Formation Skydiving (FS) Cheat Sheet

The key takeaways for beginners – dirt diving on the ground, the LSD principle for docking and the path from your first 4-way team to competition.

Equipment

Item	Priority	Tip
Grippers	High	Contact patches for a gentle hold – yanking destabilises the formation.
Suit cut	Medium	Looser brakes, tighter accelerates – matches different bodies on a team.
Booties	Medium	More surface for finer leg steering – often decisive for small corrections.
Rental suit	Low	Fine to start; a custom suit pays off later.

Finding your first team

Find a team: Three to four friends at a similar level are enough – a dropzone coach helps put teams together.
Start in the rookie class: Its own competition class with a simpler programme built for first-timers.
Book the tunnel together: 10 tunnel minutes replace about 10 jumps of practice – the effect counts most as a team.
Watch first: Watching a local meet first shows you the real flow without any pressure on you.

The 3 golden technique rules

Factor 1: A stable body position (arch)

Concept: A tense or unstable belly-flying position makes precise leveling and clean docking impossible. Tip: Hips forward into the banana shape: chest out, arms and legs slightly spread – the basis for every dock.

Factor 2: LSD – level, slot, dock

Concept: Grabbing for the grip too early is the most common beginner mistake and throws the whole formation off. Tip: Match the altitude first (level), then find the position (slot), only then grab (dock) – never swap the order.

Factor 3: Dirt-dive before the jump

Concept: Formations get planned on the ground, not invented in the air. Tip: Walk through every formation on the ground – think positions, sightlines and grips from a bird's-eye view.

Slots & formations compass

Term	Meaning
Point, OC, IC, tail	The four fixed slots on a 4-way team – each position has its own set task.
Blocks & randoms	22 blocks with fixed movement (up to 2 points), 16 randoms with full separation (1 point).
Keying	Usually the inside center signals the switch to the next formation.
Big-way	8-way teams from 13,000 ft, 50 seconds of working time – world record: 400 jumpers, held for 4.3 seconds.

Breaking off safely

Scale your breakoff altitude: At least 1,500 ft up to five jumpers, 2,000 ft from six – above the highest opener, agreed as a team.
Turn 180 degrees away: One fixed person signals, everyone turns away from the centre – never just drifting sideways.
Track for about 8 seconds: Turn, track away and brake in a controlled way until ready to open – automatic, without thinking.
Check above you: A quick look above you prevents opening into an already-deployed canopy.

Pro tip: You win formation skydiving on the ground: drill the dirt dive, exit and breakoff until they're automatic, and in the air you only recall the sequence – you never invent it.