I failed

[bgrozev 2]

dthames

***I don't think you failed at all. 90% of the population would never even go up in the jump plane with thr idea of jumping out. Took me a long time to get over the initial jump fear. I would do a jump and say I'm done. Then I'd go back and do another. Don't over think it. Skydiving is not natural thou. It feels same good once you see comfortable with it. Try to relax the best you can. Good luck!

Pete, this is not aimed directly at you and I don't want it to be, but often someone says, "You didn't fail, you learned something didn't you." Well the reality of the world is that we do fail and very often. Failure demands change, before success to happen.

If there are no hard and fast measures, then everything would be sort of okay, just not the best in the world. Nothing must be fixed, just hope for better luck next time. (not)

Most people would feel that failure is not an acceptable level of performance. When I had to repeat a student level, I failed to progress to the next level, which was my objective. Did I fail to properly skydive, no. Did I fail to do other things, no. But I did fail the task at hand. And that, has a profound effect on my next move. (I don't like to fail)



If the OP thinks he failed, I will say, "Okay what can we do to succeed the next time?"

Completely agree. Failure, n.: Lack of success. You can bend over backwards trying to avoid a certain word because you don't like the sound of it, or worse lie to your self by changing your goals, but that doesn't change the facts. I'd rather honestly analyze the situation and learn as much as possible from the experience.

Try not to fail next time. But if you do (and you will at some point) that's OK -- learn from it and go again. Repeat.


More to the original point: I also did a static line course, and the first couple of jumps were really really scary. I knew that I wanted to do it (otherwise I wouldn't have got on the plane in the first place), and the way I dealt with it was to concentrate on just the tasks that I needed to do in order to exit (where do I put my feet, how do I push out), and actually force myself to do it even though it didn't feel right. I'm not sure I would recommend doing the same, but this is what worked for me.

[priyohere 0]

Thats what i plan to do next time when i am on my SL1. stop overthinking and go over the full thing in my head, instead, i small step at a time and while i am waiting for it to happen, practice EP on the ground to make it muscle memory.

[priyohere 0]

catfishhunter

I'm not the guy that's going to blow smoke up your skirt and say good job keep at it blah blah blah..skydiving is DANGEROUS and YOU can and might very possibly DIE. Its not riding a bike where you fall down and get back on. You fail skydiving and you die. It is OK to walk away or just make Tandems when you feel the need for your knees in the breeze. There are people out their with hundreds of tandems because they like to jump but don't want to or are in capable of being in charge of themselves. There is no shame in that but forcing the issues and dying is forever. Don't be THAT GUY!

no disrespect, but i paid more attention to your signature. I actually knew a guy who fell from his bike, hit his head on the concrete, and bled out internally the next day. May be i should have stopped biking, but i still do it. If i become THAT guy who tried and died while trying to conquer his fears, i can live (die) with it.
Peace!

[DrSher 0]

priyohere

If i become THAT guy who tried and died while trying to conquer his fears, i can live (die) with it.
Peace!

This is said by someone willing to face challenges. Strong words. Good attitude. The human mind evolves every second.

.

I cannot stand Lidocaine (Hurricaine) spray. Pretty bad for someone working in ER's. A friend of mine cannot stand seeing blood.I couldn'tcare less. I remember we ate lunch in anatomy room while studying bodies.

We all have our tests&trials. I have a friend that is struggling a lot with rock climbing these days. He is struggling to scale a certain grade that I cannot cope with. He does not understand why I skydive. I took care of a famous soccer player who had a problem with his leg and a mental blockage to do a slide tackle (and was a wingback). The human mind is amazing, strong and powerful and we don't even know 1% (of %) of what we don't know yet. Clinical practice and CBT is still based off old models.

Human nature and explorations are very diverse and very unknown. Everyone reacts differently and previous acts does not guarantee same repeat again.

Having said the latter, this individual (once fears are mastered) has the potential to be a very popular instructor and JM when that time comes. Getting people to jump and do it right is a coaching skill.

[gunsmokex 1]

Quote

@gunsmokex - You are SPOT ON. I tend to overthink everything and that’s exactly what I am doing and focusing a lot on "What If". When I was waiting for my tandem, I watched every video there is and obviously most were mal videos. You arent rash at all, I am same way. I NEED to quit overthinking shit. Also, I think you hit the nail in the head there… its my ego that’s asking me to listen to myself, who aint know shit about skydiving and not the trainer with more than 2k jumps. Yes, I paid for the jumps and I also got them a case of beer for my first quit :P… ever, in anything in my life.
And yes, next time I am going up for a solo exit, I will decide before I go. it was uncomfortable as hell moving a full load in a 182 and then again in a 206.. I am surprised my JM just didn’t throw me out!!

Perfect man a case of beer goes a long ways! When I did static line and was learning I'll admit that there was a lot of shit going on in my head but the more I learned and read the SIM the more I was comfortable with everything that was going around me. Get a copy of the SIM online and start reading it, your instructors will point out what you need to focus on.

Just get that 1st SL out of the way and I think you will do fine you have a good attitude!

But yeah overthinking shit doesn't help, goes back to that ego thing I'm glad you understand what I'm talking about. I've seen a few that never could let of their ego and by doing that they could never succeed at becoming a skydiver.

[Deimian 43]

bgrozev

******I don't think you failed at all[...]

[...]often someone says, "You didn't fail, you learned something didn't you." Well the reality of the world is that we do fail and very often. Failure demands change, before success to happen.
[...]
If the OP thinks he failed, I will say, "Okay what can we do to succeed the next time?"

