If you're a certified skydiver who's been tossing yourself from a perfectly good airplane for a solid number of jumps, there's a good chance that you're itching to add new skydiving skills to your repertoire. If you happen to be in Northern California, you're in luck: There are plenty of local opportunities to amp up your sport skydiving experience.
Skydiving Disciplines
A smorgasboard of distinct skydiving disciplines are on offer for an experienced skydiver, especially in as busy a skydiving region as Northern California. Certified skydivers may train for freeflying, formation skydiving, wingsuiting, style and accuracy, freestyle, swooping, canopy relative work and skysurfing. The United States Parachute Association (USPA) maintains an excellent reference of descriptions and videos on its website, linked below in Resources.
Hooking Up With A Team
If you have your eye on one of the specific disciplines, your first step should be to find a group of skydivers who specialize in that discipline.
First, call your local drop zone (DZ) and ask them to connect you with the club or team that specializes in what you're interested in. Find out the next time they plan to meet, and express your interest in watching them practice their art. Don't insist on jumping with the group immediately--just introduce yourself and pay close attention to the way they work. As trust builds, so too does the chance you'll be invited onto a load.
Specialized Gear
As in most sports, new disciplines generally require specialized gear. Freefall disciplines are associated with unique jumpsuit designs that facilitate easier docking, more flexibility in the air and more precise freefall movements. Canopy disciplines necessitate gear that allows for spot-on relative movement in the sky. Make sure you understand the gear requirements for the discipline you choose. Consulting with an excellent gear shop can help educate you regarding the proper gear for your new niche in the sport.
Sport Skydiving Fitness
Excellence in the sport of skydiving, no matter the discipline, requires a high level of fitness. A great skydiver has a honed sense of body awareness as well as a balance of dexterity, flexibility and muscular strength. Northern California sport skydivers are lucky--they're close to a wide range of outdoor fitness opportunities (i.e. trail running, yoga, indoor skydiving tunnels and rock climbing) that provide an excellent cross-training platform for a long, rewarding skydiving career.
Considerations
Each skydiving discipline requires a certain level of skydiving experience to strike the right balance between safety and fun. Even though you see other jumpers at the DZ get involved with difficult disciplines when they're at a low experience level, don't be tempted. Know the USPA recommendations regarding the number of jumps and skill set required before you board the plane.
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