mental control

[fastmartin2002 0]

it has been my experience being around experienced jumpers and being envious about how that seem so relaxed and somewhat unphased about jumping out of a perfectly good plane. at what point in a person's jumping career does someone get to the point of feeling comfortable and in total control of the jump or does it vary from person to person?

[drenaline 0]

It can vary from person to person.
"Life is full of danger, so why be afraid?"
drenaline

[Jessica 0]

A number I hear a lot is around 20 or so jumps the door fear goes away. I don't know if anyone ever feels in "total control" of the jump.

[jtval 0]

it is not a natural thing to leap from over 2 miles into the sky.

I had a 7 month "pause" in my addiction... twice(and working on my 3rd "pause now".

each time back you gotta prepare yourself and answer to any hesitiations/concerns you may have before you ever drive to the dz. Usually you will see me posting safety thread, asking everyone to tell me something skydiving-saftey related.THAT HELPS. but usually after I go to the dz and get my saftey briefing and look around the place I feel comfortable.
I am not worried about jumping out of planes at all. I am more worried WHO Is in the plane with me. Are the as saftey conscience as I am or are they gonna try to kill me.
these concerns are always on my mind for 2 reasons. the 1st...b/c of my "pauses" my job keeps putting me away form the life I love.
the 2nd...b/c of my small 115 jumps I've been 7 dz's. the most jumps ive made at one dz is 36! if i were at the same dz I may feel more comfortable returning. or maybe i would get "complacent"
Im actually glad to have jumped all over this rock we live on. and I have found that SAFETY IS MOST EVERYONES # 1 PRIORITY! that's why I keep jumping!
everyone has their own "voices" to answer to just make sure yours understand your answer and youll feel comfortable
Life's a bitch, and I'm her Pimp!
JT
http://community.webshots.com/user/jtval100

[skybytch 273]

I could have easily ridden the plane down on any of my first 50 or so jumps. It was about that point that I began being able to relax more in the plane and actually focus on what I was going to be doing in the air. Even then though, it was always better on the second, third, etc, jumps of the weekend than on the first.
After taking a year off due to an injury I was less nervous than I thought I'd be about the actual jump; my nerves were more centered on reinjuring myself. That's gone away now - five months later; I'm back to being able to focus on the upcoming skydive, relax in the plane and perform well in the air.
Just keep jumping. Eventually you'll be the one that the nervous guy with 9 jumps is looking at enviously as you nap on the climb to altitude pull & flare,
lisa
"Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda sez

[quade 4]

It's called desensitization.
The more you jump, the more relaxed you'll become, however, throw in a new variable and most people will get at least a little more tense again.
For instance, if you do a LOT of 4-way you might be so relaxed you can catch 40 winks on the ride to altitude. Go on a 20-way and you might stay awake.
quade
http://futurecam.com

[gale 0]

Personally I still get VERY afraid in the plane (after 14 jumps) and wonder why I'm in it sometimes. But I trust that will get better. I've asked the same question to a lot of skydivers and I've gotten answers like 88, 100, 55. So it's individual I guess. It's nice to know that I shouldn't have conquered all my fears just yet.
(Oh, and by the way, I have also had jumpers say they are SCARED EVERY TIME! I know that fear is healthy and gives you respect for the sport but if I had to get this worked up for every jump for 500 jumps that's a lot of getting worked up!)
Gale
Isn't life the strangest thing you've ever seen?

[diver123 0]

For me it's easy to control now, but I still get noticeably afraid after taking a few weeks off... It seems to go away after the first jump though. I'd say early on the biggest contributing factor to whether or not I had fun on a jump was; if I was jumping alone or with someone else. Having someone out there with you always made things more fun...
"pull high! It's lower than you think..."

[nathaniel 0]

I think it helps calm me down when other people are more nervous than me - mostly tandems at this point tho.

[AggieDave 6]

It took about 30 or so jumps for my door fear to go away, but I still get a wicked rush from a bit of fear every once in a while. Like doing my first night jumps, that got me, though the rush gave me a really cool natural high...I got it a little bit in Eloy too. Mainly because I was doing stuff I was definately not used to doing (RW, RW with 17 people, RW some more...).
Generally speaking, though, the door fear is gone. When it leaves, things start to get more and more fun, you spend your time having fun instead of getting tense about something else. Good luck! Aerials
So up high
When you free your lives (the) eternal prize

[Sinkster 0]

