Decided factor

[hangingon 0]

So I've been entertaining the idea of learning how to skydive but haven't been able to commit...yet. I have gone tandem twice over the summer and enjoyed it, but the idea of having to learn how to control my canopy is my greatest fear and landing; I have two bad knees from running injuries. I'm a scuba diver and I feel a lot of similarities between the two sports, but skydiving is certainly exponentially faster.

I guess my question is how do I get over this fear and what was your deciding factor to commit?

Change the energy

[topdocker 0]

hangingon

So I've been entertaining the idea of learning how to skydive but haven't been able to commit...yet. I have gone tandem twice over the summer and enjoyed it, but the idea of having to learn how to control my canopy is my greatest fear and landing; I have two bad knees from running injuries. I'm a scuba diver and I feel a lot of similarities between the two sports, but skydiving is certainly exponentially faster.

I guess my question is how do I get over this fear and what was your deciding factor to commit?

Overcoming the fear IS the deciding factor!

It is supposed to be scary. People that say they weren't afraid the first few times are either lying, crazy, or stupid. The rest of us practically soiled ourselves at some point during the early training/jumping. Skydiving is not a natural act and is difficult to prepare oneself mentally for.

It's easier than you think, so stop thinking about it.....

top

Jump more, post less!

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

topdocker

Overcoming the fear IS the deciding factor!

It is supposed to be scary. People that say they weren't afraid the first few times are either lying, crazy, or stupid. The rest of us practically soiled ourselves at some point during the early training/jumping. Skydiving is not a natural act and is difficult to prepare oneself mentally for.

It's easier than you think, so stop thinking about it.....

top

I honestly didn't feel THAT afraid on my first jump! Then the AFFI showed me the video a bit later and the deer in the headlights look on my face as I was going to the door told another story! Heh heh heh. I think I didn't notice due to the massive adrenaline rush I was getting at the time.

Looking back on it, I'm a little surprised I even got out the door. Then I did it anyway. And again and again at an average of one jump about every 2.6 days since then. For the first 30 jumps or so I talked myself out of going to the DZ on a few nice days. Just didn't want to deal with the stress those days. Right now I'm waiting (very) impatiently for the weather to stop sucking so I can go do a few more jumps. Looks like it's going to be crap for at least another couple of weeks

Several times during AFF training, I had several AFFIs tell me that if I could climb out of the door mock-up on the ground, I could do it in the air. It's no different, they said, at 1 foot or 10000 feet. I didn't believe them. About a year later I found myself repeating that very advice to a new AFF student who was practicing on the mock-up. Somewhere along the way I'd realized the truth of the statement.

Around the same time I'd had a dream where I had to jump from a platform across a 200 foot drop to some rope rigging on a hot air balloon. I told myself "I'd have no problem doing this at 6 feet and the only difference here is in my mind," and made the jump. Now in theory I should be OK, then, climbing out the door of one of the planes in the air without a parachute on and then climbing back in. I'm not in a huge hurry to test this (I doubt the DZ would even let me on the plane without a parachute) but I think if my life depended on it I probably could. I can say for sure that this would not have been true prior to me starting skydiving.

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[dthames 0]

One of my deciding factors was age. The older I got, the more likely I would have more problems in many respects.

I would think fear of flying the parachute and landing would be something totally different than the concern for injury due to existing conditions. Can you determine if it is really fear or just concern for your legs. Once you learn to flare and land properly, the shock and stress on your legs is not very much as long as a person stays inside certain boundries. In the beginning stages of learning a person needs to protect themselves by a controlled fall when they land hard. That is part of training, that you can always fall back on if you mess up. If you can't learn to jump from about 5 feet up, fall, and roll in such a way that you don't hurt your legs, maybe your legs don't need to be skydiving.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[dthames 0]

Quote

People that say they weren't afraid the first few times are either lying, crazy, or stupid.

I have heard this said before and I don’t understand why people think there is something wrong with you if you are not afraid. We plan to put on a piece of equipment and trust our lives with it and our ability to operate it.

Is the design of the equipment sound?
Is the equipment in good working condition?
Is the training good enough that you are sure you can carry out your tasks?
If you “believe” the answers to those three questions are Yes, then fear make no sense at all.

