Mountain Biking - Ouch - New to Jumping - Help?

Well, I figured I was doing pretty good today since I normally don't jump around a whole lot. Anyhow, I decided to head over to this one jump that was a couple of inches larger than what I was jumping, but not too huge. I looked around making sure I wasn't going to fly into a tree and then went off it.

The first time was pretty good. While it wasn't a great jump, it was pretty good for me. Anyhow, I decide to go on it a second time. Going down I thought I had a little too much speed and feathered my rear brakes. Hit the lip, didn't pull my front end up enough, and landed on my front tire. Thrown off my bike I went flying through the air. Ouch. Really painful. Especially since I got flug, with my bike, farther than I figured, and to the wrong side. Instead of straight I went to the left into some nice looking rocks. Landed right on my elbows (trying to protect my head and face) and got bonked in the helmet rather hard by my wheel.

I ripped up my knees and elbows, along with my hip and my abs. After laying there in agony for a few minutes, cursing myself, I went over and looked at my bike. What I saw hurt me more than anything else.

I snapped a shifter knob right off, I screwed up both of my derailleurs, broke a spoke on my front tire, and ended up dying my saddle reddish in color.

Basically - it sucked. So I'm going to the LBS this weekend to see what can be done.

Anyhow, my question(finally!):

I've searched through the forum and have seen a lot of the physical technique when jumping. However, I think my problem is psychological - fear of some kind. For instance, while I will hit it, I slow down before hitting larger ones and just do stupid stuff. Little stuff, but it really screws me up.

For those of you who have had similair mental problems when riding - what did you do to conquer those fears? I know I'm going to go back down, I just don't want to make the same dumb mistakes.

Thanks!

Edit: Guess what's not true anymore...

My front wheel. Talk about a bad spill...

How big (or small) are these jumps? Sucks to be injured. It helps to see someone else of higher experience do it to show you. There were some DJs I was not sure about hitting the first time around, but I had a friend ride in front of me to show me the right speed to hit them at.

I'm guessing your doing a double jump or something, since you said you caught the lip. Its not quite as true on a mountain bike, but in motocross your pretty much always better off way over jumping something than slightly underjumping something. Speed is usually your friend on jumps, unless its ridiculously to fast.
Sometimes you have to tell yourself 'if i tense up i'm not gonna make it'...'stay relaxed or else'.
Also, i would find one jump that your real comfy with, and work on adjusting your bike in the air. Like pushing down or pulling up on the bars.
Hmm...question, does it make an effect if you tap your rear brake in the air? I know on motocross it does, but those tires why 20 times as much.

yes it does a bit but not much on mountain bikes. they key is to have enough speed. i crashed yesterday prety bad. i made the first jump but didnt have enough speed for the next one.(two doubles.) hit the lip with my front tire. nuthin wrong with my bike at all checked it 3 times over because i hit really hard, but my Aline isnt exactly made for DJing. i think i should save up for a DJ bike

On sunday I hit this tiny pack and got too much speed (but I was still going pretty slow) and landed on the lip of the next double. :p

basically if your thinking about getting hurt you will screw up. Really you shouldnt even think about anything, just loosen up and go with the flow. I got hurt really bad skateboarding a few years back. I was just doing a simple ollie over a small wall and onto a little ramp, it was a loading dock. Anyway I couldnt stick the landing, I would either bail out in the air and not even touch the deck after that or fall. I fell and kinda messed up my wrist, it really hurt and was swelling, but I had my mind set on making it happen. I tried a few more times with no luck, then I started thinking about how I just sprained my wrist and I could end up breaking it or something, but I went for it one more time with those thoughts in my mind. It was a clean ollie, textbook perfect, so perfect I thought I had the landing,but I didnt. My left foot landed just on the tip of the tail, and it proceeded to twist. I felt that imediatlly, more pain then Ive ever experienced. I had to practicle hop home on one leg for about a mile. When I finally pulled off my shoe and sock, my ankle had swollen into a softball. The next day I couldnt walk at all, still hurt like hell. Then my whole foot was bruised, all the way down to my toes. It was really jacked up. Doctor said I didnt break it but tore some ligaments, he told me it was worse then actually breaking it. After about a month I felt confident to get back on my board again, but I twisted my ankle two more times, not as bad though. It never healed back correctly.

I know this wasnt a bike story, but it sort of explains what will happen if your mind is not in the right place. Even now when I skate Im scared of gettin hurt. Im ok on a bike though.