cloud9 0 #1 May 19, 2001 How many of you guys have seen no pulls at your DZ? I know I witnessed one in N.C. an AAD save and then we recently had one in TX another AAD save.The head shrinkers say there are two schools of fear. They call them the 2 F'sFight or Flight. I think there a little off on this one I have a third I call freeze. I think the fighter and the flighter will do something when all goes wrong. Its the Freezer that go's in without ever pulling. So how can we correct this?Who knows maybe I'm way off base. Anybody else have any thoughts on this. It just seems were loosing to many to no pulls!Maybe have dark room all students have to enter. Sit them on something spin them fast and give them 30 sec to have every handle pulled?Bleau Skies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gus 1 #2 May 19, 2001 But what can you do? There's no way of predicting how someone will react in those circumstances.You can build up muscle memory by practicing your emergency procedures on the ground but that's some pretty hardcore s*** when the ground is approaching at 120mph and you're at 1000ft. It's easy to imagine alot of people (especially low time jumpers) 'freezing' like you said - it's the whole 'sensory overload' thing all over again. Which is why all student kit has an AAD and it's why I jump with a Cypres, not because I don't trust myself to pull all the right handles but just because it's worth insuring against the risk that I might not. Sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a Cypres thread .So the answer is to make pulling that handle totally instinctive, take it out of the realm of concious decisions and make it automatic.Gus Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zennie 0 #3 May 19, 2001 QuoteSo the answer is to make pulling that handle totally instinctive, take it out of the realm of concious decisions and make it automatic.Excellent post!I think you hit the nail on the head with the solution, to the extent there is one for brain lock.------------Blue Skies!Zennie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Albatross 0 #4 May 19, 2001 I teach self defense and have to deal with this response all the time. I have had people in class just cry because the fear and overload just send them into it. We try and avaoid this response by training under increasing amounts of stress. This allows the brain to feel automatic with the action and the mind to get used to some of the stress. It is like training for the marathon start small and build from there to as close as you can and still be safe. I think that this approach would work for FJC students but it seems that we have a lot of people with some experience having No-pulls. I just don't think that we can predict what new event or set of events will conspire to make some one freeze.Ready, Set, GOOOOOOOAlbatross Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gus 1 #5 May 19, 2001 QuoteExcellent post! You may call me 'the wise one'. Thank you and goodnight. GusAnd now officially an 'enthusiast', I must know what I'm talking about! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cdunham 0 #6 May 19, 2001 I wouldn't rush to judgement on this one. I'm sure some small percentage of people freeze up, and many do panic, but many more hit the ground reaching for whatever they can.The only difference it makes for the rest of us, is that if we assume that these folks just froze up, then we have no further responsibility. Otherwise, we need to understand why they were unable to pull, and train ourselves to avoid those situations (see my previous post on the subject).This is a really worthwhile topic.Carl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cdunham 0 #7 May 20, 2001 Oh, here's one I hadn't thought of.In the "Safety" section of this fine site, there are some sections from Dan Poynter's book. In the section on breakaways in general, he makes the point that in some (older) 3-ring systems, the large ring will flop down after a cutaway, and may be confused with the silver reserve handle. I just checked my rig (Racer Elite, manufactured July 1985, I guess that qualifies as "old" ), and it potentially would do this. The large ring will rotate as far as 90 degrees (perpendicular to the webbing), which means that if it did, it would be a big silver D-like ring pointing out in front of me, in my field of view with the reserve handle. Yet another reason to look at (and optionally grab) the reserve handle before chopping the main.I don't recall this happening the one time I had to use it, but I also use the "grab both handles before cutting away" method.This may be a factor in some of these "no pull" incidents.Carl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #8 May 20, 2001 cdunham,i too have a racer circa 1983...i've cutaway with this rig and i could see what your talking about....but, i'm also in the emergency procedures school of though of a one hand on each handle then pull in order..."if dreams are like movies, then memories are like films about ghosts"-counting crows Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
