0
Blindpost

So...what if you are getting a 'bad feeling' about your next jump?

Recommended Posts

Just hypothetically speaking, let's say you're a licensed jumper and you've been in the sport a year or two. You have between 100-200 jumps or so, and suddenly...you have this bad feeling about your next jump. Just out of the blue. No reason for it, just a bad feeling.

To add a little to that, let's just suppose you've had a bad feeling prior to a jump before, and things on that jump went wrong. Very wrong, like a malfunction, and an issue with the plane.

So what would you do? :|

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
A couple of points - hope they help.

If you are feeling funny about jumping you shouldn't ignor your instincts. No one is going to force you to jump out of a plane (i hope) - it is ALL on you.

Check ALL of your gear one more time the way you were taught; your 'bad feeling' could be 'gear-fear' in disguise. Being confident with equipment, and having it prepared properly, places a lot of ease on the situation (in freefall and under canopy). ;)

Also consider the people you are jumping with. There are plenty of reasons to be apprehensive about a skydive, especially when there are other entities flying around you. A freefall collision with another jumper is definitely one of those concerns. Learn to anticipate movements. Get used to asking people there experience level before they go up with you. It isn't an arrogant thing to ask another jumper their jump-number as long as it is for a good cause. B|

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
i would and do listen to my inner voice. sometimes it's all that stands between me and something i don't want!

that inner voice is my sum-total of life experiences that guides me. mostly i make the right descions when that little light goes off in my brain, but not allways!

