Skydive Discipline Chart

Hey all, can some experienced jumpers please correct this chart, seems everywhere I look something explains a discipline differently and there is overlap with differing terminology (usually chronologically/location based). The orginal file is attached and if you drop it onto https://app.diagrams.net/ you can make direct changes. Some clarity would be super, cheers!

Skydiving Disciplines Map.drawio

I'd put wingsuit in Moving. It's the same as tracking and angle, the groups have a lot of horizontal movement. 

I think using FS in place of RW started with competition manuals and carried over. 

solo belly isn't a thing. any sub discipline has ways to be practiced alone.

camera isn't other. camera can be a speciality of any discipline. 

tandem would be a sub-discipline of training, also including AFF

We seem to agree with the OP's basic outline, but disagree over the finer points. 

Dear SethInMi,

I disagree. Solo freefall maneuvers used to be an international competition event (aka. Style). Junior skydivers still need to demonstrate precise solo maneuvers before they can earn various USPA licenses. I still think they need to demonstrate solo skills on belly, sitting and on their heads before progressing to group freefall maneuvers.

Speaking of freeflying ... That category needs to be broken down into sitting skills, vertical skills and head down skills before they can be combined into "freeflying" in general.

Thanks guys,

countzero: Cheers for the input I have shifted wingsuits across to moving.

SethInMI: I see what you mean, I have placed AFF in training. Can you explain a bit further why Tandem should be under training?

riggerrob: Thanks for the input, its seems as though putting solo may be the wrong word, if its a jump that is required for a license maybe the training name should be used instead like AFF stage 9. But in saying that this isnt a progression chart, need to be conscious of not placing things in progressive order. I guess looking at it, technically some of freefall/freefly/moving/canopy can be performed solo, so its pretty much implicit. Can you please explain why freefly should be broken up into those elements prior to it being considered freefly? My understanding was that anyone of those styles is considered freefly on its own?

8 hours ago, DC1 said:

Can you explain a bit further why Tandem should be under training?

Hmm, maybe make a new category called "Carnival Ride" and put tandem under that. 

I kid. Tandem was always designed as a training tool, a way to get a student exposure to freefall in a very controlled way, and it has become a very popular way to introduce people to the sport before they go on to AFF or IAD. But it has also become a one-and-done thrill ride, even if the pilot is still called a TI (Tandem Instructor)

Interesting. I am still seeing the original one in the OP.

I'm data limited, so downloading random stuff isn't something I do much.

A few thoughts, in no particular order:

You need to include some sort of 'training' discipline.
AFF, Tandem (it's a training method, even though it's largely a 'carnival ride') and IAD/Static line (yes, it still exists).
I'd put that under 'belly' (RW, FS, whatever).
Solo jumps and coach jumps might also go there (Advanced training?)

Video can be it's own discipline. It could also go under just about every other discipline there is. Videoing tandems is it's own skill set. As is students or teams. I watched a very skilled coach working with a freefly team a couple years ago. In addition to coaching the team, the camera flyer was given a lot of advice. He later said that, while expensive, the coaching was well worth it. He said what he was taught in that one day would have taken months to figure out on his own (if ever). 

I'd suggest splitting RW into a couple 'sub-disciplines'. Fun jumps (formally organized or just 'thrown together), Competition (4 way & 8 way are pretty popular), "Big way" (not sure how many qualifies as 'big').
Personally, I'm just a 'fun jumper'. Either with a 'DZ sponsored' load organizer or just a few of us getting together and putting a jump together. We design it (exit formation, 3 or 4 formations as points, breakoff altitude, contingency plans), dirt dive it (maybe refine the design), jump it with video if possible (usually is) and debrief after. I've had days where the same 4 or 5 people do the same jump several times. Maybe switch slots around, maybe not. I had one day where the exit (Bow formation) kept getting better & smoother, but the points turned in freefall got worse. Still a ton of fun.

Some of the competition folks take it quite seriously. Lots of training, schedules, coaching, tunnel time, all that. There are DZs that will give teams a 'competition pass' (exit at 10500') to give them the most realistic practice jumps. Often, the team members will be 'DZ sponsored organizers' (see above) when not training.