As an example, I can remember as a recent AFF grad being terrified of getting out for my first hop-n-pop from 5,000. (jump 15) I said some colorful words before exiting and I pulled as soon as I was stable.
Yesturday, I decided to make a couple more hop-n-pop's from 5,000 just for fun (jumps 30 & 32). One out of a super otter and the other a cessna. (I like cessna best cuz the slower exit speed let's me feel more downward acceleration which is scarier and more of a rush On these jumps I was way less scared and was actually enjoying doing them just for the fear/excitement factor which is one thing I find a really like about this sport and hope it doesn't go away too much. This time I exited and was surprized at how much time I had to turn and get stable and mess around before pulling at 4,000. On my hop-n-pop out of the cessna I was very conscious of every aspect of the exit and did a flip and watched someone else exit and then tracked toward the dz before pulling at 4k.
So yes the "abject" fear goes away and is replaced by a "fun" fear IMO. However, I think fear is a part of the sport and I have come to enjoy it and remember that it is there for a reason.
Just keep jumping.

[Zennie 0]

Quote

I don't know if anyone ever feels in "total control" of the jump.

Amen to that.
"Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

[hobbes4star 0]

control is just a state of mind.... took a long time to get rid of the door fear and every now and than it comes back. as soon as i take that step out the door it goes away. it's good to have fear it makes you respect what you are doing, but do not let the fear control you.
blue skies
why jump when you can fly

[freeflir29 0]

I think around 120 or 130 jumps I started to relax through the entire jump. For many many jumps pull time was stressful for me. I would wave like crazy, reach back as fast as I could, and then pitch the P/C like mad!!! Then I went through a short stage where I would just ride with my hand on the handle for 200 Ft. Now....I'm totally calm and prone to barrel rolling right up until pull time now. I have just learned that it's a darn good idea to stop all forward drive of my track....LOL
"Here I come to save the BOOBIES!"

[Muenkel 0]

I have only done tandems so far, so I am not an authority. However, I had absolutely no fear or anxiety at any time during the tandems. This gave me the confidence to pursue AFF. Unfortunately, I injured a nerve in the wind tunnel and was unable to remain stable. My injury has not yet healed so at this point I am unable to resume AFF. Because of this experience, I am now lacking in the confidence and experiencing anxiety. What if my injury reoccurs while in freefall and I can't stabilize myself? This right now really scares the shit out of me.
If you're not confused, you're not paying attention.
Chris

[gale 0]

Um, I'm no authority on injuries or anything but just having jumped again after seriously spraining my ankle (and tearing half the ligaments) I can tell you this: listen to your doctor. Work with them to make your recovery as good (and fast) as possible and then don't jump until you get their OK. I'm glad I waited. The six weeks seemed awfully long, but now, it all seems worth it after doing two great jumps with no re-injury.
This is what people told me: the sky will always be there.
I hope you have a speedy recovery, and that you get over your nerves. (A good instructor should be able to help you there. I have always found that training calms me down.)
Gale
Isn't life the strangest thing you've ever seen?

[Muenkel 0]

Gale,
This is really good advice. In fact it is the same advice my tandem jumpmaster (whom I trust) gave me.
Once I recover and the Doctor gives me the OK, I plan to actually wait 2 more weeks. In the meantime, I plan to discuss these concerns with the AFF instructors at what will be my home DZ.
Thanks again.Chris
If you're not confused, you're not paying attention.
Chris

[MarkM 0]

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Unfortunately, I injured a nerve in the wind tunnel and was unable to remain stable.

Woah. How did you injure your nerve? I had a similar problem, pinched a nerve real bad in the wind tunnel and my arm was numb for a full month. Funny thing thought was I never had that problem as a student on a skydive, I guess it was the prolonged arching in the tunnel.

[Sebazz1 2]

Quote

the sky will always be there

Good advice Gale. It can also be said: It is better to be on the ground wishing you were up there than being up there and wishing you were on the ground. Heal.............
Sebazz........

[Muenkel 0]

Quote

Woah. How did you injure your nerve? I had a similar problem, pinched a nerve real bad in the wind tunnel and my arm was numb for a full month. Funny thing thought was I never had that problem as a student on a skydive, I guess it was the prolonged arching in the tunnel.

Mark,
My Dr. calls it a stretched nerve that runs from my spinal column in my neck down my shoulder. I think my shoulder may have been strained back, but I don't know. While in the tunnel I did not know I was injured, I just could not put my arm in the correct position. The symptoms I have had for a month now (though improving) is numbness down my right arm and in my thumb and index finger, limited dexterity and mobility in the arm and hand. I was really bummed by this because I didn't understand why I couldn't do what the instructor was telling me. I am usually a pretty coordinated guy.
I have to run but I would be interested in hearing about your experience. You can PM me.
Thanks,
Chris
If you're not confused, you're not paying attention.
Chris