Help! I'm really nervous

[hawkflight 0]

Hi all,
Tomorrow I'm going to be making my 4th and 5th AFF jumps....and I have never been more nervous
it's worse then the first jump.....I think it is because
I really want to do well and I'm afraid I will screw up....I always thought that jumping out of a plane would be awesome...but now I want to jump ouuta a plane well.....I don't want my nerves to CAUSE me to
screw up any advice ...please help....Tom

...............................

"Any fool can learn for his own mistakes, a wise man learns from anothers." Mark Twain

[Michele 1]

The only real screw up is not pulling in time. Everything else is gravy.

Really.

Think about it. If you have to repeat a level, so what? It means only that you didn't do something. As long as that something you didn't do isn't pulling, then it's all good - you can do it again.

And another thing to realize: you've only been doing this 4 minutes....how perfect can you be in 4 minutes? No one is perfect in 4 minutes. Ever. So give yourself a bit of a break....remember to pull, the rest is gravy.

And you will be just fine, I promise.

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[Brian425 0]

Hawkflight,
Everyone is nervous during their AFF jumps. It's normal. The best advice I can give you is to study the dive flows tonight before going to the DZ. Get a good night's sleep tonight. Arrive at the DZ early and try to go over the jumps with your coach as early as possible. Then practice while you are waiting to go up.
You will be fine. You will not screw up. Your coach will be there to help keep you safe. Relax as much as possible, Arch and enjoy the jump. Try your best to pull at the right altitude and be stable.
We all get nervous. A few deep breaths helps me. Talk a little with your coach on the way up. It always help me relax and you get to know your coach a little more.
I always get nervous on the way up. It all goes away once I am out the door. A little nerves help to keep you on your toes and aware.

Be safe and have fun.

The only time you should look down on someone is when you are offering them your hand.

[dzdiva 7]

Hey there! Just know that you're not alone. I'm going up tomorrow for the first time in a couple months. Lack of money and weather have been my downfall.(No pun intended!) Needless to say I've got a case of the nerves. Just relax on the way to altitude. Take a couple deep breaths and as soon as you hit the door it will all disappear. Oh and smile....it usually helps me to relax!
Good luck!
Edit to add: The way I looked at it when I went through AFF was even if I don't pass at least I got to jump and learned something with each one.

"It's not just a daydream if you choose to make it your life..."

[Dagny 0]

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If you have to repeat a level, so what?

My thoughts exactly, Michele! Every time you can can get up in the air, jump into the open beautiful sky, and safely navigate yourself through to the ground, it is a good jump. Each AFF level gets just a little bit better than the last, so NO WORRIES. Know your jump, stay relaxed, remember the point is to have fun, smile until it hurts, trust in yourself, and most importantly...stay safe.

Take me, I am the drug; take me, I am hallucinogenic.
-Salvador Dali

[hawkflight 0]

Thanks for the advice everyone....I'll try to relax
I'll let you know how it went on Monday

...............................

"Any fool can learn for his own mistakes, a wise man learns from anothers." Mark Twain

[Push 0]

First, let your instructors know that you're nervous. When in the plane look at the horizon and smile. If you feel worse, close your eyes and take three deep breaths (this really works, I use it all the time). Something that personally helped me is learning some silly jokes about skydiving and telling them on the way up. You're not nervous if you're laughing.

Most importantly though, tell your instructors. They know you personally and will be present on your jump.

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[Luna 0]

Hey Tom, you'll do fine, so try not to worry about it! Everyone has given great advice so far. Just relax, that is the most important key to skydiving well, but the hardest to do. I won't be there tomorrow, but I'll be thinking about you. Take care and have fun!

I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

[YellowDog 0]

More advise: Just imagine everyone down at the DZ in their underwear. It will either pep you up or repulse you....but you won't be nervous anymore. Have fun!

---> One Half of Almost Nearly Normal <---

[lummy 4]

yep yep yep... just like everyone has been saying,try n relax. You're gonna be just fine. OH, good idea taking two AFF's in one day. From experience, I'd always be really nervous for the first jump of the day but do ten times better the second. Hell, my AFF4 (and 5) were the first times out of a 182. I just couldn't understand why someone had to crawl out onto the plane to jump out and I was scared.

Listen to your AFFI and you'll be just fine.

P.s. Be sure to come back n tell us all about it.

I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1

[fstz28 0]

relax and remember that there is no failure. if you were going through a military course and failed you'd have two more tries and then your out. a failure and not to come back. just remember its fun and you want to be there. and it only gets funner.

[RippedCord 0]

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any advice ...please help....Tom

breathe

AMDG

[Luv2Fall 0]

Breathe, relax and enjoy.

[cindee 0]

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any advice

What, have you lost your mind! Don't do it! This is dangerous shit.

Seriously... just relax and have a great time. Then get up there and do it again.

__________________________________________________
"If happy little bluebirds fly above the rainbow, why oh why can't I?"

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[RkyMtnHigh 0]

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Hi all,
Tomorrow I'm going to be making my 4th and 5th AFF jumps....and I have never been more nervous
it's worse then the first jump.....I think it is because
I really want to do well and I'm afraid I will screw up....I always thought that jumping out of a plane would be awesome...but now I want to jump ouuta a plane well.....I don't want my nerves to CAUSE me to
screw up any advice ...please help....Tom

Tommy!!!! Would you just shut up and JUMP?!! You kick ass...so just go do it already...no room for worries. Relax and enjoy yourself, okay? BTW..where's my hummingbird/butterfly tattoo design? finished with it yet? LOL! Soo....HUGS for support! Remember you aren't jumping alone!

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[ripper0289 0]

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Think about it. If you have to repeat a level, so what?

Tomorrow I have to repeat my level 6 dive (6 out of 15 levels) cause it's been two months since my last jump. Am I nervous? Oh yeah, big time! Am I excited? I'll let you know after I wipe this grin off my oogly face
I had a lot of fun doing 180 and 360 degree turns, so repeating this level, while not financially as good as going on to barrel rolls and whatnot, will be fun all the same.
Any chance to hurl my fragile body out of a plane is a good time, so no worries about repeating!

[sdgregory 0]

Tom listen bro.

I went through this exact same thing. I found that I was not afraid of jumping out of planes but that I was afraid of doing poorly. Performance anxiety is what it is.

The truth is that you cannot worry about it. We all suck. None of us gets any good we just suck less with each new jump. You will make mistakes. Oh well, you are trying to fly but God gave you no wings.

It is totally okay to be nervous. Tell your instructor about it. They deal with this all the time. THey will help you relax. If you mess something up you got plenty of time to redo it on later jumps.

The only things you need to do are remember to pull and relax. Relaxing is key to doing well and key to maximum enjoyment. That is it. All other things are icing.

You will do fine and of course I now realize that you posted this yesterday and nothing I say now matters so I will post it anyway because I am stupid like that.

Hope your jumps went well today

[Lee03 0]

I'll just add, RELAX! Like everybody has told you. Deep breaths. On the ride up, close you eyes and visualize your dive in slow motion. Like everyone has said, if you have to repeat a level, big deal..Hey it just means your got another jump logged! I both levels 4 and 5, but then, 6 and 7 were a snap!
Blue Skies

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To put your life in danger from time to time ... breeds a saneness in dealing with day-to-day trivialities.

--Nevil Shute, Slide Rule