The transitions map

A transition is a change of orientation you choose to make: you start it when you decide to, and you finish where you meant to. Each one is taught at the point where you first need it, so they are spread across a dozen courses.

This page puts them in one place, roughly in the order you meet them, with the course that teaches each one. How to fly them is in the courses.

Freefly foundations

Transition	What it is	Taught in
Recovery to the back	If you become unstable in any orientation, recover to back-fly. Back to earth, stable, on a heading, at a fall rate you control.	Freefly 100
Barrel roll	A roll on your belly to check the air above and behind you. On angle and dynamic breakoffs, look under an arm instead, or use a trained back transition that holds your heading and speed.	Freefly 100
Back to sit, sit to back	Getting into and out of the sit through your back. Usually the first orientation change you learn.	Freefly 101

Head-up

Transition	What it is	Taught in
Front loop, back loop	A loop through the head-up axis, finishing back on heading.	Head-Up 101
Cartwheel	Put one foot to the opposite knee, tuck into a ball, and force your legs down as you come round, back into the sit on your starting heading.	Head-Up 102
Back-flip	Catch air on the backs of your calves, push down with your arms and tuck, finishing in the sit on heading.	Head-Up 102
Front-flip	Tuck your legs under you so your shins catch the air, curl into a ball, then sit and force your legs down.	Head-Up 102

Into and out of head-down

Transition	What it is	Taught in
Sit to head-down	The way into head-down from the sit, and the first head-down transition you learn.	Head-Down 102
Half transition, head-down to head-up	Through the back, keeping a freefly fall rate the whole way through the middle.	Head-Down 201, Head-Down 202
Half transition, head-up back to head-down	The return half of the same pair, flown on your coach’s signal in the crest sequence.	Head-Down 201, Head-Down 202
Front loop in head-down	Flown on your coach’s signal as part of the crest sequence, getting back on level afterwards.	Head-Down 201, Head-Down 202

Angles

Transition	What it is	Taught in
Bottom loop	From head-up to a belly angle, keeping your line of flight and your forward speed.	Angles 302
Back layout	A tight layout into a belly angle, the other way in from the same family.	Angles 302
Cartwheel to a belly angle	Keeps your eyes on the group the whole time and holds your speed, though it is less efficient.	Angles 302

Dynamic and the 400s

Transition	What it is	Taught in
Carve switch	Changing direction and which way you face while staying on the line.	Dynamic 401
Front layout, back layout	Layouts flown as part of a dynamic line.	Dynamic 403
Eagle, half-eagle	Named dynamic moves built on the layouts.	Dynamic 403
Rodeo, pancake, infinity, alley-oop	The named 2-way and small-group moves at the top of the head-down courses.	Head-Down 405

One transition family per jump

Work on one movement skill or one transition family per jump, with one objective. If you try three new transitions on a jump, you learn none of them well, and they take attention you need for your altitude.

Rehearse on the ground first, where it costs nothing. Before the jump, run each transition you plan to fly five times with your eyes open and five times with them closed.

Further viewing

AXIS Flight School has short demonstrations of several of these in its Foundations of Flight series. Each is one to three minutes, and they show a shape more clearly than a written description can.

Watch: Sit-fly to head-down backflip transition (AXIS Flight School), youtube.com/watch?v=HN_h3VbBH7U

Watch: Sit-fly to head-down front flip transition (AXIS Flight School), youtube.com/watch?v=P5UFi6RS4BA

Watch: Sit-fly to head-down cartwheel (AXIS Flight School), youtube.com/watch?v=-BBU0yfD_14

A video shows you the shape. To find your own faults, you need a coach watching and a video debrief.

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Advisory, educational content. Techniques are guides that vary with body type, gear and conditions. Learn transitions under a qualified coach, and comply with your federation and drop zone.