90 per cent of large formation skydiving is in the head…
Photo by George Katsoulis
Give 110% for the entire dive!
Don’t get lazy. It is easy to fall into a trap of complacency when performing the same slot on a one-point skydive jump after jump. This leads most often to brain locks or personal errors in judgement. Don’t be a victim. Yes, things will happen. You may have a bad exit. Someone might fly underneath you, or land on you. You may feel push, lift or drag after you are docked. Skydive as if you are the only person who can save the formation. Be a hero. If more people took this proactive approach to skydiving we would be in more completed formations. Trust me on that.
It is easy to fall into a trap of complacency when performing the same slot on a one-point skydive jump after jump”
Photo by Stikkos
Set Personal Goals Every Jump
They should be small achievable goals but something that allows you to land from and take pride on having accomplished exactly what you set out to do.
Debriefing
Watch video, listen to the debrief and learn. Take what you like from the debrief, learn from it, and discard the rest. Both good things and things that could be improved upon will be commented on. This is for the good of the group and is never intended to belittle or slight a person. If you are used as an example, take the information and use it to improve. Remember that you can often learn more from a mistake than from many good dives. Learn from other people’s mistakes as well as accomplishments.
Listen to those around you. There is most likely a wealth of information on the same plane with you. Ask questions. Don’t think it’s a ‘stupid’ question. Trust me – others will want to know the answer too.
Photo shows Dan debriefing at Perris by Gary Wainwright
Enjoy the journey
Do not forget to enjoy the journey. Set goals and work to complete them, but do not bank your pleasure in skydiving solely on completions. The joy in large formation skydiving is the journey of bringing many individuals – whether 40 or 400 – together and making them into a team. Not all who try will be on a record. For those who are, history awaits you. For those who are not, if you do your best and improve your skills then accept the event as a success regardless of the formal outcome and you will enjoy your big-way adventures as you progress.
history awaits you”
Photo by George Katsoulis
Visualise perfection, stick your legs out and smile!
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