As a first-timer, the idea of pushing your body into a big column of air might be a bit intimidating. But here’s the truth: the drive to the wind tunnel is way scarier than the flight itself. Why? The unknown, of course! Our brains tend to work up the worst-case scenario when we aren’t sure what to expect. That’s why we’ve created this guide, to give you all the reassurance you need. 

Read on for a step-by-step on indoor skydiving, a video sneak peak of fun in the tunnel, and answers to several frequently asked questions so you can start your flight with confidence! 

Step 1: Arrival 

When you arrive on site, you’ll be welcomed by our awesome staff. No need to show up hours early, just give yourself enough time to beat traffic and arrive by your scheduled flight time. If you’re late by 10 minutes or more, we may have to reschedule your flight, simply due to other bookings overlapping at that time. 

Step 2: Briefing & Waiver 

Before you become one with the wind, an expert instructor will brief you on what to expect – this overview tends to mitigate the anxiety of the what ifs and unknowns. They’re prepared to answer all of your questions, from “Is indoor skydiving hard on your body?”(it can be, in a fun workout kind of way) to “Can you do tricks in the tunnel?” (yes, even beginner indoor skydivers can do a few). 

During this step, you’ll also sign a waiver. Our team is here to answer any questions you may have to ensure you feel as confident as possible before your flight. 

Step 3: Gear Up 

Once you’re checked in, the real adventure begins! We’ve got you covered with a super cool flight suit, helmet, and goggles. What should you wear for indoor skydiving? Don’t worry too much, the flight suit will go on top of whatever you’re wearing. Best bet: go for close-fitting clothing that’s flexible and comfortable.

If you wear glasses, no problem – our goggles are designed to fit securely over them. Just remember to bring closed-toed shoes, as they’re a must for safety.

Step 4: Wait in The Chamber 

Where do you wait your turn for indoor skydiving? In the chamber! The chamber is located around the perimeter of the wind tunnel. Think about a donut – if the hole in the center of the donut is the wind tunnel, then the actual glazed goodness is the chamber, or rather, the waiting room. Here, you can sit and watch flyers knock it out of the park before you. Or, if you’re up for it, you can go first! 

Step 5: Flight Time! 

When it’s your turn, you’ll step into the tunnel and the wind will lift you off the net in a rush. Don’t stress, you won’t be on your own, your instructor will be right there, giving pointers, maintaining eye contact, and making sure you breathe. 

Can you breathe while indoor skydiving? Yes! Similar to real skydiving, you can breathe, but some people get a bit overwhelmed (understandably!) and simply forget to take some deep breaths. 

Does indoor skydiving feel real? About as real as it gets without actually leaping from a plane! So real, in fact, that a lot of professional and competitive skydivers prioritize time in the tunnel to hone their freefall skills. Indoor skydiving gives people who are not yet 18 years old (and as young as 3!) or who may want to experience skydiving for the first time in a less intense environment the chance to do so.  

Each flight lasts about one minute, which is comparable to the freefall time of an actual skydive. 

Step 6: Debrief & Celebrate

You DID IT! After your final flight, you’ll exit the tunnel with the biggest, most accomplished smile on your face. You’ll remove your flight suit and chat with your group and instructor about the experience – what you loved, what surprised you, and how you’re feeling overall. This is your chance to relive your time in the tunnel and talk with our team about options we offer for those who want to pursue tunnel flying more regularly. 

Video of Indoor Skydiving: Why It’s Worth It

Similar to videos of skydiving for real, indoor skydiving videos just don’t do it justice! Indoor and outdoor flights are really just something you need to experience for yourself. Indoor skydiving boasts tons of benefits – from facing fears to building a strong sense of confidence and community. 

Have any further questions? Never hesitate to reach out to us – we’re here to help you reach your highest potential in all things skydiving!

Ready to fly? Book your indoor skydive today!

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Is Indoor Skydiving Worth It?

In short, yes, indoor skydiving is worth it. Whether you’re an avid and experienced skydiver who just needs some isolated practice or someone who has never even stepped foot on a plane, indoor skydiving has you covered! Let’s jump into what the benefits of indoor skydiving are, who can experience indoor human flight, and precisely what it entails.

Does Indoor Skydiving Feel Like The Real Thing?