Yes, there might be something wrong with me. But if someone says they trust the equipment, trust the training, and trust themselves but are afraid, I would be very puzzled as to what was going on in their head. Maybe is that person that has something wrong with them. Maybe they really don’t believe the answers are all Yes and they only "hope" the anwers are Yes. Fear in that situation is very understandable.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[Boogers 0]

dthames

Quote

People that say they weren't afraid the first few times are either lying, crazy, or stupid.

I have heard this said before and I don’t understand why people think there is something wrong with you if you are not afraid. We plan to put on a piece of equipment and trust our lives with it and our ability to operate it.

Is the design of the equipment sound?
Is the equipment in good working condition?
Is the training good enough that you are sure you can carry out your tasks?
If you “believe” the answers to those three questions are Yes, then fear make no sense at all.

Yes, there might be something wrong with me. But if someone says they trust the equipment, trust the training, and trust themselves but are afraid, I would be very puzzled as to what was going on in their head. Maybe is that person that has something wrong with them. Maybe they really don’t believe the answers are all Yes and they only "hope" the anwers are Yes. Fear in that situation is very understandable.

The answer may be "yes" to those questions, but we also know that nothing is perfect, and accidents still happen. Therefore, there is still plenty of room for fear. Even amongst the highly experienced, where it may surface as just twinges of doubt now and then after a horrible accident, and we wonder "what in the heck am I doing?"

[mrubin 0]

dthames

Quote

People that say they weren't afraid the first few times are either lying, crazy, or stupid.

I have heard this said before and I don’t understand why people think there is something wrong with you if you are not afraid. We plan to put on a piece of equipment and trust our lives with it and our ability to operate it.

Is the design of the equipment sound?
Is the equipment in good working condition?
Is the training good enough that you are sure you can carry out your tasks?
If you “believe” the answers to those three questions are Yes, then fear make no sense at all.

Yes, there might be something wrong with me. But if someone says they trust the equipment, trust the training, and trust themselves but are afraid, I would be very puzzled as to what was going on in their head. Maybe is that person that has something wrong with them. Maybe they really don’t believe the answers are all Yes and they only "hope" the anwers are Yes. Fear in that situation is very understandable.

There are more than just those three questions to think about. I trust my equipment, my training, and myself, but I'm still nervous before every jump. I know that I can do everything right and still get taken out by someone else.

Every time I get on that plane, I realize that its possible I'm living the last moments of my life. Personally, there's too much left for me to do before my time is up so I use those nerves to stay focused and avoid complacency.

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[airtwardo 6]

dthames

Quote

People that say they weren't afraid the first few times are either lying, crazy, or stupid.

I have heard this said before and I don’t understand why people think there is something wrong with you if you are not afraid. We plan to put on a piece of equipment and trust our lives with it and our ability to operate it.

Is the design of the equipment sound?
Is the equipment in good working condition?
Is the training good enough that you are sure you can carry out your tasks?
If you “believe” the answers to those three questions are Yes, then fear make no sense at all.

Yes, there might be something wrong with me. But if someone says they trust the equipment, trust the training, and trust themselves but are afraid, I would be very puzzled as to what was going on in their head. Maybe is that person that has something wrong with them. Maybe they really don’t believe the answers are all Yes and they only "hope" the anwers are Yes. Fear in that situation is very understandable.

It has nothing to do with logical thought or risk assessment.

It's Darwin - those who don't risk life & limb tend to hang on the planet longer, have more offspring.

Wanna extend your bloodline - don't die fast doing dumb shit.


If one 'doesn't experience the fear' in the beginning, it's because they don't have a firm grasp of what's going on.

HOWEVER ~ ~ !!

Successful repetition of the risky behavior with positive results tends to condition out the fear reflex...

That's why the cavemen with the balls to club a buffalo ate better, got bigger & stronger than the tree hugging bowling league counterparts - they 'did better' in competition for the hot babes.

The cycle of evolution is still in process even today...

The human male who lets fear control their behavior... regarding the mating ritual, spends much of his day working to procure shiny things that will distract a potential mate, in the hope that the female won't notice the attempt at being bred with inferior genes...that's why Porches & diamond earrings were invented.

Conversely...the human males who have evolved within the realm of controlling one's fear - reap the benefits of mating with only the healthiest and vivacious of the females within the species.

Of course as with any evolutionary model..there are degrees of 'success' if you will, even within the society subgroups...call it ranking for lack of a better term.

