At yesterdays mentoring class there were some pointers given about where your arms and elbows are positioned while flying.
The idea is rather than fly with your elbows out to the side, which requires the shoulders to be pull back, have them relaxed in front of you.
I found this video of my personal paragliding hero, Chrigel Maurer. He is flying massive wingovers, in high wind, just meters from a steep alpine slope. His arms stay beautifully relaxed the whole time. Elbows are about six inches outside the harness and barely change position relative to the body. His elbows move in an arc in front of the body, rather than out to the side.
To see the difference, look at this video. It's filmed with a follow camera, which gives the perfect angle to see the arm position. The pilots elbows are raised often to shoulder level, which must create significantly more fatigue in a longer flight. Notice he takes a wrap immediately on takeoff. While this is a common technique for many pilots, it could also mean the shoulders need to be higher, leading to further fatigue. I'm not critising this pilots skill or style, just bringing attention to what may be a habit that was never conscious.
The idea is rather than fly with your elbows out to the side, which requires the shoulders to be pull back, have them relaxed in front of you.
I found this video of my personal paragliding hero, Chrigel Maurer. He is flying massive wingovers, in high wind, just meters from a steep alpine slope. His arms stay beautifully relaxed the whole time. Elbows are about six inches outside the harness and barely change position relative to the body. His elbows move in an arc in front of the body, rather than out to the side.
To see the difference, look at this video. It's filmed with a follow camera, which gives the perfect angle to see the arm position. The pilots elbows are raised often to shoulder level, which must create significantly more fatigue in a longer flight. Notice he takes a wrap immediately on takeoff. While this is a common technique for many pilots, it could also mean the shoulders need to be higher, leading to further fatigue. I'm not critising this pilots skill or style, just bringing attention to what may be a habit that was never conscious.