free falling

[guest]

looking for some advice on launching stable as i have not yet freefallen anything. only PCAs.
got my eyes on a big A. any advice would be greatly appreciated. even the sarcastic stuff!
thanks for helping out a greenhorn

[guest]

Focus on the horizon during exit. Bend your knees, lean out 30 degrees or so, push off, and as your legs approach full extension, arch your back and point your chest at the horizon.

Works for me. Never had a rotational exit myself. Your results may vary. My first couple were too head-high if anything. I was very worried about going head-down like you see so often at B-Day. But most of those people in the lemmings videos are looking down at the ground and diving off. I recommend watching those. Most recommend practicing off a high dive. A head-high belly-flop would be what you're shooting for (you can tuck in your arms and legs before impact if you're too delicate).

You won't get flamed for asking your question, but I'll probably get flamed for answering it, because I'm really not qualified to teach. But rotating on exit was my biggest concern before I made my first 'A' after bridge day. I got confidence by doing some helicopter jumps. If you can exit flat and stable from a helicopter or balloon, it should correlate well.

If the 'A' you're looking at is high enough, perhaps you could go slider-up and take a long enough delay where you had plenty of airspeed to get stable at deployment time (and plenty of separation from the object).

Now, here's how most inquiries like yours get answered: "You are far too ignorant and reckless to attempt what you are proposing. Please seek an experienced mentor in your area go through an apprenticeship before attempting a full-blown free-fall base jump." It is my philosophy that withholding information like this is not going to prevent novices from doing BASE, only delay it and maybe make you less safe. And not everybody has experienced persons available to tap. Exit form is not something where a lot of descriptions exist on the web either.

So good luck.

[guest]

hi,

take some experienced base jumper with you!!

cya

[guest]

Take your time on the exit; dont rush. Set yourself up by visualizing what youre about to do b4 setting up to go off. Get the "looking down" part out of your system b4 you go off by taking in the scenery/visuals while climbing and after you reach the top (while resting). Then, for set-up to the exit; feet shoulder width apart, weight evenly distributed, good foothold both feet; bend your knees a little, flex or coil your body just a bit. Relax. look at the horizon by drawing your eyes along it left to right. Remember that your body is not the measure of up-down usually (your probably leaning forward some already. Ready? look at the horizon, square your shoulders, put your chin on the horizon, look up 40-45 degrees, launch up and out away from the object confidently. shoot yourself like an arrow along that 40 degree up-out line. upon the exit push your hips forward, head back, shoulders square, arms boxman 90 degree. Remember to kick your heels up on your butt as part of the arch, this movement seems integral with nailing the exit and cancelling extraneous movement. Relax into your count. Be confident, directed and athletic. Even aggressive. Remember this is not a dive; it is more like a forward broad jump leaning forward a bit, and then pushing the hips forward and kicking the legs up (instead of landing on your feet). Some like the imagery of imagining that there is a bar (jungle gym) hanging out in front of them maybe three feet in front and two and half feet above them that they are jumping out to grab with their hands and swing from. Ive also heard people talk about pretending youre on a trampoline bouncing up and down, then bouncing up, out and forward and falling to your knees on the trampoline. Dont look down before or during the exit. project yourself towards the horizon head high. practice at the edge of a pool, or in front of your bed; your knees, thighs, stomach, and chest should hit the water/mattress in that order. Chin still up on landing, arms still boxman, feet kicked up on your butt. stable and symmetrical. Lastly, if you do go notably head down on exit, pull your knees up sharply to your chest for deployment, or pull them in a ways if a longer freefall (see this years lemmings bd video for an example). JUMP IT! Be safe. cya.

[guest]

Thanks bro. great advice. more than likely i'll only go 2 or 3 secs so that i can go without a slider and also hold the pilot chute in my hand. going stowed is another story right now. thanks again.
cya

[guest]

point WELL taken.

[guest]

thanks bro, i think i can actually visualise doing it now. i'll post the jump after its done so you guys will know i lived.
thanks again,
cya

[guest]

On one of mine a while back I was so concerned with staying head high i damn near did a gainer...

[guest]

try harder next time!!!

[guest]

Before my first jump I got an advice from a friend of mine who I used when I started jumping myself, and which I've passed on to others who also feels it works.

Simply imagine you are standing on a table about three feet tall, and jump of landing on both feet. Put in a little forward momentum, but still... land on both feet. Eyes focusing slightly upwards is ofcourse very, very helpful!

I'm no baseinstructor, but have found that this approach is easy to visualize and understand as jumping of tables or other 3 foot objects is something most of us can do with a minimum of stress ;)

Anyways; the best tip I've heard so far is the one Steve gave: Go with an experienced jumper!

CYA

CJ