My approach to learn sky diving

[jigneshsoni 0]

Its been 4 years I did not jump. Things didnt go very well for me in my attempts to learn to skydive. With all the frustrations and cost, I gave up jumping then. I am ready again.

I believe my biggest problem and challenge while learning to sky dive was "FEAR" I am sure everybody has fears when they are learning to skydive but I am starting to believe that I fear much more then most people. Or maybe fear impacts my mind more then it impacts others. It keeps coming in my way while learning.

Well all that said, 1 postive quality I have is I never give up. So here I am again and making plans and thinking of everything so I can get started again and learn to sky dive.

After a lot of thinking, I have decided my approach to learn skydiving and wanted to share it with you wonderful people and get your advise and suggestions for the same.

Like I mentioned about fear is what I have to manage and it is not going to be easy. I feel that the lesser things I have to manage while in sky dive, the better it is for me to manage fear. Also we all know how student jumps gets expensive when you keep repeating levels. Based on my personality and the cost, I am leaning towards doing the Static Line route for learning to skydive. This will give me the opportunity to manage lesser things in each jump, exactly what I want. Give me the opportunity to get over atleast some fear of "jumping out of the plane" by getting more jumps for the money as compared to AFF. Please let me know your thoughts on this?

Also I find that not a lot of Dropzones do Static Line training, I live in Central NJ. Please help me find a dropzone that will make sense for my goals?

[Scrumpot 1]

Brian Germain has published a really quite good book, combining a skydiving perspective, along with the total psychological components of transcending fear, entitled appropriately enough: Transcending Fear.

If this is your primary issue, as you state - I would highly recommend it.

Good luck, welcome back, and BLUE SKIES!
-Grant

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[theonlyski 8]

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Also I find that not a lot of Dropzones do Static Line training, I live in Central NJ. Please help me find a dropzone that will make sense for my goals?

You might be able to find a DZ that offeres Instructor Assisted Deployment (IAD). This is almost like static line, but with 'sport' student gear (doesn't use static lines, your instructor throws your pilot chute on your exit). Not saying that SL gear isn't modern, but there are plenty of DZ's out there that don't have a SL rig, who could in theory do IAD instead. (same gear could be used for AFF students)

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[ChrisL 2]

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Also I find that not a lot of Dropzones do Static Line training, I live in Central NJ. Please help me find a dropzone that will make sense for my goals?

I'm not sure how far it is from where you live, but "Above the Poconos" in Hazleton PA does IAD (or at least they did when I trained there)
People do come over from NJ to jump there.

that was the method I used. couldnt afford AFF at the time. It worked for me
and I think I got my A license on jump 29 or so...

__

My mighty steed

[JohnRich 4]

Static line may be cheaper, but I don't think it will lessen your fear - it will make it worse. And since that's your biggest issue, it might not be a good idea to go that route.

Static line exists are at low altitudes, which make the ground look much closer, and the fear of death imminent. Furthermore, you're entirely on your own for your freefall, with no one to help you stay stable. And you'll learn at a slower rate since your freefall is very limited at first.

With instructor jumps, you not only have higher altitudes which make the earth look more remote and death less imminent, but you also have the instructors to help you get and stay stable, and to pull on time for you if you fail to do so. For most people, having those instructors along is highly reassuring.

Nobody can make the decision for you, but I throw this out there as food for thought.

[billvon 3,070]

>I believe my biggest problem and challenge while learning to sky dive was "FEAR" . . .
>I am leaning towards doing the Static Line route for learning to skydive.

Static line is scarier, so I wouldn't recommend that for you.

[BillyVance 34]

Rita Ippoliti's book titled "Falling Into Place" might be a good read. Although the difference is that she had no fear of skydiving. She just sucked at learning it, but refused to give up. You can find it on Amazon.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[peek 21]

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Based on my personality and the cost, I am leaning towards doing the Static Line route for learning to skydive. This will give me the opportunity to manage lesser things in each jump, exactly what I want.

I think this is a very reasonable choice on your part. You are expected to perform a lot of tasks on an AFF jump and this might be adding to your being nervous. But only you would know. Do the type of jump that you want.

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

I suggest That some tunnel time might help you master some of the necessary skills in a less threatening environment. Tunnel time is typically less costly than jumps on a per minute basis.

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[airtwardo 7]

You're getting some good advise here, mine would be to understand your fear.

Solving problems is easier if you break then down, what exactly do you fear about the skydive.

focus on that particular area and deal with it, if it's gear fear learn about the components and their reliability, fear of heights...well that we all have to an extent it's part of the self presentation thing and it too can be dealt with by trusting your gear and your self.

Fear is in one way or another the catalyst for getting many things we do done...you're back because of the fear of failure...make that stronger than whatever fear it is holding you back.

Oh, go ahead give 'staticline' a try...and read Transcending Fear as was previously suggested...it's all a mind fuck that you CAN overcome..IF you want to.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[kallend 2,106]

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Its been 4 years I did not jump. Things didnt go very well for me in my attempts to learn to skydive.

Maybe you're too old.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Divalent 145]

I can only give you my perspective on what worked best for me. I did 10 jumps under a static line progression many many years ago. Recently I trained under AFF.

IMO, I *much* preferred AFF. I viewed static line as like trying to get into a cold swimming pool one toe at a time, with a retreat to dry land between each go. Maybe each dose of pain (e.g., dose of the fear) is smaller, but you have to keep revisiting it over and over, and you only get to bite off just a little bit more each jump. [ETA: With AFF] Key confidence milestones (ability to be aware of your surroundings during freefall, deploy yourself at terminal velocity, arch well, freefall stable, recover from instability, execute basic turns and tracks in freefall, etc) occur sooner, and you have more time during the jump to learn and practice. And having experienced both, I'll say this: if I was concerned that I might be the type of person that could totally freak out and lose mental and physical control (and unless you do a bunch of jumps, you never really know if you are that person or not), I would much rather learn about that when jumping from a high altitude with two instructors gripped to my side, than to learn that jumping all alone from 3K.