Yep, mostly! A vertical wind tunnel, commonly called indoor skydiving, is designed to mimic the freefall portion of an actual skydive. The wind tunnel presents a more controlled environment than the sky. While the wind produced in the tunnel is effective in acting as the real wind in freefall, it doesn’t feel exactly the same because you’re inside! Think about it like this: your five senses will notice different things between indoor and real skydiving. Your sense of touch and sound may be the same, but your sight will definitely be different – not better or worse, just different! 

So, is indoor skydiving actually fun? Yes! It’s a great experience that has the added bonus of allowing others to actually see you in simulated freefall rather than watching a video (which is still awesome!) after the fact.

The below video shows indoor skydiving at Skydive Perris in Southern California.

How Does Indoor Skydiving Work

Fans! Big, big fans. Wind tunnels are equipped with absolutely massive fans that blow strong winds upward, allowing you to essentially float. This force of manmade wind imitates the wind that rushes past you as you’re in real freefall. Similar to tandem skydiving (where you jump from a plane with an instructor secured to you), it requires no previous experience.

Is Indoor Skydiving Scary?

Nope! Obviously, everyone is different, and while the experience may be exciting and seem unapproachable at first, it isn’t inherently frightening. The intimidation factor of indoor skydiving is much less than that of skydiving for real! 

Again, each presents a different type of fear. When you skydive, you’re jumping from an airplane, which is just a whole crazy experience in itself. When you go in a wind tunnel, you have an audience, which can be no big deal or super nerve-wracking, depending on the type of person you are. 

A perk of indoor skydiving compared to tandem jumping is that you have an instructor who can make eye contact with you at all times during the “freefall,” so you won’t feel alone. This presence of someone seeing you and helping you can help you to loosen up emotionally and enjoy the experience.

Is Indoor Skydiving or Real Skydiving Harder?

Tricky question! They both have unique challenges that make them equally difficult – the pros make indoor skydiving look easy-peasy, but we can assure you it doesn’t start off that way! 

Skydiving has more moving pieces, while the variability in indoor skydiving is less. Indoor skydiving is a more controlled environment with “freefall” as the only factor, BUT you have to be super specific and spatially aware to avoid flying into the wall. In the sky, there is more room for error in freefall (because the sky is pretty big with no walls in the way!) 

Both indoor and real skydiving present different hurdles to overcome. Indoor skydiving requires intense focus on where your body is in relation to the wall, but real skydiving has a multitude of factors to think about, like exiting the airplane, flying the canopy, and landing it properly.

Who Can Fly in a Wind Tunnel?

The restrictions for flying in a wind tunnel are wayyy more relaxed than those for skydiving. Indoor skydiving allows people who may not be able to actually skydive to experience human flight. Case in point, children as young as 3 years old can shred in the tunnel! 

The weight limit for indoor skydiving at Skydive Perris varies. For those under 6’, the maximum weight limit is 250 lbs; those over 6’ can weigh no more than 260 lbs. Why? Safety! The gear used in skydiving has weight restrictions imposed by the manufacturers, and if these are broken, then the gear has a possibility of not functioning the way that it is designed to work. In the wind tunnel, it’s just you, the instructor, and the “wind,” there’s no parachute or landing priorities to worry about. Our #1 consideration is to keep our customers and instructors safe!

Cost of Indoor Skydiving

Indoor skydiving requires a smaller financial investment than outdoor skydiving. If you’re hesitant to fully send it and commit to skydiving tandem or solo, then indoor skydiving offers a fantastic middle ground to get a taste of the sky without burning a hole in your wallet. 

Don’t get it twisted; skydiving for the first time is an investment that is 100% worth it, but if it’s not the right time, then it’s not the right time! We’re so proud to offer indoor and outdoor skydiving at our facility (one of the reasons we’re a world-renowned dropzone) and accommodate everyone the best we can.
Whether you’re ready to take to the skies or the tunnel, we’re here for you at Skydive Perris! Book today or reach out with any questions!

Related Article: Indoor Skydiving Tricks Explained

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Flying on all axes, carving around the tunnel in dynamic lines, flipping from your feet to flying head down and back again – there are so many cool wind tunnel tricks out there to learn! Truthfully, indoor skydiving opens up a realm of body flight possibilities. However, much like skydiving, there is a learning curve and a specific flight progression you will need to follow in order to safely perform wind tunnel tricks. 