Completely agree. Failure, n.: Lack of success. You can bend over backwards trying to avoid a certain word because you don't like the sound of it[...]

I guess it all depends the timeframe you consider. Riding the plane down might be considered a failure, if you think about that single occasion. For me, skydiving is a long term commitment, not a one off thing. Failing to do one skydive is not the same as failing to skydive. That's why I said "you didn't fail, you just delayed it".

priyohere

If i become THAT guy who tried and died while trying to conquer his fears, i can live (die) with it.

Conquering fears is cool, but dying is not. I don't like it when people use that rhetoric. We can all die doing this, and being aware of it is a good thing, it keep us alert. But pushing it beyond your limits and keep trying when you shouldn't is not. Too many people died in this sport trying something that they shouldn't. Don't push your luck more than necessary. No jump and no attempt is worth dying for. Learn to discern where are your limits. That's probably the most difficult (and the most important) thing in skydiving.

[RyanMarshall 0]

No doubt it's that moment at the door that really counts, where fear is strongest. I had to trick my brain in order to do it. I would tell myself things like I'm in the military and I must do this for my country. One thing that really helped me was to keep focusing on the idea of getting out of the door and worry about everything else later. Physically I am capable of doing that no matter how mentally terrified I was. From my experience, as soon as you jump out of the plane, all of the fear melts away.

[adagen 0]

It helped me to focus on the tasks I had to do rather than the idea of jumping from a plane. That was a pretty detailed breakdown including what would be happening, the instructions I was going to get, and what I was supposed to do in response. I went through all this on the ground, then again about 7 - 8000 feet when my stomach started to churn again, and I focused very strongly on it as I headed for the door. That was AFF with dive exits, but it could be useful in your situation.

Anne

[London86 0]

I'm looking forward to the post you put on here saying you've done it, you'll be buzzing for a while after finally doing it.

Fair play to you for carrying on

[priyohere 0]

London86

I'm looking forward to the post you put on here saying you've done it, you'll be buzzing for a while after finally doing it.

Fair play to you for carrying on

I am looking forward to it too

[priyohere 0]

adagen

It helped me to focus on the tasks I had to do rather than the idea of jumping from a plane. That was a pretty detailed breakdown including what would be happening, the instructions I was going to get, and what I was supposed to do in response. I went through all this on the ground, then again about 7 - 8000 feet when my stomach started to churn again, and I focused very strongly on it as I headed for the door. That was AFF with dive exits, but it could be useful in your situation.

Definitely helps Anne, Thanks much

[priyohere 0]

RyanMarshall

No doubt it's that moment at the door that really counts, where fear is strongest. I had to trick my brain in order to do it. I would tell myself things like I'm in the military and I must do this for my country. One thing that really helped me was to keep focusing on the idea of getting out of the door and worry about everything else later. Physically I am capable of doing that no matter how mentally terrified I was. From my experience, as soon as you jump out of the plane, all of the fear melts away.

Thanks for the tip, i have to come up with something to keep my mind occupied too. many people here have commented to focus only on task at hand, i will try to do that. one step at a time and finally let go off the strut

[priyohere 0]

well guys... my JM doesn't have any opening till mid Oct and then I am out for a month.. so guess this have to wait to May next yr :(

Meantime I plan to get some tunnel time and may be a couple of training tandems this winter when I travel south

long wait....

[Di0 1]

priyohere

well guys... my JM doesn't have any opening till mid Oct and then I am out for a month.. so guess this have to wait to May next yr :(

Meantime I plan to get some tunnel time and may be a couple of training tandems this winter when I travel south

long wait....

Travel. Travel. Travel. Don't allow yourself to sit that long over your fear, your failure, your fear of failure. It will make getting back on the horse so much harder, trust me. Or not.

I'm standing on the edge
With a vision in my head
My body screams release me
My dreams they must be fed... You're in flight.

[Rstanley0312 0]

priyohere

well guys... my JM doesn't have any opening till mid Oct and then I am out for a month.. so guess this have to wait to May next yr :(

Meantime I plan to get some tunnel time and may be a couple of training tandems this winter when I travel south

long wait....

The tunnel will be great for so many reasons. Also, remember, you didn't fail. You found another way that didn't work. Look at it that way.

Life is all about ass....either you're kicking it, kissing it, working it off, or trying to get a piece of it.
Muff Brother #4382 Dudeist Skydiver #000
www.fundraiseadventure.com

[Ron 7]

Are you dead? No? Then you did not fail.

Quote

f you are about to give me the "skydiving is not for everyone speech"... well i am doing it no matter what

Well, not to nit pick - but you are not doing it. And that is fine. This is not for everyone. Only you can decide if it is worth it, and only you can judge yourself for that choice. No one is going to beat you up for not doing this.... And anyone that is going to talk bad about you behind your back... Well screw them.

What can you do? Well, identify WHY you have that fear. Maybe you just don't trust the gear, then learn about the gear. Maybe you are not 100% sure of the emergency procedures... So learn them better. Maybe you didn't totally grasp the exit technique, well..... Do it till you DREAM about the process.

Most times fear is because you don't know something. So identify the ignorance and get rid of it.

If all that does not work. Well Tandems to get rid of the fear and build trust. Maybe you need to change DZ's, maybe you need to change methods and go AFF. Maybe you need to change hobbies.

Any and all of that is fine. Don't beat yourself up, this shit is NOT natural and fear is normal and healthy.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334