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hungarianchick

Crossroads?

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I'm an AFF student who after breezing through Cat A and B came to a screeching halt at Cat C. I was unable to maintain a stable body position after release and began spinning, usually to the left. I spent endless hours on the table in front of the mirror keeping an eye on my legs- the cause of the problem.
On the third try I actually nailed it- for about 10-15 seconds I was in a rock solid arch keeping to my heading then I fell apart. Started spinning, waved off and pulled by 5000.
On the fourth try (the same day) I was already freaking out on the plane-not because I was scared to jump, I was scared of screwing up yet again.
Perfect exit and PRCPs, good altitude awareness, and stable arch for a good amount of time after release, then all hell broke loose. I started spinning and I tried too hard compensate which sent me tumbling. I pulled by 4500.
That freaked me out to no end. The first time in very short skydiving history I' m truly scared, I'm thinking about quitting and take up knitting or something more low key. My instructors tried to convince me that I did great but I did not exactly feel great about myself.

Any thoughts?


"I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food."

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I think you shouldn't give up. I don't know how your AFF is set up but if your at the release dive then you should keep trying. Everyone repeats levels, I had to repeat a couple. Some do go right through like a breeze. I'm still a student, and have alot to learn but if you relax and just let it happen it might help. Thats what helped for me, are you tensing up there? I was told once you open and find your self breathing really hard after you open then your tensing up there. But, if your really scared then don't go. Thats up to you, but at the stage your at. I think you should keep going. Maybe an exp jumper will post shortly and see what he/she has to say. Lots of luck to you, stay safe!
Medbill DME Billing Service

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Never ever give up. This is one of the golden rules in skydiving. Use this in all aspects of skydiving and you are bound to have a great future in the sport. I have nearly 3000 jumps and I still learn something every single jump! I can remember the beginning very clear myself. I had the lump in my throat on every jump. For me my biggest conquest was that I wanted to loose that fear so I could truely enjoy the sport. After a while it finally came together and although I still respect it greatly, it just keeps on getting better. Hang in there, knitting causes arthritis.



I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman where the Self Help section was. She said if she told me it would defeat the purpose.


There are 3 kinds of people in this world, those that know how to count, and those who don't.

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Never ever give up. This is one of the golden rules in skydiving.

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Never heard that before mysky, I'll have to keep that in my mind. I always get the jitters and lump in my throat feeling each time I go up. I'll like to loose that fear too someday.

Medbill DME Billing Service

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Have more confidence than is justified.

Visualize it going well.

Check with your instructors, but maybe try intentional turns, or even a slight track if you can't stop a turn. That used to be the old advice for static line progression when a student had an uncontrolled turn - track for a while and then flare out.

It is worth it. People don't learn how to ride a the first time they get on. Your brain will learn what it takes if you relax and let it absorb the lessons/experience without anxiety.
People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

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I was already freaking out on the plane- I was scared of screwing up yet again....

all hell broke loose. I started spinning and I tried too hard compensate which sent me tumbling.



do you see what happened? When you started really freaking out on the plane, you ended up having a bad dive...

Just Relax!
you will hear this a hundred times, this is because its true.
You can also think of it this way: you have already had several practices for this particular jump, so you know all about what you have to do... now, just try it again, and relax.

MB 3528, RB 1182

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Just relax, you'll be fine.


"Thus Spake CrazyIvan" Sky God:D:D:D:P;)

But he's right relax, it's hat simple,... and that HARD:)
You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

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But he's right relax, it's hat simple,... and that HARD


Exactly right, Squeak.

And also remember...we have no baseline experience to compare skydiving to. We have nothing in our world which comes close to what we feel/sense/see while in freefall. Because of this, the learning curve is immense.

Oftentimes, we focus on what our body is doing - arms right, legs level, arch solid. All of this is important, right? Right. But in the beginning, we are also trying to assess, identify, and adjust to the actual experience of being in the sky. With nothing at all to compare it to, our brains - and thus our emotions - are struggling to balance themselves, process new information and sensations, and "articulate it" to ourselves - make it something we understand.

By the time we start driving, we have ridden in cars a lot. We have a "baseline" of what it's like to move horizontally over the ground. When we finally slip into the driver's seat, it is only a slight "sight picture" change. In skydiving, we have no baseline - and it is a gigantic difference from what we know. Some people make this adjustment easily. Some people don't. I didn't...

Look. If you lay on your belly, and turn your wrist/arm, nothing happens. But when you get into the air, if you do the same thing, you get all out of whack. It's very simple - and very very hard. Once you've gotten the "baseline", as I call it, you will be far more comfortable in the air.

When people say relax, it's true. That's what we all need to do. But easier said, imho, than done. But realizing that everything is very different up there, and that, in the beginning, it will all be most very odd - that will help.

And the best piece of advice I was ever given was "when you're at the door, take one breath. Deep, and then let it out. It's like the reset button. One breath. Then open your eyes, and get out and fly". On recent videos, you can see me do this...and it does help. Enormously.

And then smile. Even if it's fake. Smile. I looked at some of my aff vid, and there is the most fake, plastic, forced smile...more like a grimace, a rictus stretch; tightlipped, nothing flapping on my face at all, teeth clenched, eyes wide and gaze fixed....it's hysterical. At the time, though, it was not hysterical. It was HARD! And then it changed...and became real, easier, and, as a result, I became more relaxed. I am still not there all the way yet, but it's closer than it was...

Hope this helps...

And if you decide to take up knitting, I'll send you some patterns. I love knitting...

Ciels-
Michele


~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

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Yes a big thing is relax but at the same time when I was going through student training I found that you have to find your groove. It is all about feel with me. You can hit a good arch, have positive legs and be in a good boxman but still spin and that is why you have to find that piece of the puzzle that keeps you relaxed and makes everything fall into place. Just keep at it and do not let a few "not so good jumps" get you down because everyone has a bad jump once in awhile.

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Hungarian chick, some good info has been posted on this thread so far. There are a couple of things that have not been said. When I was learning to belly fly heel clicks were taught to me as a way to make sure my legs were on the same level. As you can't see your legs while in an RW stable position you can click your heels together insuring they are relative to each other. This can be practiced on the ground very effectively.

The other thing that can help you with the whole jump is to visualize the jump from start to finish. This is a good habit to get into especially after you go on to more complicated dives.

After you dirt dive your next jump and get into the plane close your eyes and mentally complete the jump as you ride to altitude. Break it down into each part and go over it in your mind. Before you get into position to exit take several deep breaths and let them out slowly to relax. The will help you to destress the dive.

Remember to have fun, the road to success is somtimes bumpy. You will succeed.

Blue Skies and keep jumping,

Glenn in Alaska

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Don't give up.

The "penny will drop" and it'll be mindlessly easy.
If you were mindless already, you'd have got it right.

It's the brain that gets in the way of a good body position. Relax. That's it.

t
It's the year of the Pig.

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