Interested in taking your flying to the next level? Here is how to do indoor skydiving tricks.

What to Expect Your First-Time Indoor Skydiving

Without proper training, indoor skydiving can be dangerous. Before your first flight in the wind tunnel, you will go through a safety and training briefing with one of our instructors. During this training, you will learn about the proper first-time indoor skydiving body position, as well as the hand signals the instructor will use to communicate with you while you are flying.

After this briefing, you will be provided with flight gear and taken into the wind tunnel. While in the tunnel, you’ll receive hands-on assistance from the tunnel instructor who will teach you how to fly your body. 

It’s unlikely that you will do many wind tunnel tricks your first time trying indoor skydiving. Although, with time and practice, you can certainly learn how to do indoor skydiving tricks on your own!

What Does It Take To Do Indoor Skydiving Tricks?

At Skydive Perris, we adhere to the International Bodyflight Association’s training standards and progression requirements. In order to learn wind tunnel tricks, you will need to master the prerequisite skills. 

Initially, you will learn how to fly stable and balanced on your belly before moving to other orientations. From there, you can learn to fly on your back. Once you have mastered back-flying, you’ll then learn to fly in a head-up orientation (like you are sitting up in a chair), and once you’re comfortable head up, you can learn to fly head down! During your progression, you can also learn how to do front flips and backflips as well as dynamic flying, like carving.

Wind Tunnel Tricks You Can Do as a Beginner Flyer

If you pick up on the basics of body flight relatively quickly – and your instructor feels you’re ready to move forward with learning wind tunnel tricks – they will begin to assist you with different maneuvers. You’ll learn how to fly up and down and control your flight speed by adjusting the surface area you expose to the wind; how to turn with your upper body and lower body; and how to perform side slides.

Another wind tunnel trick that you can do as a beginner is a “high flight.” This is when the instructor will fly you to the top of the wind tunnel very quickly, allowing you to experience what it feels like to fly like a pro!

Wind Tunnel Tricks You Can Do as an Intermediate Flyer

Most intermediate flyers will have the necessary skills and bodyflight control to perform flips safely and to fly in multiple orientations. As an intermediate flyer, you can also begin working on 2-way Vertical Formation flying or Mixed Formation flying.

Indoor Skydiving Tricks for Advanced Flyers

Advanced flyers can learn how to do indoor skydiving tricks like Half Eagle, Full Reverse Eagle, and Head Up or Head Down Breakers. They may also perform dynamic movements within the wind tunnel with other advanced flyers. Please note that these wind tunnel tricks require a lot of skill and should not be attempted by novice flyers.

Tips on How to Get Better at Indoor Skydiving

Perfect practice makes perfect. To improve your indoor skydiving skills you will need to focus on first mastering the basics and then fine-tuning your flying technique. Becoming a skilled indoor skydiver won’t happen overnight: it requires practice, consistency, time, and coaching.

Take Your Indoor Skydiving Tricks To The Sky

Indoor skydiving isn’t just a thrilling “ride.” The wind tunnel is frequently used by skydivers as a training tool. Because one minute in the tunnel is essentially equivalent to one skydive – and you can fly consistently for minutes at a time – flying in the wind tunnel is a more efficient and cost-effective way to perfect many skydiving maneuvers and body flight skills. In fact, the Navy Seals utilize thorough tunnel training prior to making their first skydive!

The wind tunnel is a valuable tool, and if you’re looking to start your skydiving journey, you might be interested to know that Skydive Perris is the only dropzone in Southern California that offers 20 minutes of tunnel time as an integrated part of our Skydiving Program! There’s no time like the present. So, why not start your indoor skydiving journey today?

Book your first flight with Skydive Perris. You’ll be learning wind tunnel tricks in no time!

Related Article: What to Wear for Indoor Skydiving

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Back in 1964, Jack Tiffany became the first indoor skydiver at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio — the first human to fly in a vertical wind tunnel. In the early 1980s, indoor skydiving became an activity that people could do for fun, and over the years it has grown into something we’ve become very good at. There remains a very strong connection between indoor skydiving and tandem skydiving, as wind tunnel training is an excellent way to develop skills for the air.

