Formation skydiving — also called relative work or RW — is the discipline of flying belly-to-earth in a group, moving relative to each other to build planned shapes by taking grips.
How it works
Jumpers exit together, fly to their assigned slots and take grips to complete a formation, then release and move to build the next one. Competitive teams complete as many scored formations as possible within a working time.
Fall rate matching is essential, which is why jumpsuits are cut to adjust it and why weight belts exist.
Big-ways
Large formations — dozens or hundreds of jumpers — need multiple aircraft flying in tight formation, extensive briefing and dirt diving on the ground, and jumpers with the experience to hold a slot precisely. These are typically organised at boogies and record events.
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.