ezblakeoven

I've not jumped in OK but I can second Flying_Spoon about Skydive Dallas. It's a great DZ with friendly people and a good atmosphere. I am finishing up the AFF/SDU program there and have nothing but good things to say about the instruction I've received thus far.

Good advice. I managed to get one jump in on Saturday and it was mentioned to me that I still owed beer for the AFF graduation.

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Hi Everyone,

I'm just about to start on my AFF course having done 4 working tandems, i've also just completed 10 minutes in a wind tunnel which went pretty badly with regards to body position.

I'm constantly read and being told by my instrutor that 'relaxing' is the key but i wondered whether anyone had any advice on what to do to relax. Asking someone to just relax is hard :-).

I'm guessing it likes a lot of things and eventually it just clicks, at which time you naturally relax and get better and better!

So does anyone have any words of wisdom on tips for relaxing?

Adam.

I'll second what Glideangle said: Breathe!

I just finished AFF at my local DZ and I had difficulty relaxing up through level 4. I had a moment just after exit during a repeat of level 4 where everything clicked for me. I remembered to take a breath, looked up and saw my instructor telling me to smile, and I got a big thumbs up. After that all of my subsequent jumps have been smooth as can be.

Don't be afraid to take a second or two for yourself after exit to just relax and breathe. It makes all the difference in the world. I think new students(including myself) feel a lot of pressure to do all of the tasks they have set before them in what we perceive at first to be a short window. The reality is that we have plenty of time. Just remember to enjoy the experience and smile. You'll do great!

Thanks for the tip! I forgot to bring some when I finished AFF. I will have to double up when I get my license.

Just got started in the sport. Hopefully I will have my A license soon. Love all the great info on the forums!