***
~~~~Green grass and high clouds forever~~~~
no matter where you go, there you are!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

you have this bad feeling about your next jump. Just out of the blue. No reason for it, just a bad feeling... So what would you do? :|



Suck it up and jump anyway. If you're going to let superstition rule your life, then you've probably got no business jumping anyway, and it's time to sell your rig and give up the sport.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Read the quote below my friend - Sure, you're going to have a few uneasy feelings from time to time but, don't let them rule your life. As far as malfunctions go, you WILL have to deal with it in due time, trust me on that one. That's why we go through all of the training.

Blue Skies,
Z




Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Check ALL of your gear one more time the way you were taught; your 'bad feeling' could be 'gear-fear' in disguise. Being confident with equipment, and having it prepared properly, places a lot of ease on the situation (in freefall and under canopy). ;)



What he said.

P-
--
It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
Postal Rodriguez, Muff 3342

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote


Suck it up and jump anyway. If you're going to let superstition rule your life, then you've probably got no business jumping anyway, and it's time to sell your rig and give up the sport.



I couldn't agree more. Do you gamble? If so, have you ever gone up to the blackjack table, or lottery or whatever and bought a ticket or hand, etc because you "had a feeling." It's just like that. Unless you are truly psychic or something, those feelings don't mean much.

This is all given that you don't have any real cause for concern--that it's all just a FEELING with no basis for alarm. Now, if you are about to get on the airplane and the propeller falls off-that's a totally different story. ;)

Forget about it, go jump, and have fun. Practice your relaxation techniques and SMILE!!!!

"Let the misinterpretation and attacks begin."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quickly find some sucker to jump your rig. Give some lame excuse like, "Can you see if this has a built in turn"? Heck if you're afraid of it, by all means, slough if off to some one else and see what happens!!!

:)
Or just blow off the day and go mini-golfing.
My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Suck it up and jump anyway.



I've had plenty of jumps where I didn't feel so up for it. If I'm out for awhile, like a few months, I know the first one back's gonna be a humdinger, like "what the fuck am I doing this for again ? This is nuts...".

Emotion is a funny thing and we know skydiving goes pretty deep into our emotions. All our natural instincts are telling us that we'll be killed. So if we're tired, hung over, having relationship problems or any of that shit that bothers everybody, it just compounds itself on this airplane ride when you know you won't be landing with the plane. So suck it in and jump, the moment you exit you won't even remember what it was that was nagging at you and everything will be just fine.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quickly find some sucker to jump your rig. Give some lame excuse like, "Can you see if this has a built in turn"? Heck if you're afraid of it, by all means, slough if off to some one else and see what happens!!!



:D:D:D Hookitt that rocks... :D
~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quit being a clown and get the fuck out of the plane. If God wants you.......He'll get you however it needs to happen. I'd rather burn in than slip in the tub! B|



You're right. (Now it's all on you if I get mangled) :D:D

Kidding. No big deal. I saw my 2 scariest jumps prior to doing them in full detail. This time it's just a weird feeling with no details, so I'm not quite so worried. -Besides, I've seen a funky mal before and I dealt with it, I can deal with it again. If I couldn't I wouldn't be jumping. B|

I think sometimes God knows we would just flip out in a certain situation so he has to give some of us a 'heads up' prior. ;) I don't always consider that a gift; just that God has to give some of His slower kids a few extra tools to survive life...:S

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
My brain tells me to just suck it up and go jump, BUT sometimes unexplainable things happen.

Evel Knieval dreamt of his some of worst crashes the night before the crash. (But he could have also dreamt a crash before every demo so I don't know if that's valid or not.)

My grandfather, who died in good health at a young age, knew he was going to die a few weeks before he actually did. He started telling his wife to do things herself, go out with friends more than usual, so the transition after his death would be easier.

Scientifcally speaking, emotions, feelings, intuitions are worthless. However, we do know that animals can tell before a major natural disaster is going to happen. There is something in intuition that we can't scientifically explain, and I'm sure that in our raw animal state, we would have much more instinctive tendencies than we actually use right now.

So, I would say don't jump. Especially since you've already had this happen before.

OTOH, if somebody was afraid of every jump consistently, I'd tell them to suck it up or change sports.
This ad space for sale.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

So, I would say don't jump. Especially since you've already had this happen before.



To everyone saying this.....are you telling me that you've never gotten nervous before a jump? Hell, I've been in freefall and though....what the fuck am I doing? Then I see the ocean 100 miles away and say, oh yeah.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Ok...so I'm going to get shot for posting this, but a dear friend of mine has been through this, more than once. He isn't someone that lacks experience at all, somewhere in the 1400 jumpish range (I'm sure he will correct me) Two things--

Near the end of last season before a jump, he says to me that he didn't feel good about his pack job. Instead of repacking it, he made the decision to jump it....well, that ended up being an expensive jump when he had to pay for the reserve re-pack.

First jump this year--he came out, I invited him on a jump, he declined because he wasn't really in the jumping mindset...I don't really remember the real reason, regardless another jumper invited him on the same load, he decided to gear up--the skydive went fine, but after landing...well, I still don't have my friend back in the air with me. (maybe next month!!) ;)

Just two more examples of trust your gut....if it doesn't feel right, don't do it.

Aimee---
Good Vibes-Good Dives!!!!

(don't be mad!!)


I'd rather have an awkward morning than a boring night!!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Excellent question. When this happens to me, I try to ask myself if there are any objective reasons not to proceed with the jump. If not, I go ahead with the jump despite any butterfiles/jitters/nerves or whatever.

If I grounded myself every time the little voices tried to talk me out of it, I'd have even fewer jumps than I do already.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I get bad mojo when I'm
a.) rushed
b.) uncurrent
c.) there's a chain building

If I'm rushed, I do my little four point check which is;
testicles (gear) specticles (goggles) Wallet (Pull) Watch (Alti). If I got that, I've got the basics.
If I'm uncurrent I make sure I'm not overtasking myself (like a 30 way on the second jump aftre a 6 month lay off)
If there's a chain building it gets quite easy to see with a 30 sec. reflection.

Bad mojo usually happens irrationally.
Shit happens when you are jumping with good vibes and don't see any problems (at least everyone I've seen).
If you have bad mojo, double check your gear and dive plan and go. Let your brain be your guide!

p.s. I just had a friend at 250 jumps lose his nerve this year. He doesn't "feel good" about jumping this year with everything that has happened in his personal life. I don't think he'll ever jump again. If you let it in once, it will nevr leave. Don't let this happen to you!
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

ust two more examples of trust your gut....if it doesn't feel right, don't do it.



I put that under the self-fulfulling prophecy file.



I'd agree with that to some extent. To the extent of things that could happen that would be in that person's control; packing, freefall, canopy flight, landing. However, unfortunately there are things beyond our control as well in skydiving, and y'know how the saying goes...'shit happens'...
~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote


To everyone saying this.....are you telling me that you've never gotten nervous before a jump? Hell, I've been in freefall and though....what the fuck am I doing? Then I see the ocean 100 miles away and say, oh yeah.



I think that there is a difference between nerves and feelings. I also think that we know the difference. I don't think that I would encourage someone to jump when they just don't feel right about it. You never know when God may be trying to warn you. I have only had a "feeling" once. It was weird because for me, It was that I was so relaxed in the plane that I felt something was wrong. On that jump the plane "crash landed" with everyone on board. Nobody was injured, but it was not fun!

To those of you telling him not to worry about it, I would say don't be so quick to throw it out. There may be something to those "feelings".

I also wanted to add that I really believe in "mothers intuition". Because every time I have had something go wrong on a jump my mother has had a feeling. One time she wasn't even at the dz and felt like she needed to come. I kind of think that it's because she is so close to God.;)
Blue Skies,
Danielle


"Life is either a great adventure or nothing." - Helen Keller

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0