There are several ways of showing the 'rank' one has achieved within the 'Fearless' culture set...but unquestionably the males with the highest possible 'fearless' ranking are the easiest to spot.

They're with a redhead!

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

[MikeStafford 0]

You should never be afraid skydiving. Fear makes you numb and senseless. Always keep in mind that the worst that can happen is you will be killed. It will be quick and painless. That should make you feel better. And forget about how good the equipment or training is. That's not what will do you in. I am sure you will find a way to misuse the equipment and ignore the training. So get up there and skydive!

[FlyingRhenquest 1]

MikeStafford

You should never be afraid skydiving. Fear makes you numb and senseless. Always keep in mind that the worst that can happen is you will be killed. It will be quick and painless. That should make you feel better. And forget about how good the equipment or training is. That's not what will do you in. I am sure you will find a way to misuse the equipment and ignore the training. So get up there and skydive!

Damn that's an inspirational speech! I'm totally stealing that if I ever become an AFFI! :-D

I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

[dthames 0]

Quote

and we wonder "what in the heck am I doing?"

Yes, I have been there with that question. But for me, it is not the same thing as fear. About jumps 7 through 20 I would think that on the way to the DZ, or maybe even in the plane. But as soon as the door was open, 'game on'.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[Boomerdog 0]

Good post and great question. I'm a very novice skydiver as my profile shows but I've been SCUBA diving for 40+ years. Both have one thing in common in that we have to do one thing to survive. In SCUBA diving you have to regain the surface and make it back to the shore or the boat. In skydiving, you have to pull the pilot and get a good canopy then land it; stand up or PLF.

The writings of everyone here who talk about the fear and concern of the first jumps are both honest and correct. Going up, I would "die a thousand deaths." Once I got out of the airplane, I was OK. Once I got a good canopy, BETTER, and once I landed, I wanted to do it again. Then I realized, I had to get back in that airplane. But as time goes by with an increased number of jumps, the yips do go away. It takes a while but they go away to be replaced by the confidence from acquired skills BUT NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. Check, recheck and verify both yourself and your equipment are ready to jump. Risk can never be totally eliminated but it can be minimized. Unlike SCUBA diving where you dive with a buddy to help in case of an emergency, in skydiving, you're on your own. In an emergency, there's no one to help you but yourself. Like the input of other posts here, this is one of the hard and fast stark realities of this sport you will have to accept if you decide to go through with it.

Waxing philosophically (just a little), I've learned as a cancer survivor that life is a precious gift but not to be taken too seriously for none of us will get out of it alive. In my very short time in the skydiving community, I've met a lot of people who live and act this virtuous principle and I have not met a skydiver who had a death wish. Jumping out of an airplane is certainly a risk, so is getting out of bed in the morning. Furthermore, if you step back and think about it, is there ANY guarantee any of us will be alive in the next ten minutes with our feet firmly planted on the ground?

I'm a late comer to the sport but I'm not leaving. I haven't bought the rocking chair yet; someday. But if I'm going to die in that rocking chair, let it be (I hope) AFTER I've come home from the DZ having enjoyed the day of jumping with my friends.

I don't encourage or discourage anyone about becoming a skydiver; it's a decision each individual must make. I'm glad I decided to pursue skydiving. It's the ultimate thrill ride (I don't have to spend the $$$ to go to any amusement park now) and the friends I've made and the times we share at the DZ are priceless. There are many other skydivers here I know I have philosophical and political disagreements with but they will first, foremost, and always my friends and whatever our disagrements, I'll always have their back and I'd like to think they would have mine.

Welcome and good luck in the next steps should you decide to pursue.

[matt002 0]

Be scared, that's kind of the point.
Jump anyway...
Now your only option is to do what you were trained to do, there is no other choice so it becomes pretty easy once you have nothing else to focus on.
Repeat.

[MikeStafford 0]

FlyingRhenquest

***You should never be afraid skydiving. Fear makes you numb and senseless. Always keep in mind that the worst that can happen is you will be killed. It will be quick and painless. That should make you feel better. And forget about how good the equipment or training is. That's not what will do you in. I am sure you will find a way to misuse the equipment and ignore the training. So get up there and skydive!

