Brain Lock? HELP!!

[jessie 0]

Hey all.....I have a measly 7 solo jumps.....I just finished my first 10 second delay......and when I am in the air I still go through some sort of brain lock....my jumpmaster videos my exits and freefall...and they are what they need to be...on my 10 second delay my arch was great......I did some minor body corrections..waved off...and pulled.....we landed and he is smiling and praising me.....but why can I not completely remember everything I do in the air????? If it was not for the video I would have no clue!!! It is like my body is doing it but my brain does not register what i am doing during my jump.........my clear and pull jump it was about 10 degrees in the air....I climbed out and my fingers were numb....I could not find my arch so I pulled my arms over the strut more and climbed back on the step....took a deep breath and climbed back out on the strut......and had a good jump....when I landed everyone that was in the plane was like " holy shit....you have your head on...most students would have just let go and not had the arch"............if my mind pulls it off....why do I not comprehend it in the air???
My first solo jump was a cutaway....my hands were on the reserve before my brain knew it.....what is going on here???? How do I become more visually aware in the air??

jess

[CrazyIvan 0]

One word: RELAX

__________________________________________
Blue Skies and May the Force be with you.

[slotperfect 7]

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I have a measly 7 solo jumps

First of all, don't sell yourself short. You now have seven more skydives than millions of the world's population. Also, all of us, including me, started where you are. Knowing your limits is good (crawl, walk, run), but don't box yourself in, K??

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.....I just finished my first 10 second delay......

Awesome! Congratulations! You're well on your way . . .

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and when I am in the air I still go through some sort of brain lock....

It's called "sensory overload." It's what the human body and mind go through when our senses are truly overloaded by being surrounded, enveloped, immersed in a new experience. Everyone goes through it at some level.

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but why can I not completely remember everything I do in the air????? If it was not for the video I would have no clue!!! It is like my body is doing it but my brain does not register what i am doing during my jump.........

Your recall will get better over time, just as other skills do. I learn some things very quickly, while others I have to work at. Recall (mental video, if you will) was one of the things that took some work for me. It is an essential skill for an instructor. Now I am able to mind map the skydive so the student can learn as much as possible from the debrief.

It sounds like you are a switched-on student. Keep up the good work and don't assume that you should be picking up everything on an equal level at an equal pace. Enjoy yourself and relax!

Arrive Safely

John

[TheBachelor 4]

I went through something similar on my training jumps. I would get to the ground, and the jumpmaster would ask me questions about the jump, and I didn't know. I agree that it's probably sensory overload. Once you're more comfortable in the air, your problem should go away.

There are battered women? I've been eating 'em plain all of these years...

[Fast 0]

I went through AFF and I couldn't ever remember exact altitudes. The thing is I knew them when I was looking at them, and I pulled on my own always, but durring debrief I couldn't remember what altitude I got what hand signal, or what altitude I did what manuver.

I could only take my best recolection which was ussualy +-500 feet or more. Eventually the presence of mind will come that you can remember the little details in exactness after the jump, not just while your doing them. Just takes some getting used to.

~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

[andy2 0]

i reckon you'll look back on these "sensory overload" jumps with fond (if somewhat cloudy) memories. I'm already wistfully thinking about my first few jumps and I only have 58 now!
You'll get used to it. With experience comes control/awareness (at least thats been my experience, and Im not that much farther down the road than you).

blue skies

---------------------------------------------
let my inspiration flow,
in token rhyme suggesting rhythm...

[DeNReN 0]

Dont you just love it!!!?.....The longer the delay...the easier it will get(with a few fuck ups in between)...sensory overload is somewhat normal...it usually goes away before you hit the 10 sec mark on a iad/sl pff program...but hey...as long as ure doing things right...keep going....the memory block will dissapear and every jump can be relived while at work/school etc......yehaaaaaa!!!......Just jump...get out..be stable...wave off...PULL ON TIME...all is cool

[redshift 0]

My version of brain lock happens during exit. I visualize and visualize and visualize the exit on the way up... and then the interval between being in the door and getting stable is pretty much a blank. I've gotten to the point where my exits are decent, but really, it'd be SO much easier if I was a little more present during the exit. Maybe I should meditate on the way up.

[NoShitThereIWas 0]

Hell Yeah Dude! Enjoy the brainlock and enjoy the fact that you have seven measly jumps!!!

The important thing is that you are pulling and pulling on time. As long as you can land your canopy safely and know how to deal with the dirty malfunctions if and when they happen, its all good. Try to relax and visualize a lot and rehearse a lot on the ground. The more you practice and are mentally prepared before your jump, the more room your brain has to let other stimulus in like what it is you are actually doing.

