Jumping again after a year - scared.

[PrairieDoug 0]

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It is okay for you to be scared. It is how you deal with it that is important. There are many ways to deal with fear.

This is right on. Most of us try to either suppress/ignore fear -- which is futile -- or we passively let it control our thoughts and emotions.

The alternative is to recognize fear and take steps to manage it. Some things that help me are visualization, smiling, breathing, and replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. Once I'm on the plane, I'm committed to the skydive and stop debating whether or not it's a good idea.

Have fun getting back in the air!

Doug

[ladyskydiver 0]

Due to various reasons, I've taken time away from the sport twice. Each time I came back, I was nervous getting on the plane again. Each time I gave myself permission that if it didn't feel right, I wouldn't jump and would land with the plane. I'd get butterflies like you wouldn't believe. Figured everyone on the plane could see the butterfles. Each time I had friends there on the plane with me making the jump as simple as possible so that I could get my "air legs" back. Jump run thoughts were "WTF am I doing back on a plane?" Door would open and the butterflies would leave and a smile begin. Out in the air, I was thrilled to be back.

Go hang at the DZ and don't feel like you have to jump if you're not ready. Do an observer ride if your DZ allows. If you have the money, go to a wind tunnel and get some coaching to help boost your confidence in your body position.

Don't be afraid to ask for and keep a coach until you're comfortable. That's what we're there for. I still love getting a coach and learning something new or working on something "old" or sometimes just going up and doing a simple round.

Best of wishes.

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[JoeG 0]

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Even if spouting statistics as you so eloquently put, are meant as a means to encourage him?

Dont get your knickers in a twist. I had started writing my reply before your's was posted. It was in no way directed at you. I actually liked your post.

_________________________________________
"Knowledge is Power!"

[LawnDart21 0]

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I want to say that feeling a certain amount of fear is normal. Some guys say that they don't feel it at all anymore but I think that they lie.

Just an observation, but you may want to consider not making generalizations about people. You haven't been in the sport that long, so it inevitably still scares you to some degree, so you assume everyone must still hold some fear.

It's just not true though. I don't have any fear of skydiving, or getting hurt or getting killed in the sport. It's not because I'm fearless, or because I consider myself too macho to be afraid, it's simply that given my (albeit relatively brief compared to some others) time in the sport, the ratings I hold, and being a rigger, I have a solid understanding of what can and cannot go wrong up there. As for not being afraid to die, I bet you'd be surprised to find out how many people out there actually aren't afraid of it. I love my life, I hope to live to be 100, but every day of my life is rewarding, so if I get 22,000 more of them, that'd be great, but if I only get 1 more, I'll be okay with that. If that means I'm not afraid of dying, then I guess I'm not.

I don't mean to give you a long winded rant, its just that your still green in the sport, you already came across rather abrassively with the "some dropzones suck" thread, and here you are again making a very inaccurate generalization about fear in the sport.

I'll end with the thought that I know numerous jumpers with more jumps and less jumps than me that genuinely have no fear left. Their not hot shots, they simply understand the risks and can accept them and live with them.

--
My other ride is a RESERVE.

[LawnDart21 0]

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Don't get your knickers in a twist.

Golfers wear Knickers.....lol

"Don't get your freely pants in a twist", now thats more like it!

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My other ride is a RESERVE.

[sundevil777 102]

It seems like much of your fear is related to the trouble you have had with stability in freefall.

I think your fear is justified if you don't trust your ability to be stable. Being confident in your abilities is very important to your actual performance when it counts. So, getting some tunnel time would be a great solution, even if it is expensive and means you will delay your return to skydiving.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[MotherGoose 0]

But let's not mistake fear for adrenaline . . . the two are similar sensations. I usually do a mental rehearsal in flight, eyes closed, fully relaxed, sometimes almost napping. When the door opens . . . I don't have any fear, its strictly adrenaline pumping through the veins at MACH 2 . . . then you take the plunge and you concentrate on what you are doing, style, RW, freefly, etc. There's no real room for fear there either.

But when I break off and its time to deploy . . . I reach for my BOC and that is where the fear kicks in. That very moment, a thousand different things go through my head and as I pull there's a moment of anticipation as I wait for the silence. That is FEAR.

You think you understand the situation, but what you don't understand, is that the situation just changed.

[D.B.Cooper 0]

Hey guys, thanks for your comments. They do help, really. I will try to have some positive thoughts and smile and try to think about a perfect jump.

Yes, some of my fear is due to the instabily that I experienced and my hitting the suspension lines. But I will be jumping with an instructor.

I did some tunnel time and my position at the end was perfect .

To those that mentioned the dangers of skydiving, well it's not exactly what I was expecting to hear. I know the dangers of skydiving.
I have watched the videos on skydivingmovies.com;
I have watched the main-reserve entanglements, the cut-aways, the premature deployments at the door, I have read the reports about people going in, the broken necks on opening, the collisions with aircrafts or other skydivers.. I experienced a slider-up during my AFF and on my last jump, I could've gotten my foot entagled with my main...
But I have balanced those dangers with the joy that Skydiving brings me and I have accepted the risks. The only risk that I may not accept is falling out of my rig but I know how unlikely that can be.

