THE ARCH: YOUR FIRST BATTLE WITH GRAVITY
The First Freefall Position You Learn
Most people think skydiving is about falling.
But it’s not.
It’s about how you shape the fall.
And the first shape that matters, the one that makes or breaks your control, is the arch.
Let’s get into it:
WHY THE ARCH MATTERS
Physics first.
When you fall belly to earth, air resistance wants to flip you, toss you, roll you.
The arch is your shield.
It’s the position that turns chaos into control.
Think of air like water.
If you dive into a pool straight, you cut through.
If you belly-flop, you slap the surface and bounce.
The arch is your “belly-flop” position, on purpose.
You maximize surface area and distribute drag evenly.
It slows you down. It stabilizes your body. It gives you control.
No arch = no stability.
No stability = no learning.
Simple as that.
THE ARCH: POSITION, TENSION, AND RELAXATION
Forget what you think you know about body positions.
Skydiving is paradoxical: tense in the right places, relaxed in the others.
🧠 Step 1: The Mental Cue
Imagine a string pulling you from both ends.
Your head and your toes, stretched out, like you’re suspended.
That’s the shape.
But to get there, you’ll need precision.
🧱 Step 2: Posterior Chain = Contract
Anterior Chain = Relaxed
You don’t “lift” into the arch.
You push your hips down and your limbs follow.
Here’s how it breaks down:
🧍♂️ The Core of It All: The Hips
Your hips are the arch.
Everything else is secondary.
Push your hips down like you’re trying to crush the earth beneath you.
Your glutes? Max contraction.
Hamstrings? Locked in.
My instructor once said:
"Pousse jusqu’à t’en péter les vertèbres."
("Push like you're going to snap your spine.")
He meant it.
🦵 Legs and Feet
Point your toes.
But don’t just extend your feet, use your glutes and hamstrings to pull them up.
Like you’re trying to get your toes to the sky, not just stretch them out.
Don’t flare your knees.
Keep legs about shoulder-width apart.
Controlled tension, nothing sloppy.
💪 Upper Body and Arms
Shoulders and arms at 90°.
Forearms slightly forward, like you're hugging a giant ball.
Relax your hands, no claws.
Now raise your chest by contracting your lower traps and erectors.
You should feel your back working.
Think proud chest, not hyperextended neck.
Look at the horizon.
Not down. Not at your altimeter.
The horizon keeps your spine aligned and your arch clean.
THE FEELING OF A TRUE ARCH
You’ll know it when you hit it.
You’ll feel tension in your glutes, lower back, and hamstrings.
Your arms will float, not flap.
You’ll stop tumbling.
You’ll feel like the air has found its place on your body.
From here, you can:
✅ Move forward
✅ Start turns
✅ Track
✅ Dock
✅ Fly
But without it?
You’re just spinning meat in the sky.
KEY CUES TO DRILL DAILY
“String pulling you from head and toes”
“Push hips like you’re breaking the floor”
“Contract glutes until your toes rise on their own”
“Relax arms, raise chest with back”
“Look at the horizon, not the fear”
Skydiving isn’t freedom without form.
It’s freedom through form.
The arch is the first form you master.
And once you own it, you own the sky.