Big way is not as big as it used to be (pun intended), but it's still around. The training sessions out in California are still going (P3). The Pops, SOS, and other 'old guys' are still setting records. In fact, there was a women's belly state record set recently in Wisconsin at Skydive Midwest. 

I would think that freeflying could also separate into 'fun', 'competition' and 'big way' as well. I'm a 'crusty old belly guy', so I'm not super up to speed on that, but I know there are all three at SDMW. Folks throwing together fun jumps, a serious comp team (ChemTrails) and they also set a state freefly record a week or so after the women's belly record.

There’s something similar In this video.

20 hours ago, SethInMI said:

Hmm, maybe make a new category called "Carnival Ride" and put tandem under that. 

I kid. Tandem was always designed as a training tool, a way to get a student exposure to freefall in a very controlled way, and it has become a very popular way to introduce people to the sport before they go on to AFF or IAD. But it has also become a one-and-done thrill ride, even if the pilot is still called a TI (Tandem Instructor)

Thanks SethInMI, just learnt something new! That makes sense how they came about and now Tandem has just become a "one-day-stand" for most.

18 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said:

Interesting. I am still seeing the original one in the OP.

I'm data limited, so downloading random stuff isn't something I do much.

A few thoughts, in no particular order:

You need to include some sort of 'training' discipline.
AFF, Tandem (it's a training method, even though it's largely a 'carnival ride') and IAD/Static line (yes, it still exists).
I'd put that under 'belly' (RW, FS, whatever).
Solo jumps and coach jumps might also go there (Advanced training?)

Video can be it's own discipline. It could also go under just about every other discipline there is. Videoing tandems is it's own skill set. As is students or teams. I watched a very skilled coach working with a freefly team a couple years ago. In addition to coaching the team, the camera flyer was given a lot of advice. He later said that, while expensive, the coaching was well worth it. He said what he was taught in that one day would have taken months to figure out on his own (if ever). 

I'd suggest splitting RW into a couple 'sub-disciplines'. Fun jumps (formally organized or just 'thrown together), Competition (4 way & 8 way are pretty popular), "Big way" (not sure how many qualifies as 'big').
Personally, I'm just a 'fun jumper'. Either with a 'DZ sponsored' load organizer or just a few of us getting together and putting a jump together. We design it (exit formation, 3 or 4 formations as points, breakoff altitude, contingency plans), dirt dive it (maybe refine the design), jump it with video if possible (usually is) and debrief after. I've had days where the same 4 or 5 people do the same jump several times. Maybe switch slots around, maybe not. I had one day where the exit (Bow formation) kept getting better & smoother, but the points turned in freefall got worse. Still a ton of fun.

Some of the competition folks take it quite seriously. Lots of training, schedules, coaching, tunnel time, all that. There are DZs that will give teams a 'competition pass' (exit at 10500') to give them the most realistic practice jumps. Often, the team members will be 'DZ sponsored organizers' (see above) when not training.

Big way is not as big as it used to be (pun intended), but it's still around. The training sessions out in California are still going (P3). The Pops, SOS, and other 'old guys' are still setting records. In fact, there was a women's belly state record set recently in Wisconsin at Skydive Midwest. 

I would think that freeflying could also separate into 'fun', 'competition' and 'big way' as well. I'm a 'crusty old belly guy', so I'm not super up to speed on that, but I know there are all three at SDMW. Folks throwing together fun jumps, a serious comp team (ChemTrails) and they also set a state freefly record a week or so after the women's belly record.

Wow thats a few suggestions! I think im just going to say that alot is implied within the chart, whether that is the number of participants in a formation, or whether its fun or not. I primarily needed this chart to explain a few aspects to a business partner so trying not to get too bogged down haha

But as I said before, the original file is there for anyone who wishes to modify the chart to their hearts content! Would love to see what people come up with.

13 hours ago, BMAC615 said:

There’s something similar In this video.

I did watch that previously but again its got a big focus on progression

18 hours ago, DC1 said:

I did watch that previously but again its got a big focus on progression

Sorry, I meant to link This one.