But indoor bodyflight has also evolved into a legitimate sport with its own techniques and abilities. The very best flyers appear to have magical powers, able to fly with total freedom and precision, but everyone starts at the beginning. One of the best things about this sport is the accessibility it offers; there are some considerations, but you might be surprised at how inclusive indoor skydiving can be.

Age

Vertical wind tunnels allow for precise control of the wind speed and flying environment. This means that the minimum age to participate is just three years old. Indoor skydiving is an excellent way to introduce kids to the sensation of freefall, but to jump from a plane you need to be at least 18. The wind tunnel can sometimes seem daunting young children, but our indoor skydiving instructors are experienced at flying with people of all ages. Also, the indoor environment has the added advantage of family members standings just feet away in the staging area. There is no maximum age limit for indoor skydiving, and you are never too old to fly.

Weight

For the safety of both the flyer and instructor, there is an upper weight limit of 250 pounds for people under 6-foot and 260 pounds for people over 6 feet tall. This isn’t small, so most people are good to go. But if you do happen to be over the weight limit, perhaps this is a good reason to shake off a few pounds. Indoor skydiving is an amazing experience, and you never know where it might lead. Plus, having a particular goal in mind is the way to find excellent motivation.

Ability

One of the best things about bodyflight is that it represents a level playing field for all. Everyone starts from the beginning, and it doesn’t matter how young or old, or how big or small, you are. Indoor skydiving with a disability is something that can be done, as we work with students of all ability levels and are confident in our instructors’ skills to get you flying. If you do have any concerns about what is involved, the best thing to do is give us a call and talk with our team who can explain the process is detail.

There have been many examples of people with varying physicality that have learned to fly using a wind tunnel. Various skydiving teams have formed over the years made up of limbless veterans (and also civilians) that have then competed on both the indoor and outdoor competition circuit. Marine Corporal and triple amputee Todd Love initially learned his skills in a wind tunnel and established a successful skydiving career against what seemed like impossible odds.

Indoor skydiving with a disability is something that can definitely happen, and doing it provides access to a very rewarding activity. Using the wind tunnel to move around in three dimensions is a challenging but satisfying pursuit that can be very addictive as you improve your skills. While a lot of people use vertical wind tunnels to practice the skills used for skydiving, there are many indoor skydivers that have never jumped from a plane who find indoor skydiving compelling and fulfilling in its own right. The best way to find out how much you like it is to visit us and give it a try!

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Although when you are brand new at indoor skydiving it can feel unusual and tricky – you only need to look as far as the instructor of your class to understand that it is possible to be very, very good at it. While watching the instructors fly it is easy to believe that they have magical powers, and that normal people simply cannot do it. They are also just people though – ones who are passionate and driven enough to put in the effort required to get to the top of the pile. Indoor skydiving training is nobody’s idea of cheap – and unless you have lots of cash to throw at it, a potential way to access the time you need to train your skills to the highest level is by becoming an instructor yourself. Here’s what it takes to become an instructor.

Intense Training

It takes some intense training to become qualified as an indoor skydiving instructor – usually a month of daily work both inside and outside of the tunnel. Due to the investment required, the tunnel wants to be sure that a candidate is committed to the job and as such will not only interview thoroughly but also very likely require you to spend time with the team you will ultimately work with.

In the USA, the safety and training of instructors is governed by the Indoor Bodyflight Association (IBA) who provides a framework of checks and balances for teaching and flying in the tunnel. If you are successful and complete the FITP (Flight Instructor Training Program) you will become qualified as a level 1 instructor. This means that you are able to teach basic flying skills to the general public. Hooray! However, this is very much only the beginning as the FITP course focuses primarily on safety skills. Your coaching technique and flying skills come via doing the job – so it is down to you how hard you work and how good you get.

While it is possible to pay your way onto a FITP course, the usual method is whereby once you have been offered a job the tunnel will require you to sign a contract for two years. The idea of this is that you work off the initial investment in your training over that time.

