So much to learn, so little time.

[PLFXpert 0]

For the most part, I'm a perfectionist. I know it's a curse, but what can I say. I'm very competitive in sports and hard on myself if I don't feel I'm progressing as quickly as I should.
In every other extreme sport, if there was a trick I wasn't nailing, I'd drill it and drill it until I had it down. Skydiving is different. You have less than a minute (half a minute for us freeflyers) to practice your skills. You can't just drill it over and over until you get it down. Every skydive has been a super-fun experience for me. But I find myself getting mad at myself on the way home b/c I know I could do better.
I spend a lot of time visualizing my skydives going well. I've been told that I learn quickly and fly well. I love to skydive and feel great after a day of jumping. I hate it when I get so frustrated if I screw something up. How do I get over this?
Is it just me or do other people get frustrated that you only get less than a minute in freefall?.
Much love and blue skies,
Carrie http://www.geocities.com/skydivegrl20/

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

A minute? I only get 40 - 45 seconds and that's flat flying. I'd be great if each freefall lasted for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Danger could be my middle name. But it's Paul.

[PLFXpert 0]

I get half a minute, maybe less freeflying.
It's funny because I'm a real relaxed, laid back girl until someone asks to play football, or beach volleyball or wakeboard, or whatever and then I'm a freak. I get really competitive. I have always have a good time and joke around but when it comes down to it, I LOVE to kick some assMuch love and blue skies,
Carrie http://www.geocities.com/skydivegrl20/

[skybytch 273]

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I hate it when I get so frustrated if I screw something up. How do I get over this?

When you figure that one out... could you pass the secret on to me?
I think that's the case for many of us. I know I kick myself repeatedly when I screw up on a jump - even something as simple as a slow dock. I watch myself on the video and pick my performance apart - I can usually find at least one thing I screwed up even on a really good skydive!
The only cure I've found so far is to go do more jumps...
pull & flare,
lisa
[subliminal msg]My website Go Now[/subliminal msg]

[Zennie 0]

Well you hit the nail on the head as far as the big difference with skydiving. In almost any other sport, as long as youhave the time, you can practive a cool move, or even the fundamentals, over & over for hours.
In skydiving, there's the time factor as well as the financial constraints. Very few of us have the time or resources to do the 30 - 50 skydives a week you need to get really good.
I'm like you in that I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well. It's a blessing & a curse. It drives me to work hard toward a goal but I tend to get frustrated when it doesn't happen.
The other problem I'm starting to notice is that when I fly with the better freefliers, I for some stupid reason get to thinking I should be able to do what they're doing... totally forgetting they have several hundred more skydives than myself.
And in that respect, and this is true in almost every sport, learning isn't linear. It's a series of short bursts of progress followed by (what feels like) long "plateau" periods. I usually get frustrated whan I'm in a plateau because I feel like I'm in a rut.
I'm starting to get a little better about it. I'm trying to get myself to remember its not the destination but the journey. So just try to enjoy the process of learning and improving and don't get frustrated when you're in a plateau. Those short "eureka!" periods are always so much fun!
"Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

[KATO33 0]

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I hate it when I get so frustrated if I screw something up. How do I get over this?

Welcome to the club just a part of our personality I guess.
We all should probably make more jumps just fun no objectives just get out in the air and enjoy the view.

[PLFXpert 0]

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The other problem I'm starting to notice is that when I fly with the better freefliers, I for some stupid reason get to thinking I should be able to do what they're doing... totally forgetting they have several hundred more skydives than myself.

Me too! Except the freefliers I jump w/ have serveral THOUSAND more skydives than I doThey do and I get better. I just beat myself up when I don't get there as quickly as I *think* I should.
I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who is a perfectionist. It makes me feel better hearing you guys talk about doing the same things I do.
I don't want to bring others down if I'm down on myself. If a person I just jumped w/ comes over and says, "Hey, great jump," usually, if I feel I could have flown better I"m like, "yea, great," kinda, half-heartedly. I've never had a jump that wasn't fun but most of my jumps, I always feel like I could have flown better. GEEZ!
Much love and blue skies,
Carrie http://www.geocities.com/skydivegrl20/

[dove 0]

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The other problem I'm starting to notice is that when I fly with the better freefliers, I for some stupid reason get to thinking I should be able to do what they're doing... totally forgetting they have several hundred more skydives than myself.

Yes! Me too! I've made jumps with lots of guys with AD #'s and don't understand why I can't do everything like they do! It's frustrating... but it's also funny as shit!!!!
Instead of bumming yourself out over it all after an awesome day at the dz - look at the brightside: at least you'll never learn all there is and be bored! Skydiving will always be an exciting challenge with new stuff to learn!
dove
P.S. Come freefly with me Carrie - that'll make you feel better!

