AFF student struggling with stability

[traumasquad 0]

I am also in the AFF course and am only on my 12th jump. I know where your coming from, it seemed like I passed cat A thru C without any problem, but now I am stuck on Cat D. My turns, for some reason are a real problem and I find myself getting unstable. Jumps 11 and 12 finally went a little better. In my case it is just a matter of relaxing and watching my leg position. I also tend to make my movements too fast. I really like to jump though, so I will keep going up as long as it takes.

Falling through the sky for Keri.

[ShcShc11 0]

Quote

Well, thanks, now I know I'm not the only one. No, I shouldn't compare myself to others. But you know how that feeling is... I should be getting this... why am I not getting it? And with everything else to think about, like... will I have a good opening... there goes another two hundred bucks... winter is coming...

I think you're right, I am getting ahead of myself, and I'm rushing to do all this stuff perfectly in 60 seconds. Maybe it's performance anxiety.

LOL @ "winter is coming". Definitely had that in my mind this year sooo many times. I'm new too. 11 jumps (passed the solo license).

This has been already said, but don't be too discouraged.

The best practical advice is really to go to the tunnels. I exit really badly, but I recover pretty well (been stable since jump 5), and I really have to attribute it the continuous times that I went to the tunnels.

The tunnels help you with muscle memory where you don't have to think and it just becomes automatic.

I did tunneling before going AFF. It took me about the 30-35th minute to FINALLY "get it". Before that, it was just so discouraging. I saw people who "got it" on their first try. Here I was, pissing off money and time just to go in a tunnel flying unstable and constantly getting caught by the coach/instructor. Had so many times where I wanted to give up because it just stopped being fun.

But then... I had that "ah-ha. I got it!" moment.

When you do get your "ah-ha!" moment too, the bad memories just become part of the past...

[Xander 0]

If you have a problem with muscle tension and relaxing in general, maybe massages or hot baths would help ease that alittle?

[metal_snapper 0]

Hey fella :)
If it's any consolation to you I'm in the EXACT same position as yourself!!....I have relaxing issues and have failed levels on my AFF and I'm stuck at level 6!! which I have failed twice due to going into a pinwheel spin which I really didn't want to do....I could see my instructor giving me the relaxing signs and I was REALLY trying but he had to grab me!!...dude I was LIVID and very annoyed with myself not relaxing even though he tells me all the time to 'relax'
I'm right with you when you're on a creeper and you arch my instructors say my arch is great as like yourself you have you tense up to hold that on the ground so I do the same in the air!!.....I've have some wind tunnel coaching which has indeed helped but I still need more to be more stable and happy in myself I'm stable.....how can you arch your body and relax??...if I knew which musscle groups which were tense I'd sort them out!! hahaha!!

[beeman 0]

Quote

Hey fella :)
If it's any consolation to you I'm in the EXACT same position as yourself!!....I have relaxing issues and have failed levels on my AFF and I'm stuck at level 6!! which I have failed twice due to going into a pinwheel spin which I really didn't want to do....I could see my instructor giving me the relaxing signs and I was REALLY trying but he had to grab me!!...dude I was LIVID and very annoyed with myself not relaxing even though he tells me all the time to 'relax'
I'm right with you when you're on a creeper and you arch my instructors say my arch is great as like yourself you have you tense up to hold that on the ground so I do the same in the air!!.....I've have some wind tunnel coaching which has indeed helped but I still need more to be more stable and happy in myself I'm stable.....how can you arch your body and relax??...if I knew which musscle groups which were tense I'd sort them out!! hahaha!!

I'm a student too, and more experienced people can definitely help more, but I know where you're coming from and thought I'd share what helped for me.

My first few dives I spent thinking a hundred miles an hour and stressing about "passing". And the first few times I thought I was relaxed but wasn't because of that stress. It took remembering what totally relaxed felt like on the ground. Like sitting down with a beer after a long day of work. That and going out there to enjoy the skydive rather than to "pass" helped a lot.

It's much of the same, and not perfect (I still have plenty of things to work on) but at least for relaxation, that's what helped me. It got me stable after a dumb exit and flips all over on jump 5 and it ended up being a really fun skydive.

Good luck man :) and have fun

well...I was going skydiving anyway. let's go.
Earn your pancakes.