Downunder's Tips for Training

The big day is finally here, you have so many questions rushing around in your head. Did you train hard enough? Did you train long enough? Was there more you should have done?

You’re not the only one asking yourself these questions leading up to the final hours before a competition. But what can you do to ensure you have trained enough for the big day?

The number one tip in the lead up for any big competition is to make sure your training is fun! Every fortnight iFLY Downunder plays hosts to Sunday Sessions; a night where flyers can hang out, book some tunnel time and just have fun.
You have been told a million times before but it is still true - there is no I in team. If you are working with a team you need to ensure you are all on the same page as individuals and as a team. By setting goals ahead of time this is the simplest and easiest way to ensure this.
4 way, 2 way, flat flying or freefly it doesn’t matter which is your choice of discipline. It is important not to rush. Take a deep breath and go slow. There is no point rushing around like Sonic the Hedgehog if you are making mistakes.
We don’t know everything, even if we think we do sometimes. So having a coach can be a great way to further enhance your skills and allow an experienced instructor to prepare you for your competition. Each coach brings an individual coaching style offering unique skills so a flyer can benefit by partnering with 2 or 3 different coaches. iFLY’s resident coaches are in huge demand and run regular coaching nights every Thursday at iFLY.

The controlled environment of the wind tunnel allows flyers to learn at their own pace. Flyers are able to learn with low speed and as their ability progresses the wind speed can be increased. Mariska Folley a regular skydiver and iFLY Ambassador is definitely a fan of the wind tunnel “it's such a great tool that is available to all of us, of all levels to use for training. It accelerates our skill set”. The wind tunnel allows a flyer to learn specifics about body movement and flying abilities that outdoor skydiving can’t fathom. Most importantly the skills that you learn in the tunnel can also be transferred to the sky. “It is allowing us the opportunity to launch Australian skydivers into the same playing field as the top teams in the world!” comments Mariska.

iFLY Downunder wants to see the number of Australians competing in skydiving increase in both Australia and overseas in the coming years. Competitions are always exciting but when it’s a first in Australia exciting sounds like an understatement. In August iFLY Downunder is hosting Australia’s first Indoor Skydiving Championship in Australia.

Kurmet Jaadla the Chief instructor at iFLY thinks that Australia’s first Indoor Skydiving Championships is the perfect platform for everyone to get involved, “even if you’re not aiming for the podium it will be sure to be an exciting day flying.” There are a range of categories for all levels of experience from formation skydiving to freefly, allowing all flyers to give it a go.

When it comes to competing in a freefly competition Kurmet lends us some tips - try and stay close to your comfort zone. “A creative, nice flowing routine is likely to score higher, than someone struggling to execute tricks or moves that break the flow of the routine.” Always have alternative moves ready in case you are scoring head to head with another team. Sometimes it is worth the risk if you pull off a more technical move which you put in there last minute, to get those extra points.

Mariska tells us that when training with her 4 way team Eminence “we dedicate at least 80% of our tunnel camps to focusing on improving our individual body flight skills.” They have seen an overall success as a team increase at a much faster rate. Mariska thinks this is a great training technique and would apply for all disciplines.

So what are you waiting for? Put together a team and get registered to be a part of Australia’s first indoor skydiving Championships.