AustinPhoenix

I think his name says it all. I didn't get an adrenaline rush like I do when I fight or compete for something when I went....it was just...different. My mind shut off so I was able to just take it all in. Count $100 bills while walking through Brooklyn and try to find as many alley short cuts as possible. :)

Thanks for the tips MikeJD! Unfortunately, I have been watching Point Break twice a day in hopes of preparing. haha Totally kidding I like using the search function a lot and reading up on stuff like goggles, helmets and jumpsuits so that I can get a little gear now that will work for me. I wear contacts, so I did a lot of reading on goggle selection for contact wearers. The things I pay attention to most are the articles that have been written by pros and "stickied" on here. Until I have a few jumps under my belt, I'm staying away from any info on how to control a chute or your body during freefall. I can't get my head wrapped around the sensation just yet.....yet. :)

Well it's confirmed. The video is included in DZ #2 and would be about $100 extra per jump at the main DZ. There isn't much price difference (~$145) between the two before adding the $100 extra cost per jump if I had it recorded at the main DZ. That pretty much doubles the cost. So again I have to ask, would this make me a horrid student if I go to a different DZ to get licensed and then my main DZ for all other jumps?

I've only tandem jumped and stayed pretty relaxed the entire way up until we were in freefall. Then the adrenaline kicked in and everything slowed down for me. I thought we were falling for about 10 minutes and had to keep looking down to make sure we had plenty of room. ha! I've done some pretty crazy things and when I would fight, I would focus on controlling my breathing beforehand to conserve energy, stay calm, and keep the adrenaline from kicking in. I would tense up my hands and spread my fingers as wide as they could go, then immediately relax them. It would feel great when your body is trying to tense up, but your mind focuses on how good your hands feel when you relax them. Try it next time. And definitely go over what you're supposed to do. Visualizing is everything. You can't really panic if you were expecting it.

The video is included in the price of the other DZ - I asked my local one via email today while I was at work. No response just yet. Regarding the pricing, I would spend $145 more getting it videoed. I know the instructors will go over each jump, but do you think it would help a tremendous amount? When I would fight, I would watch videos of each one to see what I did wrong to learn from it. The main difference between that and this is I can't see the wind hitting me whereas the other videos it's clear how I'm getting hit. Until I get word back from the local DZ, I won't make any decisions. On a different note, I have been emailing a large group of friends to get a group together to go tandem at the local DZ. Even if I don't choose them for my training, I'm still going to do my part to bring them business.

Thanks Skymama! I see your posts everywhere on here. Do you think it's bad to go somewhere else for my training other than the place that will be my main DZ? The only reason I ask is that a drop zone that's not too far from me (2 hours) records each jump and your instructor goes over each video with you after you land to correct mistakes and point things out. I don't think my main DZ does that. Do you think that would help?

I did my first tandem jump a couple of weeks ago and haven't stopped watching videos, posting pics, looking at skydiving training courses... I live in Austin, TX and would love to meet other people involved in the sport. I like getting all of my ducks in a row (gear prices, rules, safety precautions, emergency techniques, etc) before doing anything. When I was thinking about getting a motorcycle, I spent weeks watching motorcycle crash films and videos to watch what they did wrong and what they did right. To this day, I have had zero accidents/lay downs/drops/etc probably because I was obsessed with learning how to be cautious before jumping into it. I'm sure the school will go over precautions, but I'm a mental case and desire 10x more info than most people. Cautionary stuff aside, I'm totally intrigued by the gear choices, going to different DZs, taking trips across the country to jump, etc... I would love to meet some people to talk with about their experiences and favorite moments jumping if you're around.