Yohann Aby on what it really takes to win in artistic skydiving
The artistic disciplines are the most beautiful within skydiving but they are also among the most unforgiving competitive environments in sport. Every move you practiced, every hesitation you ignored, every hole in your preparation becomes brutally visible in the 45 second performance. Talent is essential to become the world champion, but it is actually training, precision, discipline, and control which are the differentiators.
This is the list of some non-negotiables for competing and training if you expect to win.
Ground Preparation Determines Your Competitive Outcome
70% of your performance is the preparation you do on the ground. The most dangerous mistake competitors make is believing the jump begins at altitude. To be a serious competitor expecting a place on the podium, you must internalise every aspect of the routine. And whether your brain is clear and focused or cluttered and distracted will impact your performance in the sky.
My advice: rehearse mentally until the routine exists in your nervous system, not your memory. Take the time to visualise:
• Every transition
• Every angle relative to camera
• Every hotspot in your jump
If you cannot execute the full routine in your head without hesitation, and walk it precisely with your teammate(s) on the ground, you should not expect to perform it flawlessly in freefall.
Fundamentals Create Championship-Level Skydving Routines
Fundamentals are the basis of a winning routine. Complex choreography looks impressive, but your jump requires control, stability, precision, and intentional motion. A great routine is just a combination of perfectly balanced fundamentals! My advice: build sequences on proximity and controlled execution first, complexity second.
Work on:
• Perfectly timed body transitions with your partner(s)
• Smooth speed(fast/slow movement control
• Clean axis lines
• Clear entry and clear exit from moves
In the artistic skydiving disciplines, if you take your time between sequences, you will save time during the jump.
The Camera Flyer Is a Full Team Member
The camera flyer Is not an accessory Your routine is only as good as the camera that captures it. Competitors who treat their flyer like a cameraman instead of a teammate sabotage their own score. My advice: train together as a unit. The camera flyer needs to be an integral part of the team. He must know through experience:
• Your timing
• Your speed changes
• Your reactions
If you can’t trust your partner blindly in the air, you don’t have a team. You have two separate skydives happening near each other.
Train for Instability and Recovery
Things will go wrong. How you respond under stress matters. Anyone can look amazing when everything goes right. Champions look composed when things go wrong. They know how to look nice during chaos.
My advice: train instability, not just perfection and practice recovery, not just choreography.
You have to anticipate and ask yourself the good questions after:
• Off-axis spins
• Unexpected burble
• losing balance
• losing visual
You ask yourself when everything goes wrong ““what will I do, where will I look”. If you constantly ask yourself this question, you will create fluidity in chaos, and only you will recognize it, no one else will suspect it.
Athletic Conditioning Directly Impacts Scoring
Physical conditioning is not optional The artistic skydiving disciplines are athletic in nature. Those that come out on top have the strength of a gymnast, the ability to breathe like a freediver, and the controlled balance of a dancer.
My advice: train the body like an athlete. Any sports where you develop strength, cardiovascular, and balance will aid enormously.
Focus physical training on:
• Core stability under rotation
• Endurance and symmetrical strength
• Hip mobility for seamless transitions
• Breath control drills to manage tension in exit
Fatigue creates instability. Instability loses points. Your conditioning is literally part of your routine.
Recovery Accelerates Gains
Recovery is a part of training too often neglected Rest is how the body learns and absorbs the training. Improvement comes from analysis and reflection, not just repetition.
My advice: train for a week, digest it for days or weeks, and then come back to train again.
Spend your recovery time:
• Reviewing video brutally, without ego.
• Studying timing discrepancies, not just big mistakes.
• Distracting your mind with something else (like a round of golf)
Schedule intentional rest, not accidental and forced rest when injured or exhausted.
Passion for the Process Is Everything
Last and perhaps the most important non-negotiable: You have to be passionate about training. You must love the process more than the result. The skydivers who only chase podiums quit long before they become winners. The ones who endure and become world champions are in love with:
• The drills
• The rehearsals
• The repetition
• The coordination
• The responsibility
• The creativity
•The craft
Winning is not a reward, its years of devotion to training, repetitions, and choices. But it’s worth it. You will become better in every aspects of your flying and personality (commitment, strength, humbleness, wisdom).
