Withstand Gs Like a True Fighter Pilot with This Unclassified Skill

Unless you’re an astronaut, pilot or F1 driver, odds are you’ve never thought about how your body reacts to gravitational forces, aka G-forces. Yet still, there are instances where the average individual can experience these intense inertial forces.

Ever taken a ride on a high-speed roller coaster and started to feel light headed? Those are Gs at play, and that “graying out” sensation is your blood flowing from your brain into your lower extremities.

While this experience isn’t universal for everyone, the potential for passing out can be scary. So what can you do to help prevent this ailment on your next trip to the amusement park? Learn from those that encounter Gs routinely, of course.

Insights from Fighter Pilots

Fighter pilots routinely encounter Gs in their occupation, so fighting against them is a second nature skill set required of the title.

Retired Naval Officer Mark “Crunchy” Burgess is a member of the Warrior Flight Team, an organization that helps injured veterans find jobs in civilian life and raises awareness by flying in prestigious airshows.

Photo by Caitlyn Shaw for Gear Patrol

Burgess has flown some 3,800 hours, 256 of them in combat, and says over time, most seasoned pilots tend to worry about the other job hazards — you know, like landing on an aircraft carrier in inclement weather or flying through the clouds while being shot at.

But knowing how to fight Gs is still a worthwhile technique. And the right way to do it, Burgess says, is with something called the Hook Maneuver, an unclassified Anti-G Straining Maneuver, a.k.a. AGSM.

What is the Hook Maneuver?

The Hook Maneuver is a Navy flexing technique taught to fighter pilots in order to help them keep blood flow to the brain during moments of intense Gs. The maneuver was unclassified in 1990 in a response to civilian desire to know how these pilots keep their cool in the cockpit.

The resulting report by the Naval Air Development Center explains that the Hook Maneuver “simply emphasizes the proper mechanics for physiologic enhancement of tolerance,” in a way that is “easily understood, rapidly mastered and easily remembered.”

How to Perform the Hook Maneuver

Now, you may never encounter as many Gs as Burgess has, but understanding how to combat the forces when the time comes can be the difference between enjoying something like a roller coaster ride and passing out.

Step 1: Anticipate the G

Pay attention to pressure levels — when you feel the downward force of the Gs, get ready to start your AGSM.

Step 2: Tense your muscles

G-forces push down, pooling your blood in your abdomen and legs. Tensing your muscles will help keep the blood pumping in your heart and brain.

Step 3: Start the Hook Maneuver

Breathe in, and begin to say the word “hook.” You should feel your glottis, the opening between your vocal cords, at the back of your throat.

About three-quarters of the way through the word, before hitting the “K” sound, close your glottis and hold it for two to three seconds.

Step 4: Exhale, finish the word “hook” and inhale

Strongly exhale and finish the word “hook,” drawing out the “K” sound. Next, inhale quickly in preparation for the next repetition.

This step should take no more than one second — just enough time to let blood flow into your heart and chest, but not enough to allow the blood to leave your brain.

Step 5: Repeat

Continue the technique until you return to a low pressure level.

Related Topics