Physical Fitness

Tunnel instructing can be a physically demanding job, and to secure a place on the course you need to demonstrate a reasonable level of fitness. Exactly what the fitness test is changes from time to time but is generally some push-ups, pull-ups, burpees, and a beep test. You don’t have to be an ultra-fitness person to be a tunnel instructor, but the fitter you are the better – not only for your role as an instructor but also for your personal flying skills.

Teamwork

Being an indoor skydiving instructor means operating under pressure in a small team, so working well with and being supportive of your colleagues is crucial. New tunnel instructors all want to become the best flyer in the world and to waste no time doing so, but the experienced members of the team have heard it all many times before. You will have access to the knowledge and resources to get good – but the team always comes first and you getting better does not come at the cost of everyone else. Those hiring new staff will be on the lookout for employees who have good people skills – so try to remember this when you are applying as primarily you are being hired to interact with the general public. It doesn’t matter if you are the best flyer for a thousand miles in every direction – if you are good with kids and families you will do well.

What It Is Really Like

If you are truly passionate about flying and teaching then working as an instructor can be the best job in the world. Constantly introducing new flyers to the tunnel can be immensely rewarding as they realize that they can do it too. Then you get to throw down your moves at the end of the class and they look at you like you are a superhero. The salary you get for instructing is not going to make anyone rich – but if you consider the amount of time that ultimately you fly each week and factor that in then it can make a lot of sense. Tunnel instructing is a lifestyle job, and if you take it on then you will be there at the tunnel a lot. Once you get the position you have to work hard to get everything out of it – but if you do the opportunities will start to present themselves. With enough dedication, you may indeed find your way into the flying elite, and have a hugely rewarding job to get you there.

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Should indoor skydiving become an Olympic sport? We won’t beat around the bush here – our answer is an absolute, yes. With indoor skydiving, people of almost all ages and abilities (starting at 3 years old and up) can become a participant so it’s not limited only to those that are ready for the thrill of exiting an airplane roughly two miles above the ground. So why do we think indoor skydiving should be an Olympic sport? Keep reading to find out.

Indoor Skydiving Is (Already) a Competitive Sport

The indoor skydiving wind tunnel is the vertical arena where skydivers can not only hone their freefall skills but anyone can become skilled in the wind tunnel – you don’t even have to be a skydiver. While indoor skydiving isn’t quite a main-stream sport just yet, it is definitely a sport as it’s highly physical. There are also various disciplines and styles of indoor skydiving so you can compete as a solo flyer or as a team of people. The more you fly in the tunnel, the better you become at it.

Indoor Skydiving Will Undoubtedly Draw a Crowd

In order for a sport to be considered for the Olympics, it must be popular both nationally and internationally. Let’s be honest, who isn’t fascinated with people flying their body in a windy tube? From the moment you see someone step into the tunnel through the side door, you’ll be filled with a sense of awe and wonder that you can’t help but tell people about it. A sport must also have gender equality, which of course indoor skydiving does – even those with disabilities can participate.

Indoor Skydiving Thinks Outside the Box

Promoting growth as a person means thinking outside of the box. Or perhaps, reinventing the box completely, as in the case of indoor skydiving. Research shows that the average American spends around 5% of their life learning in a traditional classroom environment and 95% in non-traditional settings like zoos, museums and aquariums, and more. These out-of-the-box settings are critical not only for academic achievement but also help to develop critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity skills. Basically, life skills can be learned in the wind tunnel, regardless of age.

Indoor Skydiving Improves Health

If you stand at the glass of an “indoor skydiving” vertical wind tunnel and take one look at the ecstatic faces zipping by, there will be no question in your mind that indoor skydiving is more than a little bit of fun. Not only is indoor skydiving good for mental health, but it also helps improve physical, emotional and spiritual health and overall well-being. You’ll be unable to worry about anything else that might be going on in your life when you’re in the tunnel because you’ll be so focused on all the new sensations.

Indoor Skydiving Isn’t That Risky

While absolutely no sporting activity is without risk, the wind tunnel is gentler than it sounds. There’s no big leap required to enter a wind tunnel – in fact, it’s advised not to leap through the door. And unlike outdoor skydiving, there’s no heavy equipment to wear and there’s no landing to worry about. In fact, flying in the tunnel places less stress on the body than most weekend bicycle rides. That said, tunnel flying is not a totally risk-free, harmless environment. As with anything that’s worth doing, there’s the potential for injury but when they happen, tunnel injuries generally show up as bumps and scrapes.

