Training Standards

Diamond Quest (DQ) recommends the following training standards and skill building exercises. This document provide guidelines for both DQ camp leaders and participants to evaluate the skill level of each jumper. a number of drills and training ideas are also included to help develop and improve the skills needed to perform safe and enjoyable CReW.

Please feel free to critique or suggest improvements. As always, DQ welcomes all input so that we may continue to improve our training techniques and better serve the CReW community.

1.   For a Novice to move to Intermediate the following standards must be satisfied:

a)     Understand the terminology (i.e., stack vs. plane, sashay, definition of proper grips, lockup, cascade, retract systems, etc.)

b)     Have a good understanding of proper communications in the air - clear, short, positive commands. Communicate breakdown properly.

c)      Can comfortably fly relative - end cell bump - with another canopy.

d)     Have good line skills - planning up and down, walking to an offset, deplaning.

e)     Understand echelon flying.

f)        Have mastered basic flying maneuvers and understand when to use them (sashay, spiral FRD, rear risers).

g)     Understand how to set up an approach on a vertical as it gets bigger.

h)      Be able to set up and dock on verticals from 3 through 8-ways with moderate success.

i)        Be in control enough, and understand the need, to make zero angle, on center docks.

j)        Have a good understanding of how to set up and complete a base-pin with an experienced jumper.

k)      Understand wrap avoidance and basic safety and survival.

l)        Be able to pilot vertical formations with only minimum input from an experienced flyer. Have good heading awareness, make slow smooth corrections.

2.   For an Intermediate to progress to Advanced, the following standards must be satisfied:

a)     Be able to teach terminology to novices.

b)     Line skill should include foot first grips when appropriate, not pinching off upward momentum, collecting in "bad docks" and making them work. Being comfortable with "line or slider" docks.

c)      Have good Echelon discipline. Know when to plug a gap if needed and when NOT to plug a gap.

d)     Be able to explain the use of basic maneuvers to a novice (when to sashay vs. when to spiral, etc.).

e)     Be able to set up and dock in a timely fashion on any size vertical formation. Never off-center or off-angle (sideways).

f)        Be able to make timely lockup docks with minimal side-to-side motion behind the formation.

g)     Dock and fly 2 and 3-wide wing slots with fairly good success (75%).

h)      Have high base-pin success with other intermediate flyers. Have medium success with a novice.

i)        Be able to properly pilot any vertical formation. In the latter stages, be able to pilot diamonds.

j)        Be able to fly pieces relative (end cell bump with biplanes).

k)      Understand and teach proper formation build and break sequence.

3.   For Advanced flyers, the following standards apply:

a)     Teach basic CReW to novices.

b)     Have high success with any base-pin combination.

c)      All docks should be smooth, quick (short split)      no momentum, on target, no angle into any vertical or lockup slot.

d)     Have very high success with 2 and 3 wide wings. Fine tuning skills on all lower wings.

e)     Have a high degree of control over the canopy. A measure of this is being able to "park" in a slot or alongside a formation.

f)        Echelon discipline should be outstanding and very tight.

g)     Be able to design basic canopy combinations for successful formations.

h)      Pilot open tops on offset formations.

i)        Top docks and piece flying with good success.

Skill building exercises:

1.   The following are some ideas and drills used with beginning and intermediate jumpers moving onto advanced level:

a)   Continue to work on 3, 4, 5 and 6-way rotations. Move the jumpers around so they get a chance at each slot out the door. Lecture in depth about proper echelon set up and canopy skills needed to get into the correct spot in the sky. Practice sashay rotations for skill building for several reasons (as opposed to over-the-top rotations):

i.        It teaches a pilot to control a formation that tends to "follow" the rotating jumper as they leave. (Smooth piloting skill).

ii.      Jumpers are not working on the center line of the formation. They must use toggle turns, front riser turns and dives to set up their approach - providing ample opportunity to practice a variety of canopy skills on each rotation. (Canopy control skills).

iii.    At the start of the sashay (first outbound turn) the jumpers find themselves fairly level and along side the formation - this is much like a good lurking position that is used on most approaches to a building formation. This is good practice at setting up an approach (the inbound sashay) from a position that is much like their echelon after exit. (Echelon, Approach, Canopy skills).