Thanks Flyboy! Hidden within every stupid post I make is a kernal of truth. After six or seven beers you could find it. Read the fatality reports. Jumpers with 15,000 jumps doing stupid shit that gets them killed despite all their knowledge and great equipment. I read other posts about skydivers wearing two audible altitude warning devices. Does that prevent them from bouncing? Nope. They will scream to the ground wondering "what the fuck is that irritating sound?" Trying to convince someone they should or shouldn't be afraid is pointless. They will do what their brain tells them to do. They won't respond to your rational arguments. They will shit themselves while at the same time hearing you tell them that skydiving is safe (which it isn't, but you can't figure that out). Skydiving is dangerous. You may be killed. People do it because they think the rewards outweigh the risks.

Damn that's an inspirational speech! I'm totally stealing that if I ever become an AFFI! :-D

[shift 0]

hangingon

So I've been entertaining the idea of learning how to skydive but haven't been able to commit...yet.

When people ask me about skydiving, I always say "if youre thinking about it, just do it. You wont regret it."

hangingon

I guess my question is how do I get over this fear and what was your deciding factor to commit?

I never let "I'm scared" be the excuse I dont do something. Especially when countless others do it on a regular basis and its proven to be safe when done correctly and responsibly. If you dont know how to control your canopy, you need to learn. And you do that by skydiving, and taking canopy courses if you need to.

If the issue is money, its understandable. If you are passionate enough about something you always find a way.

Whenever I am debating if I should try something I always tell myself that I never want to look back when its too late and think "I didn't even try..."

[dthames 0]

airtwardo

***

Quote

People that say they weren't afraid the first few times are either lying, crazy, or stupid.

I have heard this said before and I don’t understand why people think there is something wrong with you if you are not afraid. We plan to put on a piece of equipment and trust our lives with it and our ability to operate it.

Is the design of the equipment sound?
Is the equipment in good working condition?
Is the training good enough that you are sure you can carry out your tasks?
If you “believe” the answers to those three questions are Yes, then fear make no sense at all.

Yes, there might be something wrong with me. But if someone says they trust the equipment, trust the training, and trust themselves but are afraid, I would be very puzzled as to what was going on in their head. Maybe is that person that has something wrong with them. Maybe they really don’t believe the answers are all Yes and they only "hope" the anwers are Yes. Fear in that situation is very understandable.

It has nothing to do with logical thought or risk assessment.

It's Darwin - those who don't risk life & limb tend to hang on the planet longer, have more offspring.

Wanna extend your bloodline - don't die fast doing dumb shit.


If one 'doesn't experience the fear' in the beginning, it's because they don't have a firm grasp of what's going on.

HOWEVER ~ ~ !!

Successful repetition of the risky behavior with positive results tends to condition out the fear reflex...

That's why the cavemen with the balls to club a buffalo ate better, got bigger & stronger than the tree hugging bowling league counterparts - they 'did better' in competition for the hot babes.

The cycle of evolution is still in process even today...

The human male who lets fear control their behavior... regarding the mating ritual, spends much of his day working to procure shiny things that will distract a potential mate, in the hope that the female won't notice the attempt at being bred with inferior genes...that's why Porches & diamond earrings were invented.

Conversely...the human males who have evolved within the realm of controlling one's fear - reap the benefits of mating with only the healthiest and vivacious of the females within the species.

Of course as with any evolutionary model..there are degrees of 'success' if you will, even within the society subgroups...call it ranking for lack of a better term.

There are several ways of showing the 'rank' one has achieved within the 'Fearless' culture set...but unquestionably the males with the highest possible 'fearless' ranking are the easiest to spot.

They're with a redhead!

Always a fountain of great wisdom.

So the vasectomy 25 years ago, removed the chance of me continuing to spread my genes and made me not worry about getting killed early. Never thought of that.

Thanks Jim.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[DrDom 0]

topdocker

***So I've been entertaining the idea of learning how to skydive but haven't been able to commit...yet. I have gone tandem twice over the summer and enjoyed it, but the idea of having to learn how to control my canopy is my greatest fear and landing; I have two bad knees from running injuries. I'm a scuba diver and I feel a lot of similarities between the two sports, but skydiving is certainly exponentially faster.

I guess my question is how do I get over this fear and what was your deciding factor to commit?

Overcoming the fear IS the deciding factor!