I remember watching my Level 1 video with amazement over and over again, that first few moments of standing outside the door holding onto the outside bar of an otter. I honestly don't remember what I was thinking those few moments in time. All I knew which is what my instincts were telling me was hold on.

Then all at once I think I remembered why I was there and what I had hoped to gain and experience. I went with the count and simply let go. We left the airplane and they pretty much launched me. I was pretty with it after about the first 5-6 seconds but that first sensational shock was way overstimulating for me.

If it wasn't for the video I don't think I would have ever remembered it and that is one jump I would not want to ever forget. I always try to persuade anyone making their "first" jump to get video.

Roy Bacon: "Elvises, light your fires."

Sting: "Be yourself no matter what they say."

[dterrick 0]

Hey Jess!

After 7 jumps you have every right to have hazy memories. Sensory overload is indeed the major issue. ... ... some of us are trying to find that happy time again ...

Seriously, the way you describe your body 'doing it' but your brain not remembering means that you've created muscle memories and patterns - this is VERY good.

As to your cutaway, I had my one and only (*...so far...*) at jump 20. It was opening weekend (about as cold as you describe) and I was doing 20 second delays on progression. For me, time slows down when I'm in serious kak; that is the primary indication of SERIOUS fight or flight. I've been through it in sports car racing, on the road, on the ski hill , ... when it came to me in skydiving the processes were automatic. GROUND TRAINING, DONE RIGHT, IS EXTREMELY POWERFUL. Sounds like you had a great course conductor and have a very promising future in the sport.

***

Something that helped me IMMENSELY at sports car racing (both for real and during online sims) is the following article:

http://freespace.virgin.net/adrian.rose/brain.htm

If you are a driving-type, it may help you too.

It may seem like a lot of mumbo-jumbo to start with but pay particular attention to the diference between left and right hemisphere concentration. Skydiving is a very 'big picture' sport to me. Focusing on a small point like, arm position in an formation skydive, I lose track of the big picture and something else gets neglected. Being able to launch with "glazed over eyes seeing everything and acknowleging nothing" is the state I need to be in (some would call it 'relaxation') to have a smoothly flowing, successful skydive. The payoff comes after landing.

Sadly, one thing that MUST be said RIGHT NOW is that this technique is subordinate to ALTITUDE AWARENESS. When things go smoothly they feel so good that you believe they'll last forever. If you lose awareness, they just might. .

Finish your season knowing you are on the right track. Do some stuff over winter (I know Wisconsin has winter) to practise. Stud some tires and go mountain biking (thinking big picture). Ski (thinking big picture). Contact your local sports car club and take up ice racing. ANYTHING you do that forces you into the same wide-eyed passive concentration will help you keep in mental shape for opening weekend next season.


Dave

[bch7773 0]

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One word: RELAX

exactly. and also get some more jumps in. in my experience, the more you jump, the more comfortable you feel, and the more you will remember.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[jessie 0]

Thank you so much for your words of advice...for awhile there I was thinking about quitting.......I will work on relaxing more .....I talked to my jumpmaster on wednesday and told him what was happening to me......so he took me over my next jump so on Saturday I will have the MENTAL PICTURE in my mind.........the only thing that will be differant on this jump is my exit.........instead of hanging of the strut I am doing a poised step exit....

thank you so much again for taking the time to reply back...........and I feel better knowing this sensory overload is normal for beginning jumpers.....

jessie

[jumpgod 0]

lol.

relax, enjoy the ride down. it's worth a million bucks every time.

i only remember like 10 seconds of any given skydive anyhoot.

the more jumps you do over time, the more you will remember but you actually tend to remember more of the feeling than anything and they're never the same.

:)

blue ones!

"dude, where's my main?"

[Mad47 0]

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How do I become more visually aware in the air??

You vision will be broadening as you make more jumps. The key is not only being relaxed but also being current. The more jumps you make the more you will be able to see, control and enjoy. Also, if you are serious about skydiving, learn how to VISUALIZE when you are on the ground or in the airplane.

[deronde 0]

Been there, got past it! It took me 15 jumps to get awareness, and now att 37 I can lie there in box, slowly rotating and enjoying the magnificent view! All the advice above is extremely valid, especially: relax... as long as you're enjoying it!

What may help is going through the jump mentally on the way up in airplane a couple of times preferably. This may then trigger awareness during the jump because you're doing what you just before went throught in your mind (hope this makes sence...).