Work through your dirt dive woes
Monday, September 28, 2020
You are walking like a pro when your team has a brainlock, bust, or bad block. Argh! Stop the presses? Or move on?
Do not stop!
Do not stop the walkthrough! You are practicing exactly what you intend to do in the sky. I have bad news – there might be an error in the air too. If you stop the presses, talk, and start over every time there is a problem, you are accidentally planning on a showstopper in the sky.
You must keep moving!
Real-Time Practice
Brain lock? Wrong point? Busted key? Stay calm and fix it, just like you would in the sky. You can’t talk in the air, but you can communicate with your eyes and facial expressions. Do that to get back on the same page.
Solving these kinds of errors as a group without drama is a difference-maker at your competition. The team that can seamlessly recover will prevail.
Practice until good
After you have fixed the error, move through the dive again until everyone feels confident. The walkthrough is your simulation; you want to end after several pages of great prep.
It keeps happening!
Is the prep becoming like whack-a-mole? Do you have missteps no matter how long you keep going? No problem. If it is persistent and not improving, pause for a mini-break. Give everyone a second to visualize and regroup. Try again.
You can’t do that in the sky, but if the dive isn’t working in prep we have the advantage of allowing a re-visualize so the final walk can be gorgeous.
Christy’s Handy Rule of 2
If a mistake happens on the ground, shouldn’t we correct it, so we don’t do it in the sky?
Yes! Sort of. We want to catch and fix our own mistakes as much as possible on land in air. If an error happens multiple times through without correction, it needs to be addressed. The rule of 2 is an excellent way to balance these needs.
In conclusion, problem-solve silently through your mistakes to practice your in-air recoveries, take a visualization pause if it isn’t improving, and use the rule of 2 to fix repetitive issues. Do this and you will learn to fix your bobbles smoothly and quickly!
Looking for a team to practice with? Book some tunnel with Christy.
