing a backloop in a skydive. Much of your performance is derived from your launch in base, vs 'flying your body' with wind resistance.

_______________________
aerialkinetics.com

[TomAiello 26]

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...most high divers use trampolines for training. I'd say its like the equivalent of the wind tunnel for them!

Some BASE jumpers use them, too. I understand that the trampoline was the most dangerous part of DW's training program.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[Zennie 0]

Brit is a former gymnast and I can attest that yea... verily... her skills have transferred quite well. She's going to be amazing in the next year or two.

But Stumpy, you are correct that trampoline training is the way to go.... and that's what my coach and I are working with. A wind tunnel for BASE jumpers is a good analogy.

Actually a trampoline + harness + pit is the ideal setup. Most of my training was just going from the tramp into the pit, but we did a little work with the harness as well.

By the end of the evening he had me doing back layout launches with a half twist into front flips.

- Z
"Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

[Stumpy 284]

Good work - thats a nice setup if you can get hold of one. I love the pit, used to practce triple fronts off a trampette into a pit, until i did 3 and a half and landed on my head It might be a nice foamy pit but but i still damn near broke my nose. (glad my students didn't see that one! )

That launch of yours sounds really good - post the video when you get it and i'll critique your technique!!!

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[Stumpy 284]

Quote

In my limited experience, they are, very much so. The exits are completely different than throwing a backloop in a skydive. Much of your performance is derived from your launch in base, vs 'flying your body' with wind resistance.

Yeah i thought that might be the case. so if you are a gymnast, fancy trying that launch i saw on video of a guy doing forward giants round a high bar set up on the edge of a cliff (europe i think) and then letting go just as he came over the top?! Bit contrived but very cool!

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[brits17 0]

yes very cool and i uh, fancy.

_______________________
aerialkinetics.com

[base283 0]

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and making the current 'standard' look like kids diving off rope swings?

Yo Zenister, I was way up in the hierarchy of diving off rope swings as a kid. please don´t diss this in a public forum because this would be a personal attack and you may be banned by the mods. Hahahahahehehehe.
As far as I know, Bob Neely (RIP #46) was the first to bring serious acrobatics in to BASE.
We jumped from a cliff near Muskogee, Ok at the “last dance nationals”. Lake “Ten-killer” if my memory is correct. It was a swimsuit jump, he did a layout/ twist and climbed back up after and declared “it is 24 ft”. He was more than good, I think I remember heartell that he was a state trampoline champ when he was in school. He was doing swinging gymnastic exits though the bars of antennas. He is a great one.
Take care friend,
space

[Lee846 0]

I've been training in gymnasiym for several months. It was the hall purposed for trampoline- and floor- and other kinds of exercises. Now I can do some "aerials" there but still haven't made anything in BASE. I'm going to try it as soon as possible. The problem is here -- I almost sure that all will be OK even on 120m object and I don't want to check how lucky I am.
It was fun to train there because several russian basejumpers and snowboarders trained there. The coach are good informed about BASE. Sometimes he talks me something like "you may have an offheading doing this..." or "it's better to pull in that position" or "that's the tracking position"

Between two evils always pick theone never tried

[Zoter 0]

You may know/heard of/seen video made by a chap called Jeb Corliss.
He's a BASE jumper .....and I would assume from his aerials that he has had some sort of formal gymnastic/high diving aerial training....

His video....'A year in the Life'........is absolutely amazing for his gymnastic ( never mind BASE jumping) ability

Now if I could only find the link to that video.....
edited to add
Bingo !

http://media.hugi.is/hahradi/fyndnar/jeb_2003big.wmv

[TomAiello 26]

Jeb trains/has coaches at USC (University of Southern California, in Los Angeles), if I remember correctly. There is also a fair bit of training footage on some of the Aussie videos. I remember seeing a fair bit of Dwain in the pool, belts, foam pits, etc--I believe it was on Beyond Extreme.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[Zenister 0]

that video always gives me gooseflesh...thanks for reminding me....

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.