Spudmuffin

Does anyone have advice on protecting your ears from the wind? I can't hear much for a long while after my jumps. Thanks, much!

Does anyone have any advice for newbies who waste at least 5 seconds on every exit in that (pardon my French) "HOLY CRAP" phase? I would really like to be more cognizant of what's going on at the beginning of my freefall and get so I can keep my head in the game from beginning to end. Thus far I have suffered no nervousness or ill feelings prior to any of my jumps or in the plane preceding my jumps. However, on my most recent jump my usual state of being overwhelmed upon exit was compounded by that fact that it was really cold...it was about enough to make me short out. I got through most of the drill my instructor gave me, but I could have done a lot better had I not gotten "mentally lost" for the first few seconds. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I'm a newbie who has really been wanting to work on my arch so it becomes second nature. (I suddenly have so many new things to learn....AAAGGGHHH!!!) I went out to our hot tub this morning to relax after a rather frustrating second jump yesterday, and while I was out there decided to try something...practicing my arch in the hot tub! I turned all the jets and air injectors on high to create a bit of "turbulence" , grasped one side and got my upper half into the boxman position, bent my knees back and out, and let my middle relax and sink into the center. You know what...I think it was pretty close! The fact that you want to keep your head above water makes you keep your chin up and your "eyes on the horizon."

Those are HYSTERICAL!

How excellent! As you said, his face says it all... It's so very rare to experience "pure joy" much less get a tremendous photo of it in action. Thanks for posting!

Congrats, Rich! Way cool. Isn't it AMAZING?!?! I'm a sky newbie, too. Going back for my second jump this weekend and can't wait! I look forward to hearing how your next jump goes!

As a really new student who is about to do her second tandem jump this weekend, I can't stress how thankful I am that the TAF program exists. I'm already nervous about starting the AFF progression and I'm still a ways off. For me the simple security of having "someone there just in case" makes me feel extremely comfortable. Being a person who doesn't learn well under stress, the TAF program is just for me.

Thanks very much, Dave. I can't wait until this weekend!

Thanks very much, Chris. I think I'll go do those back arches instead of pilates tonight. Sounds like they would feel good on my back regardless. I'm going on my second jump this weekend and will listen to what my instructor tells me. He'll probably be a bit more thorough in his explanations since I'll be starting the TAF progression instead of just going for a ride. Thanks again! Mandy

Awesome, Hex! Glad your second jump went well. I can't wait for mine. Thanks for the encouragement!

Hi Tigra, Speaking of good arches...do you have any words of advice other than thrust your middle out? (I'm afraid I'm going to head-butt my instructor if I overarch.) I had trouble hearing my instructor when we actually left the plane...suddenly we were just sort of...out in the sky. **WOOHOO!**

What is the best way for a tandem student to work on their exits? I recently went on my first tandem jump. My instructor gave us a 60 second lesson on things...thrust your middle out, keep your arms on your shoulder straps, wave at the camera, etc. While watching my video, I noticed that it took me about 5 seconds to get into the right position. My legs kind of dangled a bit and it looks like I did a rather vertical jump out of the plane. (Definitely forgot to thrust.) One problem was that I couldn't here him on his "ready, set, go" and the other I can probably attribute to the enormous "WOW" factor of one's first jump. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to my next jump and working on my exit. In thinking about the logistics of it, I just fear I'm going to head-butt my instructor if I arch my back too much and keep my chin up too high. Is the movement supposed to be kind of a bellyflop out of the plane? I did notice that once he had me unfurl my arms, my legs automatically went to (what looked like to me) a better position...bent and relaxed. Also I noticed that all of the instructors had a real "leg-high" arch while in freefall. (Don't you love my terminology?) Is that something you develop when you start doing solo jumps or is it something you can work on in tandem? As always, any input would be greatly appreciated!

I'm new to skydiving with only one tandem jump under my belt. I had a great ride, but didn't get to participate very much. My instructor was going to let me pull the ripcord, but I was having a little too much fun hamming it up with my camaraman and didn't hear him say "pull." By the time I realized that it was time, I wound up grabbing at my instructor's hand as he was pulling the ripcord. Obviously I got in his way...and probably ticked him off, too. I would imagine that, and the fact that I had been rather "giddy" while going through the prep process, probably led him to believe I was a flake. COMPLETELY understandable. (I still had an AWESOME time!) I am, however, interested in going through the TAF and then AFF training courses over the coming months. So, my question is... What do instructors look for in a good student? Should I make a concerted effort NOT to seem like I'm having too much fun? (Again, I can totally see where my instructor probably thought I was just there for a thrill ride.) I'm really looking forward to going again, but am dreading the four minute hanging-like-a-sack-of-potatoes-in-the-harness ride once the shoot opens. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks guys. I appreciate your encouragement. I'm saving my pennies, and am hoping to jump again sometime in November.

Hi there! I'm a brand new skydiving student with one tandem jump under my belt. My poor husband thought I would go and get it out of my system, but unfortunately for him (and our checking account) I think I'm hooked. Due to the fact that I was, shall we say, a bit over-excited the when some friends and I jumped a few weeks ago, I think I'm going to let some time go by before I return to my DZ. (Hopefully they won't remember me.) I was so ready to go that my normal "squirrel speak" kicked into overdrive and I squealed all the way down...and in the plane...and on the ground. So embarrassing! I'm sure I committed numerous skydiving faux pas. One of the other instructors was laughing when we got down and said I was the first person he had heard consistently scream all the way down. I must have rendered my poor instructor deaf. Anyhow, I love this site and am looking forward to learning more about skydiving. I'd love to hear from other newbies who are going on to bigger and better jumps...as well as anyone else who wants to say hi. **I really got a kick out of the forum dealing with the "instructor shtick" to help nervous students calm down. I think I found every line my instructor used on me, except one about the duck tape.**