AFF 4 I FAILED ALSO!

[softlandings 0]

Last week I was reading Kuper's post about failing AFF 4. I read every reply. Well....guess what!! I went right out there and spun like a top. Uncontrollable. My JM pulled. I was in tears when I landed. But, I went right back up on Saturday. I had a different JM, felt comfortable and determined. Did the same thing, spinning and this time my JM had to tackle me from above. Took a breath, relaxed, tried again, and 360's like you wouldn't believe. I pulled this time but my JM pushed my arm. He told me I was dropping my knees, and suggested if Im turning right, to kick my right foot up. Left, kick my left. I was so disappointed, embarrassed, all of the above.
I had one more chance to try again on the last load, and got in my car and cried all the way home. Now I wish I would have tried again, and hoping I will someday. Maybe I should wait till the spring. I don't know. My JM's were very patient and tried to encourage me, thank you Jeff and James!

[Luna 0]

Don't get discouraged! Don't let this stop you. I'm learning that a lot of people have trouble with spinning. I finally got it together enough to pass my turn jumps, then proceeded on to the jumps with inversions (barrel rolls and front & back loops) and while I managed to do the inversions, I also managed to get some spinning in there as well. Despite that, on my last jump my instructor told me that while he should not be having to come in and help me at this point (to stop my spin), he does feel that I'm safe in the air and that I really just need to do a few solo dives where there is no pressure to perform so that I can learn to just relax in the air. I'm not giving up, and neither should you! Don't wait until Spring. Putting that much time between jumps is going to make you more tense and nervous, which is the opposite of what you need. Don't let it get you down, just get back up there and try again! You'll get it!

I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

[Albatross 0]

If the knee is the problem try practicing your arch in the mirror at home. Have a good friend look at you from all angles and tell you which part of your body is off line. Or you can jsut come visit the tunnel with us.

Chris

[edenney 0]

A lot of people failed level 4, myself included. I too would start to spin and couldn't seem to stop it. My JM would just catch me as I would come around. After failing it twice (the only level I had any trouble with) I started to doubt whether or not I was ever going to be able to get past it. 3rd try I got a different JM and a different approach. Best advice I can give you (and you'll hear this a lot) is just to RELAX. The more nervous you get the more rigid your body becomes and the less likely you are to have a good arch. A good arch is key to passing this level (and RW in general). Next time you try the level do your best to relax and take a few deep breaths as you approach altitude. Try and take your mind off the jump and don't think about the problems you had on your previous jumps. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[gale 0]

Hi,

Well, I while ago I decided that I don't like trying to pressure people into skydiving. If it's not for you, it's not for you. There's no shame in it.

That being said, I just wanted to let you know that I had training problems too. I did 5 practice pulls in the IAD method and I just couldn't nail it. I actually would get on the ground and cry because I was so upset with myself for messing up again. But I didn't quit. I changed training methods - I went into PFF (the Canadian equivalent to AFF) and actually had a really bad level one jump But I still didn't quit.

Now I have 38 jumps. Not many, but I can tell you that stability and turning problems are behind me. You can get here too. In my lowly opinion I don't think months off will help. But some time off can help. Use that time to mentally reherse. Visualization is really important. Practice relaxation techniques. Read different training materials. Practice on the ground - it's free! Then there's always the wind tunnel suggestion.

You can do it. This is hard! If it were easy, everyone would be doing it! And as someone once told me on here, if you think you can't, you've already decided how it will go. Beleive in yourself. Put the bad experiences behind you and try again.

Gale

PS: I, too, beat myself up for my mistakes and I'm trying to work on that - so join the club!

I'm drowning...so come inside
Welcome to my...dirty mind

[jncoughlin 0]

I didn't fail AFF lvl IV but I should have. I turned and stopped in one direction no problem. Then when I tried the reverse direction I just kept spinning. Probably spinned for 4,000 feet. Just before pull time (5500) I was able to stop the turn and hold a bearing. Not sure why.

I expected to fail but got passed on because I stopped the spin. However, I was so bummed out I quit for 2 weeks and then went back. I was sure that level 5 would be another disaster. On the ride up my JM asked how my exits were. I said no problem so he said "fine: exit solo and I'll follow you"!!! This shot of confidence relaxed me and i nailed a near perfect level 5, 6 and 7!

I got injured the next week (not skydiving) so now I have to wait until spring (Boston) to continue.

The point is that you'll also nail it. I've read alot and level 4 is the most troublesome jump. Hang in there.

[trippin 0]

Know just how ya feel, I'm doing tandem progression,level 6 is the one I screwed up. Its the first time the jm lets go of you. I started anice turn to the left looked out across the sky thinking where,s
he at? Tensed up a little and spun like a m/f. Tried to fight it, didnt work, then just gave up and relaxed
and guess what the spin stoped and I was stable.
I failed that jump but I learned something, thats what its all about. Keep pluging away you"ll get there....

