Jacob Choy lays out a roadmap to becoming an AFF Instructor
I never wanted to become an AFF Instructor. But when I became a coach in my second year of skydiving, I realized I loved teaching, sharing knowledge, and watching students improve. I finished that year with 24 coach jumps and asked myself if it was within me to become an AFFI – the answer was yes. So in my third year, I focused entirely on getting my AFF rating.
Now that I’m an instructor, it reminds me of when I was a student, and how much this sport changed my life. Then I realized that in skydiving, instructors have the chance to change someone else’s life too.
To become an AFF Instructor is challenging, but also very attainable with the right approach and preparation. In my opinion, there are three main pillars to consider.
Physical Skills: Belly Flying
Belly must be second nature. You must be able to fly precisely and with control. You need an intuitive understanding of the wind so you can stay with your student and intervene if necessary. Formation Skydiving (FS) skills, such as LSD, matching fall rates, maintaining proximity, are all very essential. Without them, you can’t fly effectively or help students when they’re in trouble. You don’t need the skills of a 4-way open class competitor; you don’t even need to enjoy belly to be an AFFI. But to become one, you need a strong skill base.
Mental Skills: Focus and Judgment
You need focus and judgment on every single jump. Every AFF jump is different. You must stay composed to recognize what’s needed in the moment, make the best decision, and act decisively.
You also need to be prepared for sudden problems, like a student flipping over while reaching back for the pilot chute at pull time. On top of that you must stay altitude-aware and remember the jump for debrief.
Most jumps go as planned, but when they don’t, the instructor is responsible for both their safety and the student’s.
Teaching Skills – Communicating Clearly
Good flying isn’t enough. You need to teach well, and teaching is a skill. Everyone learns differently, which means explaining things in different ways.
This requires a thorough understanding of bodyflight and how basic canopy piloting works. Teaching is more than dumping information on students – it’s making sure they understand. Then, there is the human element – building trust and instilling confidence.
A big part of a student’s success boils down to how the instructor works with the student. The more comfortable and confident a student feels on the ground with you, the better their performance in the air. Even though it’s just another jump for instructors, for students, each jump matters.
How to prepare?
So how does one prepare to become an AFF instructor? There are many roads to the same destination. Here are the things that helped me most on my journey to becoming one:
Coach Jumps
These sharpen your flying, hone your teaching skills, and build your sense of responsibility. You’ll quickly learn to adapt your flying to a student’s limitations. When you verbalize concepts and skills to students, you also become a better flyer.
4-way
4-way teaches you agility, anticipation, and precision – it naturally develops FS skills and confidence as a flyer. Each slot (Point, Tail, Inside Center, Outside Center) has unique features that build your overall skill set. 4-way also trains mental attributes, such as focus and concentration, because you never want to let your teammates down on a 4-way.
Big-way
Big-way applies FS skills on a much larger scale. It builds situational awareness, spatial awareness, flying control, decision making, confidence, along with many other things. When you combine 4-way and big-way, you streamline your progression and become a more complete belly flyer.
Tag
Tag is a great way to prepare for the AFF course. Chasing friends around the sky is a low-pressure and fun way to build leg awareness. This becomes relevant when you have to chase students across the sky.
Tunnel Time
Tunnel time builds a solid foundation and lets you correct bad habits without altitude pressure. It also expands your fall rate range. However, body position can only go so far without eventually sacrificing flying efficiency. Dressing for success is very important when it comes to AFF.
Mental Preparation
Daily meditation taught me how to focus under pressure, perform on demand, set distractions aside, and stay in the moment. You don’t have to meditate, but you must perform on every AFF jump.
Physical Preparation
I notice that many people overlook physical fitness in skydiving. Build a strong, mobile, and functional body. Core strength, scapular stability, and shoulder mobility are very important for controlling students and preventing injury. Activities like swimming, yoga, Pilates, calisthenics, are excellent for cross-training.
Closing Thoughts
Becoming an AFF Instructor was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. It tested my skills, taught me more about myself, and gave me a way to give back to the sport. If you put in the work, you’ll not only earn your AFF rating, you could be the kind of instructor students remember for the rest of their lives.
