Accelerated Freefall is a training programme in which a student jumps from full altitude with one or two instructors flying alongside, deploying their own parachute on every jump from the first. It is the most common path to solo skydiving in the United States.
How the progression works
Training starts with a ground school covering equipment, exits, freefall stability, canopy flight, landing and emergency procedures. The first jump follows, with instructors maintaining grips on the student at exit.
Over a series of levels the student demonstrates stability, altitude awareness, turns, forward movement and reliable deployment. Instructor assistance reduces as those are met, until the student is exiting alone.
After the AFF levels there are consolidation jumps before the first licence. The number of jumps required varies with the individual — repeating a level is common and unremarkable.
The alternatives
Static line and IAD progression start lower with the canopy deployed at or just after exit, adding freefall gradually. It suits smaller drop zones flying Cessnas, and some people prefer the incremental build.
Tandem progression uses repeated tandems to develop skills before moving to solo training. Which is available depends on the drop zone.
These pages explain what things are so the language makes sense. They are not instruction and cannot substitute for it — skydiving is taught in person by rated instructors at a drop zone, and anything involving equipment handling or emergency procedures belongs there rather than on a web page.