Are injuries too common among students?

[cmnt 0]

I will finally begin my AFF in a few days (weather has been an issue these last weeks) and this question was annoying me, I hope to complete all 7 jumps in about 4 or 5 days if everything goes OK but was worried about the possibility of injuring myself (twisted or broken ankle on a landing, broken leg, injured knee, etc) because that would keep me in bed for months and I have some important things to do the week after I complete my AFF

I know I will be using a huge student canopy and the gear is in excellent shape, I trust the instruction I will receive in the DZ, etc, but I just can't help it I'm still nervous (which is a good thing in part)

Are injuries too common among students? If I miss the flare on the landing with a 0.8 loaded canopy, will the landing be hard or not so much because I will be on a huge canopy?

[porpoishead 5]

oh noooooo.... here we go again

trouble maker

if you want a friend feed any animal
Perry Farrell

[cmnt 0]

Lulz no dude seriously, being a wuffo and all I'm still more worried about injuring myself than killing myself, a broken ankle or whatever would be catasthrophic right now, I just don't know what to expect from the landings.

I guess I've been reading too much about students landing on their asses and getting compression fractures and messing up their cervicals, or missing the flare and getting a twisted knee, etc, damn too information can be dangerous sometimes

[monkycndo 0]

Injuries can happen any time. I saw it happen on a level 1, I did it just before jump 500. Instead of focusing on what *might * happen, plan/train on what should happen. And practice your PLF until you can do it in any direction. That is the best insurance to keeping your legs healthy.

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You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[cmnt 0]

Can you tell us the story about that incident in level 1 pleeeasee?

[porpoishead 5]

dude youre crazy, its hard to believe youre serious.
pretty funny though LMFAO!!!

if you want a friend feed any animal
Perry Farrell

[JustChuteMeNow 0]

The sky will always be there. If you are worried about hurting yourself because you have important things to do after your AFF course, take the AFF course at another time and relieve your stress.

It is easy to get hurt in this sport and there are no guarantees. Most students do fine but some students struggle with this sport and they get hurt.

Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

[monkycndo 0]

Student flared as instructed over radio by AFFI. About 5-7' above the ground, for some reason, he let the toggles up to return to full flight. Hit the ground hard without a PLF. If he just held his flare, he was set for a textbook soft landing. Outcome= broken fibula.

Just follow your training and listen to your instructors. They, and the well practiced PLF, are your friend.

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You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[pwln 0]

PLF's are good. The more I read and see I hear that some instructors don't really teach PLF's. They think that PLF's are no good for a square canopy.

I KNOW that PLF's work, even for squares. I hope the OP takes your advise and is sure to learn (and practice) their PLF's.

[porpoishead 5]

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If you are worried about hurting yourself because you have important things to do after your AFF course, take the AFF course at another time and relieve your stress.

this sounds a whole lot like common sense, i could be wrong though.

if you want a friend feed any animal
Perry Farrell

[tdog 0]

If students were getting hurt left and right, I would not be an instructor. The pain I would feel going to bed at night knowing my students were hurt, would be too much...

Can you break your leg on Level 1. Yes. Common. No.

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I have some important things to do the week after I complete my AFF

After you learn to skydive, these things will not be important anymore. Family, friends, house, lawn, etc - all replaced with new friends, family, and adventures, except for your new dead lawn, which will have a beauty of it's own in that it will never need another mow.

[cocheese 0]

I guarantee you will get hurt in the sport. Is it worth it? Depends how much you like it and how bad it hurts.

Just like if you fly r/c airplanes, i guarantee you will crash them.

[DZDANK 0]

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After you learn to skydive, these things will not be important anymore. Family, friends, house, lawn, etc - all replaced with new friends, family, and adventures, except for your new dead lawn, which will have a beauty of it's own in that it will never need another mow.

Haha, I was at a bar with some buddies about a month ago after just a few AFF classes. I hear this dude say something about skydiving, so I start talking to him about this and that; turns out he has 1000+ jumps, even showed me a rigger cert and pics under canopy, etc. He looks over at my friends laughed and said that i probably wouldn't shut up about jumpin until i at least had a couple hundred under my belt. He's right, i cant stop thinking about exits, freefall, canopy; it's kindof making me crazy and my friends are going to kill me if i don't shut my mouth! And this one time at the drop zone...

[kelpdiver 2]

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but was worried about the possibility of injuring myself (twisted or broken ankle on a landing, broken leg, injured knee, etc) because that would keep me in bed for months and I have some important things to do the week after I complete my AFF

Well, tell us what these important things are (what's more important than passing the last AFF level?).

Are you intending to run a olympic - ironman length triathon next week? If so, then don't be stupid. Short of an injury requiring medical attention you might jam the heel or twist the ankle. And depending on the gear, you may have some bruises on the arms and thighs. Couple that with some cramped plane rides, you may not be at top performance at the end.

