itsdave

I think this has been mentioned before, but it works brilliant for me so I'll say it again! I only recently completed my turns jump and the one thing I definitely learnt was RELAX! focus on your body position, but don't worry about it. I take a deep breath and stick my belly right out when i exhale. on top of this i always point my toes as far as they will go - this seems to stretch my legs out evenly. if i focus on moving the whole leg things start to get interesting . its probably more important for your next jump cos of the nerves, just try to chill out and everything seems to slow down. hope this helps you out, and enjoy your next jump!

good point about the incapacitating incident. i had a right shoulder dislocation a couple of weeks ago and it made me think about the whole AAD thing. my point is that, while i was clearly aware (and glad!) that my cypres was there, i made every effort and managed to pull the main. i suppose what i'm trying to say is that anyone who would give up in a situation when they are hurtling towards the ground at 121 mph just because they can PROBABLY rely on their safety equipment is a total retard. its simple maths: reliance on human capacity = high risk, mechanical engineering = high risk, but human + mechanical reliance = much safer. when i jump i don't rely on any individual piece of equipment (main/reserve/cypres/alti/ whatever), but i do rely on everything working together. if you go into a potentially dangerous situation and give it everything you've got you are a hell of a lot safer than if you cut out certain options due to complacency. so the moral of the story is DON'T THINK YOU CAN PREDICT EVERYTHING. you need any backup equipment you can get because you never know whats going to happen. but along the same lines you don't know that they will function properly - skydiving is not a good sport to cut corners in. i am perfectly aware that a cypres will save my life, but i'm gonna fight like hell before i give it the chance! ps. - this isn't aimed at anyone in particular, i think everyone in this thread agrees with each other. less bitchin' more thinkin'

i want your job. it looks like a nice job. what a cool job. can i have your job? can i? please? oh alright then. ps. - go on, let me have your job

good luck to you too, and make sure you let me know how it goes. have a good one (or many!)

"Do NOT hide this from your instructors." - i think they may have noticed! not that i made a fuss or anything...

I'm afraid you're all barking up the wrong tree As a skint university student I made the obvious decision to go for the cheaper (and way more relaxed) option - you gotta earn it , don't buy it!

hey guys, this is my first post and i'm hoping to clear a few things up. on my 34th jump - im still a student - i initiated a right turn and somehow managed to dislocate my right shoulder. i think this was due to a bad rigid body position with my head looking down at the ground and shoulders also pointing downwards. i stupidly ignored the shooting pain and continued with the skydive, only realising there was something seriously wrong when i had difficulty pulling. still, i had the main out by 3000-3500 ft and used my left hand to steer and flare with both toggles, having an off (but safe!) landing. there are a few things that are worrying me that the doctors cant clear up, as they have little knowledge of the sport: i) is this quite a common occurence in the sport or am i more susceptible to dislocations than others? my consultant raised concerns that it dislocated without any impact or a great deal of force. ii) if you/someone you know has had a similar injury how long was it before you/they could skydive again and how did it happen? its only been 3 days since the incident and im already getting concerned by the thought that i might not be able to skydive again - i was planning to have a jumping holiday abroad in june. any shared knowledge would be greatly appreciated - especially if its positive!