how did you find stability in the air?

[superman0710 0]

did my first AIF today and it was a difficult for me to find balance in the air (i wasn't too bad when i went out of control...but i still managed to go out of control ). I'm working on my arch now to try and commit it to muscle memory, but i'm wondering how does one come to just find balance?

[Feeblemind 1]

I found it by RELAXING!! It did not come on the 1st AFF though. I remember chipping and starting to spin when my instructor gave me the look at him sign. Well thinking something was horribly wrong I forgot about everything that was going on and looked him right in the eye....Poof I was stable. The more I jumped the more comfortable I have gotten.

Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked

[kai2k1 0]

Tic Tacs and Altoids

There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan

[Skolem45 0]

I kept going into a flat spin until about jump 9 or 10. Then I went to Perris and had 10 minutes of tunnel time. That made all the difference!

[rasmack 0]

I got a video from a jump where I kept turning slowly, and sure enough I did not do, what I thought I did. My left knee kept dipping and my legs where too far apart. Practising the arch on the ground feels different than doing it in the air.

Oh, that and a lot of jumps

HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227
“I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.”
- Not quite Oscar Wilde...

[bob.dino 1]

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but i'm wondering how does one come to just find balance?

Relax! It's written in large letters across pretty much every one of my AFF jumps, and it's damn true.

[kelpdiver 2]

I can't give the default answer of relax since I've never figure out how to do that on command. You will get better at doing so. A good exhalation can do wonders.

Congrats on getting out there and doing it. You have more data to ask questions about!

[OzoneJunkie 0]

As everyone is saying, relax. Specifically, with many things in freefall, you need to find the balance of muscle tension in the body. Not too relaxed (too floppy), not too tense.

But typically the problem for newer jumpers is too much muscle tension.... so... relax.. ;)

[BRYANGOESBOOM 0]

smile it keeps me relaxed

congrats on your jump

Not only will you look better, feel better, and fuck better; you'll have significantly increased your life expectancy. --Douva

[huka551 0]

Same here! I went into flat spins on level 4 (not fun!), did 15 minutes of tunnel time and learned to relax and have fun! Remeber fun? Next time your in the plane, look out the window and think about how beautiful that is going to look from the outside, especially if there are some fluffy white clouds, and get out, enjoy the view and find that happy place that allows you to relax, and stable will come!

Muff Brother 3723

[JohnMitchell 16]

I looked up while I was arching and there it was, right in front of me.

[Thanatos340 1]

First and foremost - Listen to your instructors and ONLY your instructors. They will tell you what you need to know.

What worked for me was learning to relax. AFF was difficult because it seemed like there was so much I had to get done in such a short amount of time on each jump. Combine that with the Normal Nervousness about jumping from a Plane and I tended to tense up. Once I learned to relax, I realized there was plenty of time get all objectives done on each jump and stability issues disappeared. The other issue I had was Turns which were caused by my legs being uneven. Toe Taps took care of that problem rather quickly.

Only your instructors have seen you in the air, They are the only ones who should tell what you should be doing or not doing.

[jimmytavino 16]

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Each time you exit,,,, you might try to get a real GOOD look at the aircraft..... I am amazed at how often new jumpers will say,,, "I have NEVER seen the plane on exit".......and sometimes these are people with dozens of jumps!! Well IT'S RIGHT THERE....hahahaha.... If you Look!!!
And whether it is a cessna, or a turbine, most exits,,, (except diving) afford the jumper a great opportunity to see the plane, the moment they leave.... Looking Hard for it,, the first 2 seconds out the door,, will help you to maintain a head UP attitude,,,, will give you a REAL reference point, against which to assess your own body position, and hopefully will help to prevent an inadvertant barrell roll, or other stability issue..... It also tends to put you squarely into the propwash....Plus... you get to Enjoy the "Visual"....... but of course don't fixate on it,,, move right into your dive plan,, confident that your exit was clean,, square, and stable.....
.... Now should you experience stability problems during the course of the skydive,,, push your belly button out... relax your legs,, bend your knees,, and square up your arms, and elbows,, get your head UP... and smile.... If you need to reestablish stability during the middle or later part of a skydive,,,,, be sure to do an immediate altitude check.... just in case you have "burned up"
more of the sky than you realized.....If you are in the air with an instructor, or a coach, or ANYone,,,it helps a great deal if you can Locate them,,, and much like you use the aircraft for reference on exit,,, you can then use your freefall partner for the same purpose.... Always know where others are when you are skydiving together,,, and Always wave strongly,,, before you deploy...You will incorporate tracking into your repertoire, as your instructors see fit,, in which case,,, track, Look!!!! wave and pull.

[OzoneJunkie 0]

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First and foremost - Listen to your instructors and ONLY your instructors. They will tell you what you need to know.

What worked for me was learning to relax.

So, we should ignore everything after the "First and foremost - Listen to your instructors and ONLY your instructors." sentence? Or, maybe we should even ignore that one!! :P

Sorry, had to :P

[Thanatos340 1]

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So, we should ignore everything after the "First and foremost - Listen to your instructors and ONLY your instructors." sentence? Or, maybe we should even ignore that one!! ***

Damn right he should ignore me (and everyone else too.)
I was simply sharing what worked for me, Which in No-way was was trying to tell him what HE should do, That is a job for his instructors.

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[OzoneJunkie 0]

Yeah, I know - just found it kinda funny. Nothing bad intended, just ignore me ;)

[heidihagen 0]

see what i meant about the difference between tandems and aff? yes, listen to instructors... but ask them about tunnel time as well (mine never mentioned it until i asked...)

yeah, yeah it's pricey but sooo worth it when you think about actual ff time. the time you spend in there might save you a few repeats. you're lucky you have a skyventure in your state. not to mention, there are like 5+ drop zones in your area open 7 days a week! i'm jealous.......go have funhttp://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1492125;search_string=tunnel;#1492125

i didn't lose my mind, i sold it on ebay. .:need a container to fit 5'4", 110 lb. cypres ready & able to fit a 170 main (or slightly smaller):.[/ce

[dayle 0]

Like everyone else, relaxing in the air is key, however did you get video on your jump?

I found that having video is the best teacher, (besides a good instructor). Your instructor can tell you what the problem is, but actually seeing it for yourself really helps.

Just keep at it, listen to your instructors and have fun!

Dayle