If you just need to be able to walk about next week, odds are pretty good you'll make it. Just be sure to tell the instructor you're very interested in practicing the PLF over and over. He or she should be impressed.

[cmnt 0]

Ok the reason I'm really worried about injuries during my AFF is because I will begin the Air Force's boot camp 1 week after I finish AFF, I want to become a Pararescue jumper, it involves everything I like: Parachuting, helping other people, adventure, action, lots of adrenaline, etc. (please don't let this become a politics/ pro-war vs anti-war debate, I enlisted because I want to experience a lot of things and do cool stuff while helping others, period)

I want to do my AFF NOW because I will NOT have time later, that's for sure, lots of training, studying, etc. plus I want to enjoy my civilian life while it lasts hehe.

Well there you have it, that's the main reason I'm worried about an injury completely fucking up my plans.

Some words of wisdom to calm myself please?

[popsjumper 2]

Your fear of the unknown is natural.

Listen and learn what your FJC instructor teaches you. Pay particular attention to Emergency Procedures and PLF training.

It really is easier than one would initially think. Just a simple matter of learning and then performing what you learned.

From what I've seen, the most common Level 1 injuries are from a) butt-sliding and b) unsuccessfully trying to stand up their first landing...all from ignoring and not performing the PLF training they received and practiced.

Confidence.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[kschilk 0]

From what I've seen in the incident reports and witnessed at dzs, students almost never get hurt. (nothing serious) Most injuries seem to occur, shortly after getting their A license. Go figure.

[Myrka 0]

Every student I personally know never got injured, but hehe, I did… bounced around on crutches for a few weeks, took little over a month off to heal up, came back, had the most AWESOME dive, and couple of more since! Stupid hurts… Listen to your instructors, don’t overpush, and be ready to make the right decision. Good luck!!

[kelpdiver 2]

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Ok the reason I'm really worried about injuries during my AFF is because I will begin the Air Force's boot camp 1 week after I finish AFF, I want to become a Pararescue jumper, it involves everything I like: Parachuting, helping other people, adventure, action, lots of adrenaline, etc. (please don't let this become a politics/ pro-war vs anti-war debate, I enlisted because I want to experience a lot of things and do cool stuff while helping others, period)

I think the only political bit here would be something about the difference between boot camps between the different branches. But in your shoes, I wouldn't do it. Isn't boot camp supposed to stress the body?

A friend's son wanted to go into pararescue. I have no idea if AFF experience has any bearing on acceptance into that area. But if you can't complete boot camp until alter, seems like it would be impossible.

There should be people here that speak much more clearly on these matters, though you might want a different subject heading, or to post in Bonfire, to find such people.

[UDSkyJunkie 0]

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I guarantee you will get hurt in the sport.

I think that's a bit strong, if by "get hurt" you mean something requiring a hospital visit and requiring crutches/cast/screws/brace/ect.

In 1000 jumps and 8 years, the worst I've experienced is scrapes and bruises from hitting the door on exit, and some pain from a bad landing resulting from a 1/2 collapsed canopy at 30 feet (excellent PLF skills prevented a much worse outcome).

Have I had some close calls? Yes. Could I get hurt this weekend? Yes. Is it guaranteed? No... like anything else, my likleyhood of getting hurt increases with my jump frequency, and is managed by remaining current, choosing appropriate canopies, and generally avoiding actions that tend to get people hurt.

But to answer the original question: I've never seen a season go by without a few broken bones, and I probably never will. And yes, student jumps are among the more risky, since skill levels and experience are low. But it's not really any different from any other sport... a new skiier, skateboarder, BMX racer, motorcylist, rock climber, or skydiver must accept that injuries happen. Would I say it's "common" for students to be hurt? No.

"Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

[Jumpah 0]

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I guarantee you will get hurt in the sport. Is it worth it? Depends how much you like it and how bad it hurts.

Just like if you fly r/c airplanes, i guarantee you will crash them.

This is very true!

Best way to avoid a serious injury is to take it slow, do what your instructors say, don't get beyond your abilities, be physically fit and limber, stretch before each jump, make smart decisions about when to jump.

[cocheese 0]

Who said anything about skydiving? I'm talking about stupid human tricks when the weather is bad or the beer light is on.

[UDSkyJunkie 0]

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Who said anything about skydiving? I'm talking about stupid human tricks when the weather is bad or the beer light is on.

Well, that's always a problem. My favorite ever was a guy who was pushed into a swimming pool at a party at our DZO's house. He spontaneously decided to do a front-flip when pushed, but it didn't work out that well and he ended up splitting his skull open when the bottle of beer he was holding got between his forhead and the edge of the pool.

No big deal in the end, some stiches was all... but a very funny story!

"Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."