Here at Skydive Perris, we are wholeheartedly behind the effort to get indoor skydiving recognized as an Olympic sport in 2024. Are you with us? If you’ve never flown your body in a wind tunnel, we’d love to have you come to visit us to see what it’s all about. Once you do, we think you’ll start to agree that it should become an Olympic sport.

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Are you interested in tasting flight for yourself? You may think, skydiving is skydiving right? Not exactly. There are certainly quite a few similarities between indoor skydiving in a wind tunnel and outdoor skydiving, but indoor skydiving replicates just one portion of the skydiving experience: freefall. The benefit of indoor skydiving is a freefall time of two minutes and up. The typical freefall time on a skydive is approximately 60 seconds.

Often individuals who regularly skydive use the wind tunnel to hone and refine their body flight skills and improve their performance on skydives because of the increased amount of freefall time, but many aspects of the skydiving experience simply cannot be replicated.

Altitude and Airplanes

There’s something unique about taking off in an airplane, feeling the wheels shudder as you lift off, knowing soon you’ll be exiting the very same plane. As you watch the world grow smaller and smaller beneath you, you’ll feel butterflies of excitement and anticipation. On a skydive at Skydive Perris, you’ll travel to an awe-inspiring height of 13,500 feet. With indoor skydiving, you will enter into the flow of wind through a door located on the side of the chamber. For those that might not be ready for the thrill of exiting an airplane in flight roughly two miles above the ground, indoor skydiving is the perfect way to experience body flight.

Canopy Flight

Another aspect of skydiving that cannot be replicated within the confines of the wind tunnel is flight beneath a parachute. Canopy flight can be as serene or as exciting as you’d like it to be. You can gently float to the ground or turn and zip about. Many skydivers dedicate their entire careers to developing their skills as a canopy pilot by learning and performing various parachuting maneuvers.

A Bird’s Eye View

Indoor skydiving takes place on the ground within a round tube. While the walls are clear, the view is limited to the spectators around you. On a skydive, the world is your oyster. You’ll see the world from an entirely new perspective. The wild blue yonder beckons. There’s a freedom found in the sky that just can’t quite be replicated within the tunnel.

Which is right for you?

Indoor skydiving is a great way to dip your toe in the water, as it were, and get a feel for how the freefall portion of a skydive will feel. So, which experience is right for you? At Skydive Perris, you don’t have to choose; we have both of the incredible experiences available at the same facility! As a matter of fact, we are the ONLY center in California and one of only two in the nation to be able to offer this.  While there are certain restrictions for both indoor and outdoor skydiving, indoor skydiving is a bit more accessible for the young and for those with disabilities.

Take a trip to Skydive Perris today and decide which experience is perfect for you! If you’d like to hear what’s it is like from people like you, check out some of our reviews.

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If you’re considering making a jump or already have a skydive on the books, it’s likely you are nose deep in your phone, desktop, or laptop, lost in a flurry of research for skydiving tips for beginners. On your informational odyssey, you may have already discovered that the wind tunnel and skydiving go hand in hand. And in truth, the wind tunnel is quite frequently used as an excellent learning tool to help individuals develop body flight awareness before taking to the sky.

But, in order to fully utilize the skydiving wind tunnel and to receive the full skydiving effect, you’ll need to have the correct body position.

One of the best skydiving tips for beginners is mastering the skydiving arch. Why is the skydiving arch so important? Well, it’s a little like this. Before toddlers learn to run, they walk. Before infants walk, they crawl. In skydiving, before learning other orientations of body flight, you have to master the skydiving arch to achieve stability on your belly.

The Science Behind the Arch

The key to achieving stability is by creating a fixed center of gravity, and here is where the skydiving arch comes in.

Arching refers to a body position in which the jumper’s hips are the lowest point of their body, and the shape resembles a banana. Much like a shuttlecock in badminton, the idea of the skydiving arch is that the rounded low area of your body (the hips and pelvis) create a uniform center of gravity. Once you’ve mastered the skydiving arch position, you’ll find that you’re better able to relax and make use of your other limbs to complete maneuvers like turns and forward and backward movement. There are plenty of skydiving tips for beginners, but nailing the arch is at the top of the list.

