In its military sense this word means to descend using a rope for control. In its military application it is used mainly by infantry and special operations troops whenever necssary to accomplish their mission. In the picture here you see an Air Force military ring customer rappelling from a helicopter.
Infantry forces may also use this technique to descend mountainous or rocky terrain.
There are several different ways to rappel. You can back down from the perch or rappel face first, I have also done and seen headfirst rappels. There is a rappel which is called a slack rappel where rope is coiled at the feet of the jumper. This one reminds me of a bungee jump because there is a short freefall before the slack is taken out of the rope. Then the jumper has to use his brake hand to gain control of the descent. All of my infantry custom military ring customers are trained to varying degrees in this technique.
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