First freefall and stress?!

[adamUK 3]

I did a dummy pull this morning and because I hadn't jumped for a wee while I was brickin' it. It was a good DP so I got cleared for freefall (I have done 7 DPs of varying quality). We did the briefs and I felt okay but when I was up in the plane I was feeling really nauseous... this got to the point where I was feeling faint - which actually only made me worry even more and feel even worse! So I bottled it and took the plane back down.

Any suggestions on how I can control those nerves?

I am feeling kinda dejected but I reason that it was probably the best move since I didn't feel at all in control, I was freezing cold and very very wibbly.

Thanks to the Peterlee crew who have been really supportive!

Mucho thanks

Adam.

[Nightingale 0]

breathe. smile. and bring a coach who will make you laugh and relax. someone you're comfortable with.

or bring a friend who's doing their first jump. you find yourself in a situation of keeping your friend calm, so you don't worry about your own nerves.

[adamUK 3]

Mmm, yes, breathing, must remember to breath!

I think I pondered on a lot of the negative aspects. One guy on 5 second delays got both his legs caught in his risers - so got put back on DPs.

That old positive mental attitude thingy is very important...

thanks!
Adam.

[dropdeded 0]

or bring a friend who's doing their first jump. you find yourself in a situation of keeping your friend calm, so you don't worry about your own nerves.
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I think thats a great idea. When I was doing aff, I liked to kind of talk with the tandem students, knowing that they are thinking this is probably going to be there last moments on this earth, and I knew different. So it really helped me to concentrate on having fun, and doing what I needed to do to pass a level. Good luck, and dont forget, the best ones to talk to about this is the instructors at your dz.

dropdeded

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The Dude Abides.
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[skykittykat 0]

Have a read of the BPA Starter Mag (Perterlee should have a few floating around). There is an excellent section on nerves in the mag. Also, maybe have a chat with your instructor.

Hope the rest of your course goes well!!

• Quote

[LivingInClip 0]

This may not apply to this case, but either way.

I was jumping today - and was with a pilot I had never rode with before. He was a great guy, but his flying scared the hell out of me. Not sure what it was - but I was extremely nervous about it. I was getting to the point where I didn't even want to jump. I just wanted back on the ground. However, I knew I had to jump, I had prepared for it. So, what I done was, I closed my eyes abit, breathed in and breathed out. Thought of a song I really like, sung it to myself until jump time. I was still nervous on exit, but not bad enough to mess up my jump.

My point? Find your comfort zone. Nerves are natrual and there is different ways to deal with them for different people. Just find what makes you comfortable and stick with it. Try closing your eyes, breathing, thinking of something...

Oh and just in case the pilot is reading - you done a good job, but scared the hell outta me!

[bluegremlin 0]

What i done was not wear any dam gloves and rather than thyink about the jump i was just thinking about my dam COLD hands,

Are you going to the DZ this weekend?

[RoadRash 0]

Just some words of advice: First of all, as everyone else has said, breathing is really important, but controlling your breathing is even more so. What I mean is make your breaths slow and deliberate(count in for four counts, hold, then out for four counts, like yoga). Working with cool coaches helps...When I started working with my freefly coach, he made me relax and have a blast even when I felt like I was screwing up! Also, visualization is EXTREMELY important! FOCUS ON WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO!!! I swear, that is the only way I got through AFF! Most of all, just relax, you are doing this for fun! It is completely natural to be nervous, you are hurling yourself out of a plane!

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Fly the friendly skies...^_^...})ii({...^_~...

[newsstand 0]

Here is some "tough love." Get out of the GD plane at altitude! This is a lot of fun and not really hard as long as you remember three things. Arch, relax and pull. Pull being the most important.

"Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening."
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes

[msmithd8769 0]

Keep in mind that while one certainly does not want to become incapacitated by stress, a certain amount of manageable anxiety and/or apprehension is generally a good thing. It helps keep us thinking and it helps keep us safe. Without it we can easily become complacent and be tempted to take risks we normally wouldn't.....

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"And when the prophet shall arise who appeareth as a bird then the time of the Lord draweth nigh and the flock shall rule the earth."

[FrogNog 1]

How long had it been since you last et? In my early skydiving days I liked to get in the plane hungry because it gave me something to take my mind off the flight ("ooh, I'm hungry" instead of "ooh, I hope this plane don't crash") and so I wouldn't have anything in my stomach to sick up in case I couldn't take the plane ride. I think this made me suffer a lot more nausea (usually immediately after canopy opening) than I needed to.

Now, I make sure I have a good breakfast of food that agrees with me before I hit the DZ, and I bring a lunch that will do the same. I can't tell for sure how much of my improved comfort is just getting used to the plane and how much is being properly fed (not too much food, still ), but I know it helps not to be starving.

BTW, no harm in coming back down with the plane. They get paid, nobody got hurt, and you can try again.

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Pull.

[FrogNog 1]

Quote

... I was jumping today - and was with a pilot I had never rode with before. He was a great guy, but his flying scared the hell out of me. Not sure what it was - but I was extremely nervous about it. I was getting to the point where I didn't even want to jump. I just wanted back on the ground. ...

There are two ways back to the ground from inside a plane that's not treating you well.

I'm guessing (based on a limited sample) there are lots of variances in pilot style. So I consider it a skydiving challenge to "hang on" until the pilot gives me the door.

P.S. I like saying "DOOR!". That's why I volunteer to spot.

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Pull.

[vt1977 0]

I can’t really give you any particular suggestions about first freefall nerves but you are certainly not the only one to suffer from them.

