Skydiving disciplines?

[Superman32 0]

N.B. I'm not jumping ahead of myself. I have no plans to start anything anytime soon. I'm more concerned with learning to survive before I try anything else.

Having said that, when (general jump #s) do most new skydivers start a skydivind discipline, i.e. freeflying, RW, CRW, etc

Once again, just out of curiosity. I want to be an old skydiver and not a cool skygod.

Inveniam Viam aut Faciam
I'm back biatches!

[CanuckInUSA 0]

I'm not going to give you numbers because I don't always believe in them (they can be a good experience indicator, but not a skill indicator). I can tell you that I have evolved and I continue to evolve as a jumper. One month I'm all gung ho to do this, and the next month I want to try that. There are so many cool disciplines to do in this sport. Once you've got the basics down, go chase your dreams. But get coaching along the way too. Why do it by trial and error when you can have experience help you.

Have fun ... be safe ... be smart ... don't be afraid of risks if they are within your limits.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[skybytch 273]

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I can tell you that I have evolved and I continue to evolve as a jumper. One month I'm all gung ho to do this, and the next month I want to try that. There are so many cool disciplines to do in this sport.

What he said!

If only I could afford to get good at everything I want to do in this sport.

[darkwing 5]

You start FS (formation skydiving) and accuracy (canopy control) during your initial training jumps. After that, you just keep going, until you master them all (never).

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[HeyRobin 0]

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Having said that, when (general jump #s) do most new skydivers start a skydivind discipline, i.e. freeflying, RW, CRW, etc

... about the time they choose to buy their first good jumpsuit. Some know right off the bat. Other's never choose.

My advice to our young jumpers is to stay on your belly for a little bit (say 50-100-ish jumps?). It builds and firms up the skills learned in the student progression.

New jumpers have a variety of things that happen on their first couple hundred skydives. Just stuff everyone has to go through. Little equipment quirks to work out. Body position on deployment quirks. Awareness issues. Just stuff.

I think it's helpful to stay in an environment you somewhat understand when you're going through all that.

Once you kinda have your head wrapped around things, then you can choose a suitable discipline that appeals to you.

just my .02

[selbbub78 0]

I agree. Of course, i didn't do it, right off student status i went into freeflying, then around jump 100 learned crew, and been stuck with it since. RW is so important, and is important to learn the basics. I think sticking with it for a while is a good idea.

CReW Skies,

"Women fake orgasms - men fake whole relationships" – Sharon Stone
"The world is my dropzone" (wise crewdog quote)
"The light dims, until full darkness pierces into the world."-KDM

[rehmwa 2]

You can be kind of sloppy in any body position. So any jump number makes sense once you can nail the default stability position.

As such, each discipline can be learned real quick to start but take a ton of effort to be really good at it. (It's easy to do 4-way RW if you just hack around but it's hard to be still and stop well and turns scads of points, it's easy to learn to do do basic sit or headdown if you just hack around but it's hard to do some of the major Freeflying moves - all disciplines are similar in that way.)

If you want to be an all around jumper but just go for smiles, learn a little bit of every discipline. If you want to be really good, you should focus on one and keep the others as 'fun jumping'. Unless you can afford a lot of coaching.

Regardless, I do recommend that whatever freefall discipline you do, you nail the full stable body positions - belly, back, sit, head (and in that order) before thinking your ready to try the higher skill moves in those orientations. That's only real 'survival' skills (stability and altitude awareness).

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[skr 1]

>when (general jump #s) do most new skydivers start
>a skydivind discipline

I don't know, it seems to vary quite a bit with the
personality of the jumper and the environment they
are hanging out in.

I don't find all these artificial categories and boundaries
very helpful anyway. People just make them up and
then somehow they get set in consensus reality concrete.


I think it makes more sense to spend a few hundred
jumps developing a good parachuting foundation
while traveling around trying a little of everything.

That way you can make a more accurate choice
if you feel moved to focus on one thing for a while.

And if none of it moves you you can always make
up something new. There's plenty of stuff that hasn't
been thought of yet.

Skr

[tdog 0]

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I don't know, it seems to vary quite a bit with the personality of the jumper and the environment they are hanging out in.

But at one specific DZ we both know, if ya say you are doing ANYTHING BUT belly for the first 50 jumps, you get a talking to... And, when that 30 jump wonder (I say that as a 80 jump wonder, but someone who at least understands backsliding in a sit) backslid his freefly into our 4 way, I quickly started to understand that rule.

I like the idea of trying what sounds fun - BUT with advice and coaching... It should not be about numbers, but experience, skills and dedication, IMHO.

[tdog 0]

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And if none of it moves you you can always make up something new. There's plenty of stuff that hasn't been thought of yet.

I will take you up on that offer. Lets invent something.

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