iv.     The rotating jumper is always in view of the instructor. (Important for post dive)

v.       Starting with a 3-way, the approach set up is different on each formation through the 6-way. By exposing them to varying size formations, they will learn to adjust their set up to match the formation. (Develop range of canopy skills)

b)   The Wedge Rotation: With the instructor as pilot - Build a stair step with one novice and allow the other novice to shoot the wing slot. Once he has docked and settled into proper trim, release the first novice. He should make a lifting turn away and set up an approach to re-form the wedge. Keep dropping each wing and allowing them to re-dock. (Wing docking and wing flying skills, proper approach and set up)

c)   Step-Back Rotation: In this drill you rotate like a vertical sashay. This dive gives each jumper the chance to pilot an offset formation, accept an offset grip while flying their wing in proper trim and dock a wing slot (the slot changes sides each time through). The instructor can always see the rotating jumper. (Offset piloting skill, wing docks, flying a wing, taking grips, proper no momentum docks, approach skills). It can be done with 4 or even 5 - the stability of the formation will be more challenging as the number of jumpers increases. The step-back rotation is very challenging - you may want to start out with a simple three-way stair step at first, and after mastering, move on to the step-back.

d)   Work on building 4 and 9-way diamonds. If they have mastered the three previous drills (vertical rotations, wedge rotations, step back rotations) the diamond is a nice application of the skills learned. Stress - fast and flat, proper set up and approach.

e)   Always teach the finer points.

i.        Lifting legs on incoming docks.

ii.      Passing over an offset lockup dock.

iii.    Proper communication.

iv.     Proper breakdown sequence.

v.       Proper trim.

vi.     Piloting (turning offsets, diamond death spiral!)       

vii.   Heads up, aware flying.

viii. Safety and survival.

f)    All during the Intermediate's training, we should stress smooth, controlled flying. As they develop, we should introduce the "Competition" techniques. Over-the-top rotations are a lot of fun and teach valuable skills. The main thing a jumper learns is that hard, fast docks are acceptable (if done in control!) and they become much more comfortable with faster approaches. On smaller verticals teach how to make a swooping, hot approach, instead of a slow, step-by-step approach. Be certain to point out that all of the necessary parts of the "step-by-step" method are incorporated in the hot approach - they are just more integrated and happen as a fast, smooth flow.

g)   Intermediates should work on their base-pin skills - flying close - no contact at the bottom of a dive will help develop some of the skills needed. Primarily teach the side-by-side (base turns away and present back, pin turns in and drives to the dock) method and then move on to fast, competition style base-pin later. The point here is that a "high" Intermediate should be able to do base-pin with a "middle to high" novice. If they can't get the dive started, they will always need an instructor.

h)   Piece flying - The biplane sashay rotation is a good drill for relative piece flying practice.

2.   Continued training for Advanced flyers - The major difference between advanced and intermediate is that an advanced flyer has shorter splits to his dock, is much smoother and more in control and can teach.

a)   Build Diamonds and Boxes - Work the jumpers through all slots. Building an offset, off center (the box) is a good way to teach proper trim and piloting skills. The emphasis should be on smooth, correct technique in all areas - tight exit, proper echelon (tight!), great set up, use very little air space, smooth straight-in approach, set trim if needed, accept and facilitate incoming docks, proper grips, good communication, good breakdown, demonstrate air-awareness in the post dive.

b)   Work with Novices - Most people do their best "flying  stuff" when working with a novice. It is important to have a successful dive if they are to learn - this forces you to be extra "heads up" in order for the dive to work.

c)   Sequential - Use the current competition dive pool to practice the block formations - there are easy and challenging ones. Each block is a good skill dive if repeated.

d)   Work on no momentum wing docks. Use gentle piloting and very subtle trim to build the wing.

e)   Work on flying open tops. Build a 4-way diamond and rotate the point to the bottom. This leaves the tee. Do this with the 9-way diamond and leave 3-wide across the top.

f)    Another challenging drill is the diamond-accordion rotation. Start with a diamond and rotate the pilot to the bottom to form an accordion; now take the outside top and rotate to the bottom to form a new diamond.

g)   To get experience with wide wings, you can build wedges instead of diamonds. A 10-way wedge will give you Row 4 experience without having sixteen people. This also requires good dive engineering and proper formation flying to keep it stable.