I just needed some help to get back in the air and I really appreciated your encouragements ! Thank you !



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"I have a bomb in my briefcase. I will use it if necessary. I want you to sit next to me. You are being hijacked."

[Mixoligist 0]

It's good you are scared....I am too.
It's good you have fear....I do too.

Use it......do not let it use you.
Control it.....it will keep you sharp.

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Better you than me
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[Mixoligist 0]

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so you assume everyone must still hold some fear.
It's just not true though. I don't have any fear of skydiving

You should....fear is ok.

..................................
Better you than me
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[georgerussia 0]

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It's been a year now and I want to jump again. I want to make one or two jumps with an instructor soon and then finally start becoming a skydiver and jumping a lot.

Not only you want - you will have to do it. Talk to your instructor about instability problems, and practice a lot on the ground.

Your fear is very real and reasonable. First bunch of post-AFF jumps feels like yesterday you were in daycare, and now you are self-employed. It is scary, but it will pass after several more jumps.

There is a difference between being qualified for solo jumps, and being ready to solo jumps. As it was in my case - after finishing AFF and cleared for solo jumps, I was still not mentally ready to. So I came to my DZ on weekday, and jumped with my AFFI again. Everything went smooth, it switched me to "being ready", and my next jump was solo.

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However, as the date for my jump approaches, I'm starting to feel fear.

A portion of fear is good thing. It makes you more cautious, it prevents you from doing stupid things like "impressing everybody w/something". The only time you can find youself in a plane on jump run with misrouted chest strap will be the time when your fear is off.

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[LawnDart21 0]

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You should....fear is ok.

I fear alot of things, just not jumping out of airplanes. I check my gear before my jump, I do the best I can do on my jump, try my best not to make any bad decisoins, follow my EPs in an emergency, and that's all I can hope to do.

I know my limits and my gears limits, and do my best to operate with those limits.

Just becuase I don't fear skydiving doesn't mean I lack a healthy respect for it's dangers.

I don't see where being afraid of it would make me safer or better?

--
My other ride is a RESERVE.

[airtimebabe24 0]

youre not alone in your fear, and if you are jumping AFF, then you wont be alone in the air either.. just study everything that you can and memorizing the malfunction motto will surely be a relief. just RELAX. otherwise, your jump wont be nearly as fun. relax, relax, relax. parachuting is high risk, but it is also the most amazing feeling ever. dont give up. fear is all in your head, good luck!!!

"The most wasted day of all is that upon which we have not laughed..." Nicholas Chamfort.

[Mixoligist 0]

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I don't see where being afraid of it would make me safer or better?

I didn't say it would.

..................................
Better you than me
..................................

[kelpdiver 2]

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Yes, some of my fear is due to the instabily that I experienced and my hitting the suspension lines. But I will be jumping with an instructor.

I did some tunnel time and my position at the end was perfect .

hey, man. I stopped my training from Oct 03 till May 04 because I had lost my nerve with level4. Like you, the concern of getting unstable made me very tight. And like you, I went to the tunnel, did15 minutes on consecutive days to get comfortable. And it worked great. Still was scared shitless going up, but had no problems with freefall stability. And once I did the unstable exit, most of the door fear settled as well.

Happy hunting - you've only got a few more steps left in the return. And it's really rewarding mentally when you overcome it.

[kelpdiver 2]

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Not to start a "pissing" contest here or anything, but have you looked up extreme sport fatality stats lately ?? Hell, scuba diving is more dangerous . . .

Taken from Dan Poynter's Parachuting: A Skydiver's Handbook 6th edition.

In a recent year over 140 people died scuba diving, .

That recent year was 1989. The annual level has been about 90 for the last decade, despite millions of participants. And how many divers have titanium in their body.

Skydiving stats are padded most grossly by adding in one time tandem jumpers in the same group as the rest of us.

[Tuck1 0]

I know this isnt the point of the thread but are you sure about those 80,000:1 statistics. that seems awfully high to me.

I would have assumed that on the basis we get a mal about 500:1 that we would get a double mal at about 25,000:1 even ignoring the majority of incidents which occur for something other than gear malfunctions

Tuck

[kelpdiver 2]

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I know this isnt the point of the thread but are you sure about those 80,000:1 statistics. that seems awfully high to me.

I would have assumed that on the basis we get a mal about 500:1 that we would get a double mal at about 25,000:1 even ignoring the majority of incidents which occur for something other than gear malfunctions

Reserves are more reliable than mains. And not all mals are unrecoverable, or fatal.

[lewmonst 0]

You need TUNNEL TIME with coaching.

