{"id":17232,"date":"2016-03-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=17232"},"modified":"2016-03-23T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-03-23T00:00:00","slug":"2016-03-23-crossing-the-void-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2016-03-23-crossing-the-void-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Crossing the Void \u2013 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

#Dear Ninja Jasper, the gap between the newbie freeflyer and the experts is massive!!! How am I ever going to reach my goal, to be a freefly ninja?<\/em><\/p>\n

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#A Greenhorn<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Jasper<\/p>\n

##Dear A Greenhorn<\/p>\n

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Yes. There\u2019s a massive gap indeed between newcomers and very experienced freeflyers at the top of their game. And luckily so. It\u2019s part of what makes the sport so cool, the fact that there is so much to learn. And when you\u2019ve learned it all, you turn around and find yourself staring at a new gap to bridge, as the sport has already evolved so much in the mean time.<\/p>\n

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Practise<\/h2>\n

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Obviously, talent can play a role, but only partly. Not everyone is a future world freefly champion, and only very few people will be pushing the sport forward in just a few years after they start tunnel-flying. But almost everyone can become a really good flyer who can tag along with the highest level group at any freefly boogie. It\u2019s actually not that difficult, it\u2019s just that we don\u2019t get so much time to practise. Just compare it to skateboarding or breakdancing, where you could get the equivalent of 10,000 jumps in just 5 weeks.<\/p>\n

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##Become a Tunnel Rat<\/p>\n

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Windtunnels changed the game, we all agree. And if you can get a job at a tunnel where you get to fly a lot, that\u2019s like pushing the fast forward button. Without tunnel flying, it\u2019s hard to catch up these days. But not impossible. <\/p>\n

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##Mindset<\/p>\n

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Our newest teammember (Ren\u00e9 Terstegen) is a super ninja with hardly any windtunnel experience until a few months ago. What I see in him is the mindset that all people I\u2019ve seen crossing the void at lightspeed have in common: passion, motivation and pure dedication.<\/p>\n

\"You<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s put it like this: If you have no money but you\u2019re willing to clean toilets to get 2 jumps a day for free, you\u2019ll get there. If you\u2019re continuously looking at freefly videos and laying awake at night visualising the moves, you\u2019ll get there. If you see every situation as an opportunity to practice your headdown orientation, like underwater swimming or yoga, you\u2019ll get there.<\/p>\n

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#Tips to Cross the Void<\/p>\n

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My advice to someone who wants to progress fast is this:<\/p>\n