mental state in jumping

Hey im bored thought i would start a thread about more thought process in jumping.  Particularly about the air time and landing.  Usually when i go off a jump and i dont do anything, just a straight air or maybe a shifty i usually over think my style, landing, hang time usually feels so much longer.  But when i go off and i do a spin or a grab the air time usually is just time that i dont think about anything at all.  When im doing a trick the only thing that pops into my head is "oh ill land there" or "oh i over shot the landing, better go a little slower next time" 

What do you guys have the hardest time with? is it the approach, spotting the landing, stability thru the jump? Its usually a mental game.  How do you guys deal with the mental aspect of jibbing?

I think right after I "jump" -- hmm, maybe I shouldn't have chickened out and pulled up, ha!

Usually I just wuss out.  I'm not much of a daredevil anymore.   Unfortunately I have to think about losing my job due to an injury.  Growing up sucks.

im usually pretty ballzy on the approach but after when im in the air its different

once your in the air, you just gotta commit to finishing

It's just mental for me, if I think too much about it I end up messing something up.  I hit my best jumps when I just get comfortable and focus on being loose and balanced.  Also if I've hit the jump before and kind of know what to expect I tend to do better.

1 or 2 beers is the ticket.  loosens you up just enough to be more fluid, for me anyway  gotta be careful tho. its a tight robe to walk, dont wanna get too tipsy and start losing coordination

Yeah I usually just try to focus on committing 100% to the jump/trick. Just gotta go for it with confidence and pretend your awesome lol.
Any other thoughts that pop into my head usually distract me and cause me to lose balance. :(

for me its adjusting speed before hitting it or too much confidence. if i shtook up it seems like hrs before hitting the bottom...those are scurry

Its all about confidence. The more confident you are, the more likely you are to land. The hardest part is doing something for the first time.

how to land without my head slamming the ground

before you even drop in, visualize is and know you can do it, if you going for a spin / flip visualize yourself doing it.
Drop in from were the others are, DONT do homosexual little setup turns, these will cut your speed, straightline it untill just before and if spinning do a S shape figure set up turn, but carving properly, or you will smeer, and not spin properly, straight and you will lose a ton of speed, sometimes enough to then knuckle it.
on the take off, know youve got it, if you take off right, the rest of the jump does itself, grab 2 reasons, 1 it balances you.. 2nd if spinning it stops you getting disorentated, you can see everything clearly, hold it as long as you can.. if you land on you fingers bonus points..
For the landing extend your legs just before and then suck up the landing with your legs, if you had the speed right and you land on the sweet spot, there should be hardly any impact, stand up quickly to regain control and look at the next jump.
i just visualize myself doing it and it gives me all the confidence, plus having your mates there telling you that you can do it is a big moral boost.

some courage juice helps me loosen up. just enough to get a little buzz.

Originally posted by EpicFAIL Unfortunately I have to think about losing my job due to an injury.  Growing up sucks.

Is that what the feeling is? gahhhhh. I don't wanna!!

I jump the best after a shot or two of some scotch or whiskey.  If helps take the edge off and loosens me up mentally.  If I'm too drunk, everything goes wrong.  If I'm sober, I think too much about the little things.

I focus on looking ahead of me while in the air. Not looking down, keep my head up. The feet just seem to follow. WHen I look down my front foot goes down, when I keep my head up and focus on something in the distance I can stomp it. Just one of those weird things that works for me.

i find it difficult to focus on jumping while praying for survival

So sounds like there are some pretty nervous jumpers.  How often do people who are not confident pull it off?  Are you eating snow 50% of the time?

I visualize my success and try to just hit it.  I know the longer I wait, the more time my mind has of imagining me eating it and hurting myself badly.  I also don't hit anything beyond my ability level...ex I won't hit a 20-30ft jump until I'm completely comfortable going off a 10ft jump.  I'm working on jumps bigger than 5ft now....hopefully end of next season I'll be ok on 10ft jumps.

Coming into the jump- Trying to hit the perfect spot with enough speed so I don't catch an edge and die, or case/overshoot. When I am in the air- awwwww yeah!

i always jump too late. i didnt know i was doing it, but when i saw it on film, i realized that my legs didnt expand until i was off the jump. every time it happens i land tail heavy

That's the key...best results usually come from not overthinking things and just letting it all happen naturally.

This is my biggest problem. I always syke myself out before a jump. I do fine once I am in the air. Its the before that's the problem.

i had back injuries before and I got back to snowboarding bout 2 seasons ago. Now when I hit a jump, I think bout my back while crossing my fingers (impossible wit gloves).  After some intense compression and decompression from riding, it causes my back to tense up and lock sometimes. Therefore, I'm stuck at whatever position I'm in and forces me to land in a less than prefer way, and sometimes, it makes me eat it baaad especially when I'm trying to rotate. If I landed on my lower back, my back will hurt shapely immediately for a couple of days and so will my leg cause of pressure increase of my sciatic nerve. Even though I'm in pain, I'll never stop riding.     

it's all about being comfortable, and just trying to relax and feel the trick/jump