[PLFXpert 0]

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P.S. Come freefly with me Carrie - that'll make you feel better!

He he he! Well, I'm not sure how you fly, but even when I fly w/ less-developed freeflyers, it still doesn't make me feel like a sky-queen.
And of course, then I start thinking "is this how these freeflier guys w/ thousands of jumps feel when they're flying w/ me when I don't get to a dock?" HA HA HA! God, I hope notMuch love and blue skies,
Carrie http://www.geocities.com/skydivegrl20/

[dove 0]

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When they're all over the sky and circling around and never on a heading and speeding up and slowing down, ect., ect., I still feel like I should be able to follow them around more quickly. It's even HARDER to fly w/ less-developed freeflyers b/c you never really know which direction they're going to *accidentally* turn or they may have a continuous backslide and it's actually kinda fun to try and follow them and stay close.

So what are you trying to say?dove

[PLFXpert 0]

He he he! Sorry, Dove, I didn't mean YOU are all over the sky. I didn't know what you meant, though, when you said I'd feel better jumping w/ youThat's pretty much where I'm at, too, except you sound better at head down than I currently am. Right now, I have done six head down jumps, total. I have held the head down position the whole skydive every time and not corked out. However, I have yet to figure out how to move around in my head down. I either have a back slide or front slide, so far. My boyfriend has jumped w/ me on every one so I have a good reference point besides the horizon and I can tell when I'm starting to backslide. He'll usually wait a couple seconds and see if I can control it and go back towards him but after that, he usually ends up coming back to me. I know I'll get it but I WANT TO GET IT NOW! Ha ha ha! I want to DRILL IT but unfortunately, the nature of the sport won't allow me to.
Much love and blue skies,
Carrie http://www.geocities.com/skydivegrl20/

[Zennie 0]

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It's even HARDER to fly w/ less-developed freeflyers b/c you never really know which direction they're going to *accidentally* turn or they may have a continuous backslide and it's actually kinda fun to try and follow them and stay close.

I like jumping with newbies for this very reason. They may think I'm not having fun or getting anything out of it, but I have to fly my ass off to stay with them. It really is very good practice. It forces you to quickly react to changes in vertical (and horizontal) fall rates and IMHO really expands your range.
Ramon is really good at this. Me, Ramon & a newer guy (maybe 30-ish jumps) went out. The newbie's goal was to hold a solid sit. Ramon was filming him and my goal was to try and stay as close as I could. I managed to stay roughly within the same vicinity as him, but Ramon was all over him like glue.
You learn something from everyone. It's all good. "Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

[PLFXpert 0]

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They may think I'm not having fun or getting anything out of it

This is how I feel about the guys who jump w/ me. Even though I've been blessed w/ jumping w/ my boyfriend on every jump and he's been a GREAT coach, I still feel like I'm wasting the other guy's time when they have thousands of jumps and I don't make that dock or whatever. It's not like flying w/ a newbie, by any means, with me, but I still feel bad if I'm we're flying w/ each other and transition and I'm supposed to dock and I get inches away but don't actually make the dock. I feel terrible and think the other guy, w/ thousands of jumps, has just wasted a jump. I get REALLY HARD on myself.
But, I agree, when I"m jumping w/ people who are less advanced than me, I have fun! I don't jump w/ many people less advanced than me, though. It's usually my boyfriend (3,000+ jumps) or people at his skill level.
Much love and blue skies,
Carrie http://www.geocities.com/skydivegrl20/

[freeflir29 0]

I think Zennie said it best. It's a journey and not a destination. No matter how many skydives you have you will always run into some people that are better than you. Some that are worse. As a skydiver it's your job to learn from those more experienced and pass on knowledge to those less experienced. In the mean time, have fun and be safe. "It's all about the BOOBIES!"

[Rdutch 0]

Just remember when flying head down pretend your at your prom. Spread your legs and dont forget to relax.
Hook low Flare late

[Spy38W 0]

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I think Zennie said it best. It's a journey and not a destination

Agreed, how fun would it be if it was easy and everybody could do it right away? I'm still new at freeflying, and just doing solos and teaching myself sit/stand/headdown, about 2 weeks ago I finally nailed a stable headdown, was such a feeling of accomplishment, and made me forget all the times I've tried it and failed
--
Give them a sip of the darkside, and they just thirst for more.

[PLFXpert 0]

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Spread your legs and dont forget to relax.

Ray, Ray, Ray...always trying to get me to spread my legs.
THAT, I don't have a problem with, nor relaxation. I have held my position on every head down jump. I just need to learn how to move around better. If flying head down were like sex, I'd have a gold medal by nowOh, and I never went to my prom.
Much love and blue skies,
Carrie http://www.geocities.com/skydivegrl20/