Sep 27, 2011, 10:00 AM
Post #1 of 18
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1st Jump Jitters
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I recently did a tandem then signed up for AFF. Finished ground school and then was overcome with anxiety before leaving. Instructors were really cool and said I could come back next wekend and jump. Still a little wierded out though. Really want to jump but have never had that sort of anxiety before. I know all fo the procedures and am confident that I can do it. Have any other jumpers experienced anyhting similar? How did you overcome it? I really want to do this.
What I found is that I need a way to get rid of the nervous energy while ascending to altitude. Whether my instructor and I would laugh our fool heads off at something ridiculous, or what I do now is I sing a song in my head (singing out loud would be torture to the other people in the plane), and 'play the drums' whether it's on my lap, or the side of the plane.
I'm at 22 jumps, and still have a bit of nervous energy, but when I see friends in the sky with me, I am smiling, relaxing and having the time of my life!
Trust yourself and your instructors- they are professionals and keep jumping!
Anxiety is common. So common, in fact, that I'd think you were crazy if you weren't anxious.
We've all been through it. We've all gotten over it. What worked for me was mindset. I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to do it come hell or high water and then just did it.
That may not work for you, though.
Have you ever done something that you were anxious about at any time in your past? How did you get over that back then?
Just what, specifically, are you anxious about?
May I suggest that you fill in your profile?
(This post was edited by popsjumper on Sep 27, 2011, 4:38 PM)
skymama (D 26699)
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Sep 27, 2011, 6:23 PM
Post #7 of 18
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Welcome to the forums! I can tell you that most people have been in your position. Really, all I can tell you is that you have to have confidence in yourself and force yourself to face your fears. Sometimes you just have to have faith and jump. Good luck!
I am thinking I will probably just do another tandem. Really wanted to save the money for my next AFF jump, but I think that doing antother tandem and going over everything again will have me ready to go.
Someone just posted in another thread on a similar topic.
The cost of a tandem isn't too much different from your first AFF jump. So IF for some reason you had to repeat your first AFF jump, you would have that extra cash left over from the tandem you didn't do.
After weeks of training at the US Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, we all thought that we were not yet ready. The Jump School Commander gave us a speech saying that we probably thought so. But we were ready. Forget the Tandem; enroll in your AFF course and start enjoying the world of skydiving. It's a whole new reality.
A lot of that is probably performance anxiety. You've just been told all the stuff that can go wrong, and the huge list of procedures to do in each case to fix it. ("if this, then this, but only when that, and never in this case" etc) It's a lot to keep in mind. Next, the instructor goes back to the calm, easy "let's go skydive!" and tries to reassure you that you only have a few things to do on this skydive, but your head is still kind of reeling from the stack of information you've just been given. Add to the fact that you're probably on a budget for this new hobby, so you don't WANT to have to repeat anything, thereby putting more pressure on yourself to do it right the fist time.
I second the advice of many others here. If you have something specific that you know concerns you, go back over that with your instructors. If, like me, you know you love it but still get the severe anxiety, it seems the only solution is to push through it and jump. I still have good days and bad days, but I just focus on how great I feel when I'm jumping, and it helps me get past it.
Being anxious PRIOR to doing something is an indicator that you are about to go outside of your comfort zone. This is a good thing as being outside of your comfort zone is the only way that you can engage in learning.
Being anxious WHILE doing something means that you have not fully committed to the experience and are squandering the attention you have to devote to the task at hand. It is a bad thing because attention is the source of your personal power in action and affects your ability to perform.
Spend your time seriously considering whether or not you intend to commit to a course of action. Once you truly commit to a course of action, your anxiety will go away.
Take your time watching others, witness their preparation, learn about your equipment, and spend serious time and effort on preparing your emergency procedures. Recognize your preparation and commit to a course of action.
When you're in the plane, think about the jump plan. Keep going through in your mind what you're going to do. If the jitters set in, pull your mind back to the jump plan. On the ground, make sure you fully understand the emergency procedures. Once you leave the ground, keep thinking jump plan. And breathe steadily, don't hold your breath or overbreathe.
Did AFF recently and this worked for me, didn't stop me being nervous but allowed me to manage it. Hope it works for you.
Visualization. Play the movie in your mind 10 or 20 times a day...like you're day dreaming. Picture the whole process from putting on your gear to getting in the plane, sitting on the floor, climbing up to altitude, seeing the door open, etc...focus on it and try to recreate the feel of it...do this as often as you can the week before you jump. It will help greatly as the whole process will seem less foreign when you get there...because you will have seen it a hundred times or more.
Studies have shown that athletes trigger the same electrical impulses in visualization as they do in the actual activity, so I agree with visualizing it before hand. As such you can go through the motions in your mind before the jump and it's a lot like actual practice.
I'd say it's totally natural to have a hundred questions and some concerns, and I know after 50 something jumps I'm still very new to the game. I see things all the time that trip me out and when I tell my stories to the more experienced people they're like.... yeah so? Lol, it's just part of it.
I'm sure the more you do it the less you'll get nervous (in an anxious way) leading up to the jump and while you should still get that nervous energy, or whatever you wanna call it, it should get more and more fun. The only thing I can add, as a new jumper myself, is keep your eyes and mind open and look for something new about every jump.
Everyone feels like that...I say do the AFF. No time like right away. Remember...if you follow the safety instructions that you have been taught...IMHO this is a very safe sport. They would not let you out the door unless they believed in your skills. I also notice even the seasoned veterans on the ascent are visualizing the jump..... I find it relaxing to zone out at about 7-8k I slowly.... visually walk myself through the entire jump from exit to landing....then take a breath deep into your lungs...think about how exciting the next few minutes will be. I like to remember how fortunate I am to be able to do what very few other people get to experience. By that point you are ready to do another 10 point check and secure your helmet etc. Don't let your mind overcrowd the fun your are getting ready to have! Blue Skies brotha!
I used to be a professional magician in Vegas and I knew David Copperfield, probably the world's most famous magician. Anyway, after 25 years of performing on stage he told me "Everyone gets butterflies before a show, even me, the difference is, I know how to make mine fly in formation!"
I used to be a professional magician in Vegas and I knew David Copperfield, probably the world's most famous magician. Anyway, after 25 years of performing on stage he told me "Everyone gets butterflies before a show, even me, the difference is, I know how to make mine fly in formation!"
I can tell you that most people have been in your position. Really, all I can tell you is that you have to have confidence in yourself and force yourself to face your fears. Sometimes you just have to have faith and jump. Good luck! 
