Target landing in skydiving: how the USPA builds accuracy from 100 m down to 20 m, why the landing pattern decides, and where low turns are off-limits.
The honest answer up front: landing accuracy comes not from the flare but from the landing pattern. Whoever flies the pattern at fixed points (altitude plus landmark) and derives small adjustments from errors lands closer to the target jump after jump [3]. The USPA builds this as a staircase: from 330 ft (100 m) with assistance down to 65 ft (20 m) without assistance [1][5].
And that is exactly why it is more than sport: whoever can land accurately has options. The USPA writes that accuracy builds your confidence in case you ever have to land off the drop zone [2]. And most injuries in the sport occur in the landing phase [9].
This is a skill you build with radio or coach. The guide shows you the standards and the logic. It does not replace instruction.
The USPA raises the bar step by step:
For comparison: 100 m is about the length of a football pitch, 20 m about the length of a tennis court. Milestone: you hit the step you are on twice in a row.
You choose the target with your instructor based on ground and upper winds and draw a circle of target size on the aerial map [2]. Whoever sees the circle knows what they are aiming at.
After each jump your instructor suggests moving one waypoint: the entry point, the start of base or the start of final [3]. You fly the next jump in similar wind with this change and record everything in your logbook [3]. One change at a time, otherwise you do not know what worked.
On final you compare the point you are heading for with your target. If you expect to land short, full flight takes you furthest [6]. If you expect to land long, you check that everything in front of you is clear [6]. Before the flare you hold full glide for 8 to 10 seconds, chin level, eyes on the point midway between ground and horizon [3]. The flare takes about as long as counting to five [3].
The USPA gives limits: above 150 ft (45 m) turn at most 30° toward a clear area, below that only a half-braked turn and then a braked flare [6]. Accuracy never justifies a low turn.
This explains and motivates, it does not replace supervised training. Target landing is practised in training only within the landing pattern.
Do not rate your landings only as "hit" or "miss" but by the direction of the deviation: short, long, left, right. The USPA has you do exactly this when it talks about the logbook: waypoints, wind, distance [3]. From three jumps with the same deviation to the right you recognise a pattern that no single jump shows you (practical experience).
For the A licence the USPA requires five unassisted landings within 65 ft (20 m) of a planned target [5][6]. Before that you progress from 330 ft (100 m) with assistance to 82 ft (25 m) without [1][2][3][4].
Plan your pattern with altitude and landmark, assess every landing, change one waypoint on the next jump and record everything in your logbook [3][5]. Accuracy is created in the pattern, not in the flare.
The USPA names about twice your height above the ground as the start and 1 to 3 ft as the end, with a flare lasting about five seconds [1][3]. The exact technique depends on your canopy, and your instructor will show you.
No. Low turns are, according to the USPA, one of the biggest causes of serious injury and death [7]. Accepting short or long is better than a correction just above the ground.
Rear-Riser Turns: Steering on the Risers After Opening