posted Dec 8th, 2014 - It has been an honor for me to have this "Turning Points" column in Blue Skies Mag, and I still don't really know why SkyGod seems to believe that I am worthy of the monthly publications. However, even if I were not writing I would still read the stories of others.

I have been reading the skydiving magazines ever since I came into the sport, which was at a time when the print magazines were the only option to get information and find out what was going on in other parts of the skydiving world. I love the columns of my fellow writers (Sydney, Melanie, "Princess," James), which are always my first choices when I get the new editions.

TURNING POINTS - Free Competition Training

Last month, Sydney's newest "Tale of a Former NOOb" caught my attention: "And the Sky Is Still There." By coincidence, I also ran into her for the first time when she visited the Blue Skies Mag office next door. We had emailed before when I asked for permission to re-publish a few of her stories that fit into the Sun Path Products NSL News updates on skyleague.com but we had not met in person yet.

I had some thoughts after reading her latest article, which was more evidence for the value of good articles - they can be inspiring and food for thought. I told her that I would like to discuss a few things, and there was no time by then. So here we go.

First of all, I was sad when I read that "Sydney - the girl who is obsessed with 4-way and talks about how much she loves it all the time - is not a competitor this year." She said that about herself after the decision not to go to the USPA Nationals, for financial reasons.

Sydney, and all you other 4-way lovers, you are still true competitors, even if you don't attend the national championships. It's not the physical presence at the biggest event of the year that makes you a true competitor - it's the passion that you feel at every training or competition jump, at any time and any event.

That has nothing to do with USPA Nationals, which is without doubt the biggest 4-way event in the country. The same counts for any event that you may miss here and there, whether it is your local NSL meet around the corner or the national championships. In fact, the reason why you still really are a true competitor is BECAUSE you are missing it so much.

Anyhow, Sydney had good friends who supported her decision and gave good advice that confirmed her tough call not to risk a financial disaster. She will be back, because she is a true competitor - despite missing this year's national championships.

Now to the real point that I was trying to get to and which is supposed to support Sydney's thoughts in a financial skydiving crisis. First of all, and she has learned this already: Be aware that you will ALWAYS be in an ongoing financial crisis once you have become addicted to 4-way competition...

I should not say that, as I am always trying to guide people into this trap to share the financial misery with all of us addicts. However, there are ways to stay connected and train very effectively and efficiently, even at times when you have little money to buy jump tickets. And that is not only indoor training, which is less expensive than outdoor training.

The magic words are MENTAL TRAINING. Believe it or not, at least 50 percent of competitive skills in all sports are in the area of mental and psychological challenges. It is even more intense in formation skydiving competition where the mental skills are more important than in any other sport that I have done and that I know of, maybe except chess or poker, if you consider those sports.

Here is the best, and now I am going back to Sydney's point: Mental training (visualization, concentration, relaxation, reaction training, mind-body coordination, etc.) is free - unless you hire a sport psychologist for your individual training.

The "dry ground training" goes even beyond the traditional mental training. Developing the specific muscle memory for the so-called "Mantis" body position, or whatever you apply in your discipline, is so extremely important. You really don't want to think too much about that when you exit the plane. The transition from your office job at a desk into a flying object is ideally happening by itself and not using up too much brain space. You would rather focus on the dive's sequence, wouldn't you?

Well, you can prepare that transition for as little money as mental training costs you - nothing. You get the muscle memory by ground practice - a lot of it. Perfect for the times when you have no or not much money. And then you can also do both at the same time. You practice your body position and the moves on the floor, while you visualize a sequence. Before or after that you can also watch videos of the best flyers on the planet. That helps a lot too. And it is... free. The only thing in this scenario that is not free is my good craft beer that I have to buy first. Yes, I manage to lie flat on the floor in my Mantis position, with my head up to watch 4-way videos on the TV screen, and I drink a good beer at the same time. Ahhh, the competitor's life is good—and cheap...