The Satori Academy has been around since 2011 and is a long term project to bring together like minded skydivers of all levels together training towards the National Championships each year. This year in 2014, the head of Satori Academy, Julia Foxwell has assembled 5 teams and one of those is Satori Capri. Here we interview Elliott Brown who joined the team this year.
1. How did you get into skydiving and why did you choose FS as your discipline over FF?
I got into skydiving in 2011, as another trip that I had lined up fell through, so I was at a loss as to what to do instead. I remember someone recommending an AFF instructor (Scotty Milne) on our company intranet, so I thought why not give it a go. I don't think I could have come into the sport any more unaware of what it was all about and all the different disciplines that go with it. The AFF course was definitely an eye opener.
It was a pretty easy decision to make to be honest, my first and current rig is not freefly friendly! I would like to give FF a go one day, but I've got some much that I want to achieve within FS, that I find it hard having the time to try something else.
2. How did you find out about the Satori Academy and what was the selection process like?
I had seen the Satori Academy posters around Hibaldstow when I first turned up to the DZ, but I didn't really know anyone who had done it, let alone me having an FS1 qualification. So I think that in the back of my mind I wasn't at a suitable level and I would not be able to perform at their level.
Since I have got more into the sport, spending weekends at the dropzone and getting to know a lot of people, I could see that the Satori Academy would be a great thing to be a part of. Seeing others that had progressed with Satori themselves, definitely made me think it was a must for me. Not only is the coaching from Julia and John fantastic, but the whole academy approach to training and tunnel time, made it very easy for our team to get together and massively improve everyone's flying.
The selection process started with a couple of emails back and forth with Julia, as I wasn't sure if I was at a suitable level for single A. But we agreed, as I had done a Rookie team, that single A was the way forward. I then headed down to Bedford for a 30 minute session with a couple of other flyers and we set about dirt diving blocks and randoms, then into the tunnel. And that had me hooked wanting to do more and more.
3. What commitment were you asked to make and did you find it a challenge to make that commitment?
The Satori Academy asks for a commitment of 4 hours tunnel and between 60 and 80 jumps for the season. When we got together as a team, we were keen to get a fair amount of tunnel in and get a week out in Seville, so we did end up doing more tunnel than the Satori Academy expects. I haven't found it challenging, as I got the info up front about what the training would be like and dates we could work with, it was made very easy for me.
4. What has the coaching style of Julia and John been like and how has the team progressed this year?
In a word, excellent. Julia has everything planned out of what we will be doing tunnel/jump wise. Really pushing us to get the pictures in our head and making sure we are efficient in our moves. She has thrown a number of challenging dives at us, but really getting the dirt dive and creepers working right, so that it translates well into the sky. We have certainly come on leaps and bounds, I'm very happy in the progress that we have made this year.
5. Who would you recommend the Satori Academy to?
I would say that if anyone wants to massively improve their own flying ability, points average, get coached by some of the best coaches in the country and want to be with like minded individuals, Satori is for you.
1. How did you get into skydiving and why did you choose FS as your discipline over FF?
I got into skydiving in 2011, as another trip that I had lined up fell through, so I was at a loss as to what to do instead. I remember someone recommending an AFF instructor (Scotty Milne) on our company intranet, so I thought why not give it a go. I don't think I could have come into the sport any more unaware of what it was all about and all the different disciplines that go with it. The AFF course was definitely an eye opener.
It was a pretty easy decision to make to be honest, my first and current rig is not freefly friendly! I would like to give FF a go one day, but I've got some much that I want to achieve within FS, that I find it hard having the time to try something else.
2. How did you find out about the Satori Academy and what was the selection process like?
I had seen the Satori Academy posters around Hibaldstow when I first turned up to the DZ, but I didn't really know anyone who had done it, let alone me having an FS1 qualification. So I think that in the back of my mind I wasn't at a suitable level and I would not be able to perform at their level.
Since I have got more into the sport, spending weekends at the dropzone and getting to know a lot of people, I could see that the Satori Academy would be a great thing to be a part of. Seeing others that had progressed with Satori themselves, definitely made me think it was a must for me. Not only is the coaching from Julia and John fantastic, but the whole academy approach to training and tunnel time, made it very easy for our team to get together and massively improve everyone's flying.
The selection process started with a couple of emails back and forth with Julia, as I wasn't sure if I was at a suitable level for single A. But we agreed, as I had done a Rookie team, that single A was the way forward. I then headed down to Bedford for a 30 minute session with a couple of other flyers and we set about dirt diving blocks and randoms, then into the tunnel. And that had me hooked wanting to do more and more.
3. What commitment were you asked to make and did you find it a challenge to make that commitment?
The Satori Academy asks for a commitment of 4 hours tunnel and between 60 and 80 jumps for the season. When we got together as a team, we were keen to get a fair amount of tunnel in and get a week out in Seville, so we did end up doing more tunnel than the Satori Academy expects. I haven't found it challenging, as I got the info up front about what the training would be like and dates we could work with, it was made very easy for me.
4. What has the coaching style of Julia and John been like and how has the team progressed this year?
In a word, excellent. Julia has everything planned out of what we will be doing tunnel/jump wise. Really pushing us to get the pictures in our head and making sure we are efficient in our moves. She has thrown a number of challenging dives at us, but really getting the dirt dive and creepers working right, so that it translates well into the sky. We have certainly come on leaps and bounds, I'm very happy in the progress that we have made this year.
5. Who would you recommend the Satori Academy to?
I would say that if anyone wants to massively improve their own flying ability, points average, get coached by some of the best coaches in the country and want to be with like minded individuals, Satori is for you.
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