How to Progress Your Skills in the Tunnel

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!