But lots of people learned (and are learning) on static line, so what worked best for me might not be best for you.

[Dougiefresh 0]

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I am starting to believe that I fear much more then most people. Or maybe fear impacts my mind more then it impacts others.

Bullshit. You just haven't learned how to deal with, control, and focus your fear, which is perhaps the strongest and most primal emotion we experience. "Transcending Fear" is a good book, read it. Then go to the tunnel and spend time getting comfortable with the idea of flying your body. There are people out there who are awesome body fliers who have zero or 2 or ten skydives. It's ok to be scared, and the tunnel allows us to learn to do really cool shit in a safe controlled environment. Maybe that's the place for you.

Then, if and when you're ready, get on a plane with a couple of instructors, find your mental happy place, and get out.

You'll be fine. Breathe.

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. --Douglas Adams

[popsjumper 2]

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I am starting to believe that I fear much more then most people. Or maybe fear impacts my mind more then it impacts others.

Bullshit. You just haven't learned....

Dougie, please. Don't ever minimize anyone's perceived fears. They may or may not be rational to you. To them, they are very real. Address them as such, please.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[Dougiefresh 0]

You misunderstand. I wasn't trying to minimize them at all. I don't see where you get that. I just don't like the idea that he is somehow "more fearful" than anyone else. We all have fear, and we all deal with it in different ways. My point is that it doesn't have to be paralyzing, but it will be if you let it.

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. --Douglas Adams

[popsjumper 2]

A real fear was expressed and you said "bullshit". That's where I got it. I'll take your word for it that you may have not been trying to minimize, and that's all well and good, but you did.

It's just a case of how you say what you want to say being mindful of the mindset of your audience. This is especially important when talking to new and/or young jumpers.

True story:
I once heard an AFFI tell a Level 1 student, "That's bullshit. Don't be a pussy."
I was proud of the potential student who stood up and said, "Yeah, and YOU are an asshole."

Unfortunately, the guy left the DZ and went to another one for training. He eventually became a very good all-around skydiver and, to this day, will not go to that first DZ to jump.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[PiLFy 3]

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You misunderstand. I wasn't trying to minimize them at all. I don't see where you get that. I just don't like the idea that he is somehow "more fearful" than anyone else. We all have fear, and we all deal with it in different ways. My point is that it doesn't have to be paralyzing, but it will be if you let it.

Dougie, I don't know you. I'm not trying to pick a fight w/you, either. Your views on this need adjusting. People do not feel fear the same way, or to the same extent. I'll give you an example. I used to help care for two brothers who were patients in a large practice. These guys were both as big as Buicks. They were also mob enforcers. It wasn't BS bravado. They were enforcers for real. They'd shoot you, or break both your legs w/o hesitation if on the clock. Pull a needle out on either one of them? They'd turn white as a sheet. I doubt a knife or gun would have phased them as much. Phobias are irrational fears by definition. Fear of heights is most definitely a phobia.

Yes, it's true that we all need to learn to properly handle fear. That's a part of this, but only a part. Just as some people feel more pain than others in medical situations (it's true). Some people experience much higher fear levels than the rest of us. Some people become primed for the initial fear to become paralyzing almost instantly. Not everyone is stopped by fear because they never learned how to handle it.

[Bertt 0]

There's a guy in New York who has a part in a play. He stands in the same spot on the same stage and says the same lines every night. It's a long running play, so he's done this hundreds of times. Before every performance, he goes into the bathroom and throws up because he is so scared
He's not scared that he will fall off the stage and get hurt. He's scared he will forget his lines, or stand in the wrong spot. He's scared he will embarrass himself, or that the audience won't like him. That's called "performance anxiety".
So how does he get on stage and perform every night? He rehearses. He practices everything he is going to say and everything he is going to do in detail, over and over, so that when the curtain goes up, his body does the right thing, even if his mind is almost completely overwhelmed with fear. He has rehearsed everything in such detail that, when he gets his cue, he really doesn't know what else to do except perform the way he is supposed to. That doesn't take away the fear, but it keeps him going.
And learn to do a good parachute landing fall.

You don't have to outrun the bear.

[MariusTer 0]

One of the more experienced jumpers at my home DZ [25+years] have a saying.I still feel the butterflies before each jump but I have taught them to fly in formation.He goes further by saying that the day he does not feel them anymore he will stop jumping because then he has become complacent.

[virgin-burner 1]

the only way to beat fear is to jump more!

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[Dougiefresh 0]

pops, stop trying to be the lone voice of experience. I gave the OP good advice. Sorry I wasn't tender and sensitive about it.

Christ. Jump more, post less, ffs.

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. --Douglas Adams

[Olmed 0]

I see no reason to push away the nervousness you feel. More than one experienced jumper have been talking about how they would love to re-experience the fear/nervousness they felt during their first few jumps.

My peace comes when the door opens..

[riggerpaul 1]

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pops, stop trying to be the lone voice of experience. I gave the OP good advice. Sorry I wasn't tender and sensitive about it.

Christ. Jump more, post less, ffs.

Good advice? Maybe. maybe not.

Some people's fear is absolutely debilitating.

If OP's fear makes it impossible to think straight, maybe skydiving is better left for when something else has made the fear less devastating.

(Pops is NOT the lone voice of experience,)

[popsjumper 2]

OK dougie, just putting up a friendly offering.
Some listen, some don't such is life.

I just know that had you addressed my newbie irrational fear of leg straps breaking like that, I would not have responded in a manner that you would have been shooting for nor one you would have liked.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239