It is supposed to be scary. People that say they weren't afraid the first few times are either lying, crazy, or stupid. The rest of us practically soiled ourselves at some point during the early training/jumping. Skydiving is not a natural act and is difficult to prepare oneself mentally for.

It's easier than you think, so stop thinking about it.....

top

7 jumps, fear came back... its overcoming the fear and doing it anyhow that is the real early reward.
How do you get over it? Much like anything else its just exposure.

If you find a better way please let me know. My only other option is to have someone unleash a jar of spiders in the plane.. that will get me out the door.

welcome to the sport.

You are not the contents of your wallet.

[hangingon 0]

Now that's what I needed to hear. I really can't jump hard at all since I've lost a lot of cartilage. You may have answered my question. Right now I can't jump down from 5 feet.

Change the energy

[dthames 0]

hangingon

Now that's what I needed to hear. I really can't jump hard at all since I've lost a lot of cartilage. You may have answered my question. Right now I can't jump down from 5 feet.

I was referring to the Parachute Landing Fall (PLF). While you might not be able to safely jump from 5 feet today, look up the Parachute Landing Fall and see what it is all about. It is about not putting shock on your legs but spreading it out to several points to protect your legs. There may be hope.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[hangingon 0]

Funny you say that because I was just reading about PLF. I may be putting my tax return to work in the spring.

Change the energy

[FastRon 0]

When I restarted jumping I told the instructors that I had one artificial knee and one that should be, and expressed reservations about still being able to do a PLF. I was told that PLF's were really no longer part of the FJC. I said great! In the meantime, I fell off a ladder while cleaning gutters and voila! Did a kind of ungraceful PLF with no injury at all, (and no applause or shrieking from the 'audience' either) :-)
You can do it!

[airtwardo 6]

hangingon

Now that's what I needed to hear. I really can't jump hard at all since I've lost a lot of cartilage. You may have answered my question. Right now I can't jump down from 5 feet.

Quick PSA since it looks like no one else has mentioned this~

Remember, Skydiving is an elective not a requirement in life...if your 'fear' is coming from a place of logical risk assessment in regard to an existing physical condition - just 'might' be something worth listening to.

Tough spot because you really have no practical idea what an 'average' landing would be like, what to expect.
Hard to evaluate the what if's with no frame to reference, and the only person that really knows how fragile the knee is...is you.

I'm not trying to discourage you...few love this sport more than I do.

That said however, if there were an even chance or better that my next jump would negatively affect my physical ability to get around - change how I do things in my 'real life'....I wouldn't do it. Doesn't make sense long term.

20 years ago I had 1/3rd of my lower spine fused and bolted together...two 9 inch rods & a carton of wood screws hold me upright.

I was told by the Docs my jumping days were over, though I understood how serious the surgery was - I figured THEY had no frame of reference as to the degree of impacts someone like me could expect. I figured I would take my time & rehab my back with 100% dedication...then evaluate if 'I' thought I could handle it.

I put a one year deadline on it - if I couldn't in my mind be ready to resume after a year of concentrated effort - it's over.

In some way a similar 'fear' to yours...in some other way worse.

364 days after back surgery I jumped a 325 foot Mighty Mac canopy - those were the 1st 'tandem' parachutes. I landed with a PLF and no pain, so I continue to this day.

I however AM extremely vigilant with my risk assessment on every jump...always staying on the conservative side. Back of my mind knowing that in 'my' case, more so than about everyone else - the next jump could put me in a wheelchair.



So...yes, Skydiving is a fantastic experience on more levels than anyone can explain. But it is only a sport and that 'experience' is not worth screwing up your 'normal life' over.

Be smart, be honest with yourself and don't gamble on serious injury. IF you seriously can't jump down 5 feet at this time...you know the answer.

You CAN address the existing condition and reevaluate...that's not really 'fear' in my book - that's playin' it smart!

Good luck!!

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

[hangingon 0]

Well said and I appreciate you sharing your story. And so I continue my journey to figure this out. I'm in great shape and what you mention about effecting my 'real life' is definitely on my list of concerns. For now I will continue to read the forum, observe skydivers in early spring, and then make a decision. The dropzone is conveniently a half hour drive from my place which also makes it more appealing.

I'm a 43 year old woman who has suffered my share of injuries with broken bones and two acl recontstructions, but I've always bounced back. I can't compete like I used to as a triathlete and am looking for my next sport.

Change the energy