Nothing is going to take away your fear, and it shouldn't. Fear is a healthy thing to have in this sport. You need confidence that you can fly stable and deploy safely. Just like life, there are no gaurantees. I've been in the sport long enough to see eight, yes, eight friends die. Harness your fear to keep you alert and focussed. If you feel it overwhelming you, that's when you slow down, get more ground instruction, get more tunnel time, watch more videos, use that fear to inspire you to learn as much as you can. Nothing can replace real experience. But the more knowledge you have, the more experiences you can be as ready as possible to survive. I've survived many from good training, and some from luck. Just hope your luck bucket doesn't run out before you fill up your skills bucket. And get lots of tunneltime to build your confidence with body position and body awareness. I don't know where you are, but I know a lot of people in Perris California that could teach you the skills you need and build you confidence.
Not trying to sound like an advertisement, but we've worked with lots of students in the same position you're in. That's why it's so awesome to have a tunnel in the parking lot.

peace
Karen Lewis

http://www.exitshot.com

[DBCOOPER 5]

WTF

Replying to: Re: Stall On Jump Run Emergency Procedure? by billvon

If the plane is unrecoverable then exiting is a very very good idea.

[D.B.Cooper 0]

I guess there's another D.B. Cooper here ! LOL I'm the one without glasses.

I did some tunnel time and thought it was a great experience and a great tool to improve my body position. It has also helped with my body awareness as I could feel my legs more than I used to in the air.

I don't plan on doing more tunnel time as money is a matter but I will put your advice to good use.

Yes, fear is part of the sport and it's important to master it.
During my first jumps I used to recite the Litany against fear :

"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain."

And it's quite true. If I let my fear control me I'll just stay at home doing nothing.



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"I have a bomb in my briefcase. I will use it if necessary. I want you to sit next to me. You are being hijacked."

[BIGUN 1,297]

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Bu when a student is hesitant and needs a little push,

And herein lies the problem. You alluded in the first reply that it was "safe." The fact is - is that it is not and we cannot legally, morally or ethically say it is.

More to your point quoted above. We cannot externally motivate someone. They have to do themselves from within. Just last night, we heard about a girl still on student status who when asked if she wanted to make a third jump that day, walked over to the corner, puked came back and said, "Let's rock." She completed her entire Cat D in that one dive. Everyone who met her for the first time last night - gave her a high five.

To the original poster. Education is the greatest tamer of fear. GO to the DZ as much and as often as you like. Ask questions, read the articles on here, etc.

Personally, I dont know how to be successful at baking a cake. But if I ever choose to be, I'll read sveral recipes and I'm sure there's someone who'll walk me thru it the first time. I can be afraid of the outcome of that first cake, but each cake I bake will get better.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[LawnDart21 0]

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that seems awfully high to me.

It's what USPA has posted on their website, with the caveat that they only post what is reported to them.

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I would have assumed that on the basis we get a mal about 500:1

Where is that number coming from? As far as I know, there is no basis for mals, you are as likely to have a mal on your 1st jump or you 1000th jump. I have 1957 jumps and 1 malfunction. If I go 43 more jumps without another, could I argue that the mal rate is 1 in 2000? I could, but it wouldnt be a valid arguement. I don't represet the whole.

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that we would get a double mal at about 25,000:1

Again, no idea where that number comes from. Edit to add doube mals do no automatically equal a fatality. A lot of people have survived double mals.

I guess my point is that there is no true basis for determining malfunction rates, all we can do is look at what hard data is available (USPA) and acknowledge that there exists some potential deviation from those numbers due to the info being based on voluntaily reported numbers to USPA.

--
My other ride is a RESERVE.

[flyangel2 2]

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I don't plan on doing more tunnel time as money is a matter but I will put your advice to good use.

If you break it down with gear rental, and paying for two lift tickets, then paying the coach and the amount of time spent at the DZ, putting in tunnel time isn't expensive.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[Skyliber 0]

I agree with some people on their points, must of them are going to be listed below with some things added in my view.

A. Go to the DZ and just hang out. (Maybe bring some beer and socialize, learn some things from very experienced people)

B. Smile like you're a madman. (Think about all those things you nailed, as someone pointed out, and reflected how you're going to rock your next jump)

C. Do not pull to low, pull at where us students are supposed to. 5,500 will give you some piece of mind when jump and leaves sometime for a small mistake.

D. Get those coached jumps. When you do something right again, smile. When I did a backflip during my levels, it was excellent, my instructor saw me grinning from ear to ear. It adds confidence in yourself.

E. Practice at home, Practice at the DZ, practice in the plane, think about your skydive. think about what it is you are doing on this jump.

F. Watch some really kick ass videos of skydivers.

G. NEVER force anything. If you can't jump that jump. Get the next load. I doubt your DZ will deny you.


Well, hope that helps and enjoy it!
..PS.. You could look in a mirror and say. Hi! I'm D.B. And everybody likes me! That's supposed to build confidence I hear!

-=+ Skyliber, Disynthegrate, & Nucleaire +=-