I remember my first freefall well – it was my 20th jump as I was just about the worst static line student you could imagine. I had problems with weak exits, problems with dummy pulls and real problems with nerves! In fact I’m now convinced that a lot of my problems with DPs were caused by fear of the first freefall – I knew that if I didn’t pull the DP handle I wouldn’t be cleared for freefall.

My first freefall was a terrifying experience. After getting cleared for freefall I got the briefing and was literally shaking all the way through it. I was almost in tears by the time I was kitted up and apparently I was white as a sheet the whole way up in the aircraft and I am happy to admit that I came very close to wanting to ride the plane down.

I kept telling myself that I really wanted to do my first freefall, that I’d been struggling on the static line for so long and that if I hated it I never had to do another one. I kept telling myself that thousands of other people had done it before and had been just fine. I kept telling myself that I could do it and that it would be worth it.

Don’t be put off. If you don’t feel ready for freefall yet then go and do a few more DPs. I can well imagine that the cold was making it worse this weekend (if it makes you feel better I didn’t even get in the aircraft this weekend as it was just too cold!). If you’re shaking from the cold and are nervous as well, it certainly doesn’t help matters. Perhaps try and get hold of some good thermals before your next jump – Millets do excellent leggings and tops which are really thin but do a great job of keeping you warm. Also look at getting some good winter gloves – nothing worse than cold hands – but obviously check with instructors and check you can still feel handles whilst wearing them.

Good luck – and I really hope you get there. Do some more DPs if that’s what you feel is right for you and keep thinking positive. I have no doubt that when you do that wonderful first freefall you’ll be grinning from ear to ear!
Vicki

[lowie 0]

You may want to think about switching to AFF if you can afford it. having 2 very experienced instructors hanging on to you can help reduce the stress. Either way just push yourself and try hard not to think about it on the flight up. Enjoy the extra rush you get afterwards as a result of being so scared. All too soon you get over the terror and the buzz you get after is alot less.

[adamUK 3]

Hey guys, I just wanted to thank everyone for their good words. Thinking about it today, it was a culmination of factors that brought it to a head and I think if I can eliminiate or reduce those then I can be more positive and concentrate on enjoying the jump rather than everything else (the negative things)

Thanks once again. I really appreciate it!
Adam.

[BBKid 0]

Ask Malcolm (or whoever's flying) to put the radio on, and you can all have a good sing-song on the way up. I should be up at P'lee this weekend, so I can tell you all about my first FF. We've all been there, the only difference between you and most other people is that you are FAR braver, for a) admitting how scared/nervous you were, and making the decision not to jump, and b) for landing in the 182.

I don't want to land in that thing unless I absolutely HAVE to.

If you want a quick idea of how I felt about mine, check this thread.

Nick
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"I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

[adamUK 3]

>Good climbout, albeit with smell of shit emanating from student

That's just hilarious! Make mental note to take a change of underwear to the DZ next time.

Adam.

[scottjaco 0]

If you didn't feel right, go with you're instincts. Don't risk passing out.

I do however think you would have been fine as soon as you got out of the airplane, as the ride to altitude is the most stressful part for most skydivers.

Once you jump, you're committed! All that stress is gone! To be honest I kinda miss that rush I got on those first 40 or so jumps. I will say, the sport gets way more fun as become more relaxed and in control!

Good Luck!

[wilmshurst 0]

That's some big balls you've got to ride the plane down, especially since I assume that you have to do another DRP before being cleared again. You display top judgement and that will keep you breathing. As long as you are still breathing, there's always another jump to have fun and improve.

As for relaxing, try to be as prepared as possible before you jump. Do things during the previous days and hours that help you to relax, that you enjoy, and that you are good at (for example, exercise or watch your favourite comedy). Get to the DZ early and sort things out so you are not hurried when it is time to jump. And, yeah, have a nice breakfast and drink enough fluid.

The only thing worse than a cold toilet seat is a warm toilet seat.

[darrenspooner 0]

Adam, I posted this to someone else a few weeks ago -

Hi

I've done close on 100 jumps, and started with AFF. But more to the point, I'm a clinical psychologist. There is a relevant psychological phenomena that many people experience which is best seen as a fear of the fear itself. Panic about a skydive is irrational to a large degree. Sure, people hurt themselves and there are fatalities, but as sports go its not that dangerous. But the experience of panic is so overwhelming that its frightening. As you panic grows so does the suspicion that something terrible is about to happen. Most people that panic think one of the six following things -

1. I am going to pass out
2. I am going to lose control
3. I am going to die
4. I am going to have a heart attack
5. I am going to go crazy
6. I won't be able to breath

Panic is terrifying, so people automatically tend towards avoiding situations in which they might panic, such as being trapped in a small plane.

BUT, panic is a survival response. Therefore it is designed to protect you. Therefore it will not hurt you. If you stick with it without running the panic will go. The reason this happens is because we only have a limited amount of adrenalin, and once its gone its gone.

The more you exposure yourself to the thing you are afraid of (ie anxiety, not skydiving) then the more a sense of mastery you will develop as the anxiety reduces, and it will.

Clearly, all newbies get anxious (at least if they are human), but I think it is the diabolical discomfort of panic that you are afraid of, and the sense that you will lose control or go crackers or something.

If you'd like any more info drop me a line on [email protected] with yer boots on

[adamUK 3]

Darren,

I think you have hit the nail on the head. It's not the jump that's the problem, it's the anxiety that caused me to think that I would be in such a state where I couldn't do what I have done a thousand times on the ground and 7 times off the step - arch and pull.

I will drop you a line.

thanks!
Adam.

[jsaxton 0]

One word "Valium"