Indoor Skydiving Teams: 4 Things You Should Know

Have you recently discovered the competitive side of indoor skydiving? Are you curious to learn more about indoor skydiving teams in general, and perhaps how you can get involved with an indoor skydiving team of your own? Well, you’ve come to the right place!

We have the inside scoop on pretty much all things indoor skydiving, especially after hosting the 2022 Indoor Skydiving Nationals (a nationwide indoor skydiving competition which selects the US delegation to compete on the world stage). So, without further ado, here are 4 things we think you should know about indoor skydiving teams.

Indoor Skydiving Teams Are the Next Step

After your initial indoor skydiving experience, you might be wondering what’s next?

Your first several flights in the indoor wind tunnel will usually be one-on-one with a tunnel instructor. However, after you’ve figured out the body mechanics for stable flight, it’s time to begin flying with others! 

Once you are comfortable with indoor skydiving, joining an indoor skydiving team is a great next step. If you’re not ready to commit to a team long-term, no worries! At Paraclete XP, we regularly host the Carolina Indoor Cloud League (ICL). ICL is a monthly 4-way indoor skydiving team competition for all skill levels. In the Carolina Indoor Cloud League, similarly skilled indoor skydivers are selected for each team, and then each team is assigned a world-class coach. For beginners and intermediate flyers alike, ICL is a great way to improve your skills, get some experience on an informal indoor skydiving team, and have a little fun while you’re at it! 

Another opportunity to branch out with indoor skydive teams is to attend an SDC Rhythm XP Tunnel Workshop hosted by Paraclete XP. These workshops are geared toward helping individuals build their skills with a proven curriculum that includes instruction, flight, and review. The flight time in an SDC Rhythm XP Tunnel Workshop can be any combination of one-on-one, 4-way indoor skydiving teams, or 8-way indoor skydiving teams.

It All Begins With Belly

The first indoor skydiving teams you will gain experience with are part of a discipline known as Formation Skydiving (FS; also called belly flying). In Formation Skydiving, you fly with your belly oriented toward the ground (or in this case, the net of the wind tunnel). 

The goal of competitive Formation Skydiving is to build formations within a certain amount of time. The static formations in FS are called “randoms.” There are also formations that have a designated movement pattern, referred to as “blocks.” For each round of competition, there is a compiled sequence of randoms and blocks. 

The fundamental skills you develop on your belly in the wind tunnel are the foundation upon which other flying disciplines build. Before moving on to other orientations of flight, it’s important to master your belly flying skills. 

Indoor Skydiving Teams Get Vertical!

Indoor skydiving teams can also be formed in other disciplines. Take for example, Vertical Formation Skydiving (VFS). VFS is a form of skydiving where the axis of flight is vertical rather than horizontal. So, instead of having your belly relative to the wind tunnel net, you are in a vertical plane (either head up or head down). Like competitive Formation Skydiving on the belly, Vertical Formation indoor skydiving teams also have a dive pool of formations and moves called “blocks” and “randoms.” 

Plenty Of Events To Get Involved In

From the FAI World Indoor Skydiving Championships held in Lille, France to the Wind Games held in Empuriabrava, Spain, there are events for indoor skydiving teams all across the world! 

Joining an indoor skydiving team opens the door to plenty of events and competitions to participate in. In fact, part of the fun of an indoor skydiving team is getting the chance to show off all your hard work! To find out when there are upcoming events here at Paraclete XP, take a look at our events calendar!

Solo flights sure can get lonely. Don’t you think it’s time to give being a part of an indoor skydiving team a shot?