[carbon 0]

I also failed D1 (level 4). I failed it twice. I was spinning so fast that I threw my JM off. To stop myself, I think "point my toes" and "get my arms out" and to arch excessively. These things help to correct what ever problem I'm having. I'm just about done (Level H). D level is the hump. It gets more fun when you get to E. Getting through D helps to make you comfortable in the air, which is key to solving many problems. Stick with it, relax, and if you don't have video of your jumps, try to get some video of your next jump to see what you're doing wrong.

-Carbon

[AndyMan 7]

People are going to tell you to relax. This means a few things.

First of all, chill out! This sport is fun. Even if you're spinning like a top, it's still fun! You just jumped out of a friggin airplane! SMILE, GODDAMIT!

Second, let your whole body relax. Imageine yourself standing in a boxman position. Imagine a friend pushes against your hands. Do you fall over? Or is your arm muscles loose enough that your muscles contract and your arm moves but your body doesn't? Physically relax your muscles.

Thirdly, the next time you're jumping and you start to spin, remember this sport is fun. Smile. Take a deep breath. Tap your toes, feel the air on your hands. Tap your knees. Feel the air on your feet. Allow your body to relax, let your mind relax as well as your muscles relax. You'll get it...

One thing to remember is that no matter what happens on the skydive, as long as you land safely - it's a good jump. If ANYBODY at your dropzone is even remotely suggesting you give up skydiving, you need to find another dropzone. It's clear they're not good enough teachers, and you need to find a dropzone with good ones. It seems that this isn't the case though, it seems that you've got some good people helping you.

Don't give up as long as you're having fun. This isn't a drug test or a school exam that you have to do. This is something that you do for fun. If you're having fun, jump on!

_Am

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[craichead 0]

Hey there,

Don't get discouraged! As you can see, this happens to a lot of people. I failed my AFF Level 3 (the first JM release dive) twice because I couldn't stop my spinning. First time, I was bending at the hip trying to stop my turns (weird), and the second time my knees were uneven, which put me into a nasty spin. The JM gave me the signal for toe taps (these are key), and I briefly stopped spinning. I tried my best to counteract the spin with my arms, but it felt really labored because essentially I was fighting myself.

So, the JM on my second attempt advised me to build some muscle memory by practicing my arch on the ground and putting my toes up against a wall behind me. Either you or a friend should look at your feet to see if they're level and fix the problem accordingly (similar to Albatross' suggestion of looking in the mirror).

I practiced this a few times throughout the week before my third attempt at Level 3. Then I was visualizing my dive on the ride to altitude. Was very aware of my legs this time and had a kick-ass skydive! I was falling stable the whole way down, and my JM flew up in front of me with the biggest grin on his face, which made me grin like an idiot, too.

Good luck with the rest of your AFF!

-P

__
"Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC)

[faulknerwn 36]

Just always remember skydiving should be fun. I've got over 3100 jumps now but read my student logbook online. You're doing way better than I was :-) I had 48 jumps when I got off student status!

http://www.eco.utexas.edu/~faulkner/skydive/howcrw.html

[Luna 0]

Quote

Just always remember skydiving should be fun. I've got over 3100 jumps now but read my student logbook online. You're doing way better than I was :-) I had 48 jumps when I got off student status!

Clicky link:

http://www.eco.utexas.edu/~faulkner/skydive/howcrw.html

I'm walking a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Click Here for more information!

[Cepheus 0]

I repeated level 4 4 times before I finally passed it. If you want to know what passing it feels like (and why you need to get back up in the air as often as possible -- forget all this 'I'll take a month off' stuff), click here: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/xinfangacs/skydive/1min.htm

Let me know how you do with your next attempt.

--
Skydive -- testing gravity, one jump at a time.

[newjumper 0]

I failed AFF level 4 four times. After first try, to keep myself from quitting, I blamed all on my JM, on third try I realized that was somewhat my fault, after the forth - that was just wasting of money (except for canopy practice). In four jumps I had 4 different JMs and it was apparent that my skydiving future was in big question. Took my last option and went to wind tunnel in Orlando. First 5 minutes in the tunnel fixed most of the errors and gave me a lot confidence (actually I took an hour, but that was really unnecessarily).
After passing level 4 my JM moved me up to the 8 and the rest was easy.
Without the wind tunnel there was no way for me to pass AFF.

Just my 0.02

[neiliss 0]

I was really nervous for my level 4. It is quite a shock to know that you will only have 1 instructor, and he will probably let go of you to let you turn on your own. So we exit the plane. I am stable so he lets go of me. Now this guy has done my level 1 with me (not 2 and 3) and is a fairly new AFF instructor. I do my turn on my own to face him only to find that he is not there. I look down and see that he is falling way faster than me into the distance. I decide that now is not the time to panic, I know my drills, I know when to pull, just do it. I then do a 360 the other way which was not part of the dive plan, but stopped it straight away. All the time I see this guy dissapearing. At pull time I reach and pull and there are no problems.

Not sure how well I actually did on the dive but the AFF instructor was much too embarassed to fail me no matter what I guess. Pity I did not do video on that jump (the only one). Now level 5, that was a different story
Hang in there, the fun is just beginning!

Cheers
Neil