Skydiving Arch Tips

As we mentioned, the skydiving arch shape is incredibly aerodynamically stable, but it’s not entirely natural for the human body. For more flexible individuals, the skydiving arch position comes with little effort. For others, much less “bendy”, it requires a little bit of work.

For a good skydiving arch, flexibility is the name of the game. You don’t need to be a back-bending yogi, but a bit of stretching will do you good. It’s also important to remember that you should be arching from your hips not your chest or back!

Skydiving Arch Exercises

To get the feel of the skydiving arch position while standing, flex the muscles of your bum and push your hips out. At first, the position will feel fairly unnatural, but the key is to keep at it. As your body builds muscle memory, it will be easier to achieve the ideal arch position.

Another skydiving arch tip is to practice laying down on your floor at home. Position a pillow or folded towel for comfort beneath your hips, then raise the front of your body (head, chest, and arms) and lift and extend your legs keeping a slight bend in the knees. Much like while standing, if you flex and tighten your glutes, it will help you to lift your legs and maintain the optimal skydiving arch position.

Are you ready to test out those sweet arching skills in the wind tunnel or the sky? Contact Skydive Perris today.

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The “indoor skydiving” wind tunnel is the vertical arena for one heckuva sport, amirite? Honestly, there’s so far for all of us to go once we’re in there and up to speed– and once we are, there’s quite literally nowhere to go but up. If you’re interested in getting your indoor skydiving dialed in, you came to the right place. Here’s how to get good as efficiently as possible.

1. Start before you’re 10 years old

Right, so that’s a little cheeky — but it does make sense to bring up. It’s fair to say that most of the audience for this article have logged more than a dozen years of life on the planet, but listen up: to get really good in the tunnel, starting a flying career before you hit a double-digit age really helps. Luckily, that’s a problem with a solution, at least for the next generation! Bring the kids. Children as young as three can and should experience the mad benefits the tunnel has to offer — and learning alongside you is bound to bond.

2. Don’t be afraid to show the instructor your tummy.

If you’ve been skydiving solo for quite a while, it may feel a little weird to go back to basics. That’s totally normal! You’re going to have to get comfortable with it, though, if you want to progress quickly (and safely) in the windytube. The progression is the progression for a reason: you’ll learn first belly flying, then back flying, then sit flying, then static head-down before you move on to the zoomy dynamic flying that captivates most would-be gnar-shredders.Most new tunnel fliers want to move through the progression as quickly as possible. Obviously! But take it from us (and everybody else who’s ever gotten good): respecting the progression is the only way forward. In the tunnel, there’s very little room for error, and every detail counts.

3. Team up with a great coach

Invest in your flying! If you really want to progress your skills in indoor skydiving, it’s an absolute requirement to spend a lot of time flying the tubular skies, and to do it with an excellent coach at your side. Most tunnel flying coaches suggest flying at least once a week to progress meaningfully and to keep your skills nice and sharp; with great coaching, you’ll get farther, faster with more fun.

4. Go easy on yourself

The most counterintuitive aspect of flying in the tunnel is that fact that the path to awesome leads straight through the locked gates of relaxation. If you don’t find the key to letting go of your tension, that’s the end of the road for you — and relaxing won’t feel remotely possible at the outset.

The thing to remember here is that you are not alone. Every flyer starts out carrying a lot of muscle tension. Sooner or later, one fine day, you’ll relax into the arms of the wind and you’ll suddenly feel the smoothness and efficiency that comes with it.

Until that magical moment, trust the process and go easy on yourself. To learn to fly in the vertical wind tunnel is challenging. The more and bigger you smile, the faster your skills in the tunnel will progress. And we’ll match your grin with our own!

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Perris Force Rocks 4-Way (And Wants You To, Too!)

Perris Force — our hometown all-female 4-way RW team — has been taking the sky by storm from the start. The team’s five members (that is to say: Christy Frikken, Grace Katz, Shannon Catalano, ShaunaRae Miliano and Rachel Demers) are each incredible athletes in their own right, and the combination is so much more than the sum of its parts. The goal? In their own words, “to be a positive role models for younger skydivers and competitors” — and “to make an impact by helping others get and stay connected, by coaching, organizing skills camps and express overall enthusiasm for the sport.” We can’t think of any group of humans better prepared to carry out that goal.

