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p1p3

Getting the fear

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Didn't end up going to the dz today because of one hell of a cold. Don't know if that could have been part of the dizziness I felt last time but I hope so. At least I'm gonna tell my brain it was :)I'm also definitely gonna stay off the sunset loads for a while.
The thing about planning I also think is very important. My last to jumps I had the whole freefall part perfectly planned but once under canopy not so much. Arriving to the dz 30 min before the lift and spending most of that time getting finding gear is probably not the best ting to do but was my only alternative if I wanted to jump. Sometimes it sucks to work...
The PFL advice is pretty much what I do now. Just let my body compress it self using my knees and legs as springs and roll over. It was actually a lot easier do for real than during training on the ground. The first times I was to pumped up with adrenaline and concentrating on flaring at the right altitude that I completely forgot it. I was just lucky not getting hurt but still feeling enough pain to not forget it again.

The thing that nobody should look down on you for riding the plane down is true in theory but doesn't really work in practice. When I was doing my course before my first jump there was one jumper who rode the plane down and I remember looking down on them for not jumping. And this was before I even been in the jump plane at altitude [:/]
I can only imagine a jumper with a couple of hundred jumps and no plane rides down. Sure they probably have a lot more respect for the the whole thing but still.
Of course I would never say anything bad about it to them but I cant change what I was thinking... Now after my own ride down I completely understand the feeling of not wanting to jump but who know in a year or two. The human brain is a strange thing. We easily forget how hard things were in the beginning when we are good at them.
I work with computers and is sometimes asked to fix something really simple for people. Usually I think what an idiot for not knowing how to fix this stupid thing, even when I know the person with the problem is a lot smarter than I am. They are just not that good at computers.



You did good, dont beat yourseelf up about it.
As airtwardo said, go the DZ next time and just chill out, dont put your name on manifest until/unless you are relaxed.
Look at the winds and work out your landing pattern way before you jump...and check just b4 take off that the winds are the same.

Also, on the plane ride up, if I was nervous I used to take a deep breath and big smile!!
smiling will do wonders for your state of mind....remind yourself your doing this TO HAVE FUN...

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What's your money situation like? Do you have enough to do a tandem before continuing? May sound like a "taking a step backward" kind of idea, but it could work. That's only if by the time you get back to the dz you're still feeling this way. Something tells me, however, that you're going to be ok.



Money is usually not a problem for me but this month I had to both pay for my skydiving course and tax so a tandem is out of the question this month and I don't think there is gonna be any jumping at all next month.
But if I don't get the chance to make any more jumps this season I'm gonna think about doing a tandem next year. Maybe I can use it as a sort or refresh. Don't know what the rules are here in Sweden about not jumping for a while and what you have to redo.
I'm also gonna try to get to Bodyflight this fall/winter.

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Still there is nothing worse than watching the whole load get out and you sitting there alone on the way down.



Poor pilots, they watch that every jump run... [:/] hey, you got to know what they go through! ;) As you can see, I have 4 myself... We are new and every jump is completly different, and always will be. I drink orange juice, and a good amount of water throughout the day to make myself feel better before a jump. And as everyone says note your breathing, and make sure that you didn't stop that function. My first AFF, I noticed 10-15 seconds after we exit, I was holding my breath. Once I realized that, I forgot to keep a good arch and focused on breathing. Then back to arch, back to breathing... legs out, arch, breathe, legs, arch, alti... Long story long, experience is what it takes. You won't know until it happens. I landed out on B and was getting blown in the direction of a school building. But the cool thing was, it wasn't the building I had to worry about, it was the trees 20 feet below me... all around... and the baseball backstop (my only out) I managed to land in a 20 x 20 foot space of grass inside the box of trees and backstop. Do the, hang out at the DZ FOR SURE! I'm sure once we get some jumps, we will be flying together someday. Beer is on me when that day comes!! (if you drink, that is) (btw, I'm not giving advice.. I am just relating to being new, as I def am.) yikes. I feel like I just wrote a book. :D Take Care!
I don't have a license for this.

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My skydiving experience it's a very love hate relationship, I love the sport, I've only done 5 dives and I can't wait to get done with my A licensing. At the same time, and this is despite my excitement, I can be honest and say that I'm scared of this sport. I'm planning my next jumps in a week or two and I'm scared about them and I don't know why. As I sit here and think about doing the next jumps I get this nervous feeling in the bottom of my stomach. Before a jump I get nervous, and more than a little apprehensive like this, but after the jump I feel like I could do it all day. to all of those experienced divers out there, how did you deal with this when you were newbies? I'm kinda of assuming that at one point or another everyone in this sport has felt this way... do you still?

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Still there is nothing worse than watching the whole load get out and you sitting there alone on the way down




How about sitting in the E-room waiting to get a broken limb set and cast? Haven't had that happen skidiving, but I've been there a couple times.
I backed out before even getting on the plane once. Minimal regrets. I was not in a good mental state, and could very well have made bad mistake. The fear is still there (Get real, I'm leaving an airplane 2 miles above the ground), but I use it to keep me sharp. You might want to check out the "butterflies" thread - its already back to page 3
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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I'm planning my next jumps in a week or two and I'm scared about them and I don't know why.


Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you're about to hurtle yourself towards the ground at 120 mph, trusting in a few hundred square feet of fabric and your own skill to save your life. Failure of either can lead to catastrophic injury or death.

Everyone gets scared. I only have 52 jumps, so it's natural that I still feel fear, but some of the most experienced instructors at my dropzone with thousands of jumps under their belt tell me that they still feel butterflies before stepping out. Fear is not the problem. It's what you do with the fear. You control it, or it controls you.

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Thank you for sharing... went thru a similar experience myself this past week(drove down to the DZ, hit one little glitch and the small fears that I had inside me grew, reared up and pushed the decision to not jump, when I think about it, I probably could have jumped without any troubles or problems) Have been kinda kickin' myself over it.. need to stop being my own worst critic. As previously mentioned in this thread... the sky will always be there.. waiting for another chance to redeem that which you have counted as a negative experience. Although all our experiences, we should learn from... not that they are bad or good.. just learning experiences. Again, thanks for sharing and making me feel better about some of those fears that I was afraid to admit even to myself.. blue skies
If flying is piloting a plane.. then swimming is driving a boat. I know why birds sing.. I skydive.

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One thing that helped me a lot was to realize that, if I went to the DZ, the longer I sat around and thought about it, the less likely I was to jump. If you go out there in the early part of the day and there's an opportunity, jump - don't sit around wondering if you should. Make one jump, and you'll be ready to do another. The more you can do in one day, the better you'll feel about it.

One more thing: Try to create your own personal relaxation/calming ritual. For me, loosening up before the gear-up, stretching, and breathing helped a lot. Also try asking yourself the following question: "What is happening right now - is there anything dangerous happening at this very moment?" Ask this often, from the moment you get into the car, if you have to, or at any point prior to the jump. You may be surprised at the answers!

Best of luck to you!!!
T.I.N.S.

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