To get a feel for the team, we talked to Shannon Catalano — Perris load organizer, AFF instructor, and head of the post-AFF student coaching program — who flies Tail on the team.

Shannon started skydiving about 5 years ago. She did it, initially, for love; her partner had been in skydiving for more than a decade before they got together, and Shannon finally decided that she would give it a shot. Predictably, she loved it, so she stuck with it and progressed.

Within a couple years of that first skydive — in 2016, to be specific — Shannon was asked to join Perris Force. At the start, the team was comprised of four women that didn’t have tons of 4-way experience but had always thought of putting together an all-women’s team: Shannon, Grace Katz, Sandra Vanderbilt and Lynn Mackerson. Shannon had around 500 jumps at the time. It was Shannon’s first 4-way experience.

“There was no turning back after I started 4-way,” Shannon laughs. “It is incredibly fun and competitive and amazing. I learn so much every time I do it.”

“Personally, I am highly competitive,” Shannon says. “There aren’t many things that I will do and not give it 110%. Four-way is just perfect for that, because there is such an excellent, ongoing opportunity to continue to learn and grow. There are so many nuances and finer points to understand and master at every level — not just in skydiving. It is studying video; visualizing; understanding what other teams are doing; that kind of thing. I just simply love it.”

Today, Perris Force is in its third year of competition. Over the seasons, as with all long-lived skydiving teams, the lineup has changed a couple times — Shannon and Grace are the only original members still with the team. The legendary Christy Frikken came on as a player/coach in 2016; ShaunaRae and Rachel are new to the team in 2019.

The team aims to do 40 hours of tunnel and 400 to 500 jumps this year — a huge commitment, to be sure, but there’s good reason: the legendarily hard-to-beat and government-funded Golden Knights female 4-way team performed their last year of competition in 2016. The next qualifying year was 2017, and Phoenix was selected the US women’s team (as they were the highest scoring all women’s team at the US nationals, with a 15 average). Perris Force just beat Phoenix in this most recent competition, so they’re smashing to pedal to the metal in pursuit of the space at the top of the national (and, to be clear, global) podium. Each woman keenly understands what will be required of her in order to make that bid. Each has made the tectonic life changes required to do so.

“I am an accountant,” Shannon explains. “I quit my job and I started consulting, which allows me to work from home and be flexible. Now, I can work my own hours. Grace sold her business and is currently skydiving full-time. Shawna Rae, who works as a nurse, did the same thing as I did, which was quit her normal job and pick up a job that allowed flexibility. She now works remotely.” Teammate Christy Frikken has been a professional skydiver for many years. ShaunaRae is in the process of moving out to California so Force can ratchet up the training schedule closer to full-time. As you can see, these athletes have their eye firmly on the prize — and, as a bonus, they legitimately enjoy each other’s company.

“My teammates are really great women,” Shannon smiles. “We have been so lucky over the past three years, in all the different iterations of the team, to all just get along really well and enjoy each other.  We have the same goals. We just really want to try and take the opportunity that’s here and maximize and do everything that we can to see how far we can go.”

Can you relate? Are you also the kind of person who wants to see how far you can go? Even if you have just a few jumps under your belt and you’re still a little dazzled by the folks walking around the dropzone in their super-cool matching suits, Shannon encourages you to get out there and put together a framework to learn in. After all, that’s the soul of a good skydiving team.

“Grab three friends,” she insists, “Get in the air and do 4-way. You have to start somewhere.  Check out camps in the tunnel and the sky — they’re going on throughout the country, and we have plenty of them right here at Perris. There are all kinds of resources on the web to start to learn the different formations and what it’s all about. And, if you’re here at Perris, get in touch with us! We are super passionate about it. We can point you in the right direction.”

“The most important thing,” she adds, “Is to just get out there and jump.”

To get in touch with Perris Force for coaching or more information, reach out through the contact form at perrisforce.com or the team’s Facebook page, facebook.com/PerrisForce. Perris Force are also hosting Fresh Meet and the annual Perris Sisters in Skydiving event, so come and meet the team!

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