Fear and Failure | Getting Better Podcast
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- Опубліковано 20 вер 2020
- Fear and Failure are a huge part of the mental challenge behind whitewater kayaking. Let's dive in and have a look at what we can do to accept and harness them.
MountainmanOutdoors.com
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I am often asked if I teach whitewater kayaking. Short answer is no. I have a day job, and I highly value my limited time on the water. However, I do enjoy mentoring and coaching intermediate paddlers to help them reach their full potential on the water.
Getting Better will not focus on typical instructional videos like "How to Boof", "How to Eskimo Roll Your Kayak" or other topics which have been covered many times before. My interests are in teaching, training, and coaching through a new lens.
From beginners just trying to learn how to whitewater kayak, to intermediates looking to step up the to next level, this series will take deep dives on fundamentals. This will not be your typical tips and tricks, but an exploration on what it takes to go from the couch, to mastering a technique, and the mentality it takes to be an expert whitewater kayaker. - Спорт
Getting Better Playlist - ua-cam.com/play/PLov10-5x6sFFk3pBv6EMudwIZJXaEpGXf.html
For those who prefer reading - community.nrs.com/duct-tape/2018/05/14/the-cadence-series-part-one/
Great info! One thing I would add is that if you see the consequences and cannot accept that risk, that’s ok too. We all have different levels of risk tolerance. For some that is class 2. For others it’s class 5. Or anything in between. Everyone has to take their own assessment of their personal goals and risk tolerance before taking their next step in whitewater. And you may decide class 3 is where it is now. Then a year from now it may change to class 4. It doesn’t have to be static.
Yup! Good points. I don't like to emphasize the off-ramps, but the route itself. Obviously walking or just not putting on is always an option.
Great info Alex I’m 55 and got into WW this year, got tired of recreational kayaking. I’ve had a few lessons at the Yough, A few days at the nantahala and tuck. Going back for the first week of October. I total love the challenge of this sport. Your info helps a lot. Thank you bro
Thanks Jeff! Keep at it and don't be afraid to break a rule or two along the way. Instructors are telling you what works for them. What works for you may vary.
Thanks for the rescue on Saturday! I was the guy in the ammo that got the heck surfed out of me, before you and my brother in the nirvana picked up the pieces.
Surf of the year bud!! Getting recognized mid rescue was hilarious. We were laughing about it the rest of the day.
Keep at it man! You've got a ton of potential
When you boys are ready come up to low water Moose and we will get you to that next level
Alex Barham - thanks man! I really hope to get that good by the end of the season, or maybe next spring. Hope to see you on the water again soon!
@@finngormley7336 Spend next season on some step-up runs like the Lower Moose, and running the big drops on the Black and you'll be ready
Dude, I am from Europe and I really love your vids. I spent tons of hours about how to progress with my head struggle. Your descriptions really nailed what I was experiencing recently. We did a technical run in Ötztal and I was really shredding, people even told me that. Then the next day we went down middle Ötz with low water - I was a first timer and the run is kind of consequential - and I boated like shit and failed on the easiest moves. Anyway, I mobilized the courage to run the rapid at our takeout which was huge for my standards after my fellow paddler, some US guy, told me I could easily do it. I absolutely beatered and ate dirt. It was an important experience though since as I could not access my technical skills and fitness there because I was like frozen. However, I accept the failure and learned a lot from it. The best thing about it is that this learning is so addicting. I definitely will do more stuff where I feel uncomfortable. I'll take out my freestyle kayak this afternoon and fail some more.
Glad I could help man! These things happen. Time in the playboat will at least convince you your rolling solid and you'll just feel better in your balance and basics
Mindset and perceived danger v actual danger. Great content, looking forward to future episodes ✊🏻
And the willingness to try.
Thanks man!
Oprah voice: "You get a boof! And youuu get a boof! And YOU get a BOOF!"
great series and so accurate. I started out playboating and learned everything from there. But the mind game is so ever present in kayaking.
Glad you're enjoying it so far Matt! For sure playboating teaches you to be in the moment!
Just started kayaking in June, and so many things you said resonated with me. Especially the contrarian part, this last weekend I was sitting around the campfire and realized that exactly describes me and my friends. Also I have enjoyed kayaking and progressed as quickly as I can, because it is literally the only hobby I have had where I don't lose my temper. My buddies just threw me to the wolves, I got my ass beat plenty of times and it only ever made me want to progress more.
Awesome man! Beyond not getting pissed, work on clearing your mind completely when you drop in. That is the magic
@@AlexBarham yes sir, I've got that on the Ocoee, I just need the confidence to do that on bigger runs. I paddled well, but I couldn't shake the fear on the Gauley.
Great video. Just today I moved up from my first kayak an Ethos 10, this is my 2nd season to a Ripper. I understand and have accepted the consequence the I will be spending more time upside down, and hopefully get my roll more consistent and be able to play harder. For the most part we run the Shenandoah and Potomac. Look forward to this series.
DC boater eh? Right on man! Nothing wrong with getting comfortable with eddy lines and how current works.
Alex Barham actually Southern PA, I make the hour and half trip down every weekend. I am want to try Muddy Creek out once it gets some water in it.
@@michaelraab4907 it was running today when we went to starrk moons. I haven't run the class v section but the portage wasn't too bad. Pretty little creek.
This is really good content. Thanks for putting this stuff together! Learning about the mental space and calming my fear is my favorite part of kayaking.
Thanks Mitchell! My pleasure man. Hopefully you enjoy the ones that follow.
Being fearful of failure was a very good point. Never thought of it that way. Great vid
Glad you got something out of it!
Wonderful. Best whitewater video I have seen.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I've been in a hiatus from the sport for a couple years due to starting a business that I can't leave unattended for more than 12 hours or so. What I'll say however, is that when I learned to kayak at summer camp as a teenager, the biggest thing that made me better was peer pressure. Us campers had what we referred to as the "float bag of shame", which was essentially a float bag that the last person to swim had to keep in their boat until someone else did. I watched a 120 lb kid in a Jackson Fun 1.5 get trashed in Humongous on the Ocoee for 2-3 minutes without bailing because he didn't want it in his boat (a raft eventually knocked him out). We would rag on each other for being afraid to try the harder moves, and often times, this was the difference between someone pushing themselves and doing it versus not doing it. This seems to be the antithesis of conventional paddler development, but it worked. By the end of the summer, we were all hunting for every sketchy slot to run or hole to boof to make the class III-IV stuff we were running more interesting. While I've never really pushed myself far past the class IV+ range since, half of the kids I learned with are absolute shitrunners now.
This is basically why booty beers are part of our culture. A little nudge to motivate you not to make a silly decision and quit in a moment of weakness. Those little nudges have enormous cumulative effects in progression.
I really enjoyed listening to this. I'm doing my Intro to river kayaking in 3 weeks. I'm so pumped. Thanks!!
Enjoy it!
Excellent video. This isn't talked about anywhere near enough. It's my view that just having conversations like this opens a door for people to become better paddlers. The extension of what you're saying (for me) is the question, "Well do I overcome that largely irrational fear? I know I'm technically good enough to run this feature but the 'You'd better not mess up here' thought keeps nagging away". After a proper analysis has been done, for me, it becomes important to access mechanisms to put intrusive thoughts either into perspective or to one side. For me, this mechanism is usually the focus on breathing or the focus on looking where I want to go.
Should have said: *HOW* do I overcome that largely irrational fear?
I'll be getting into that going forward. Basically the answer is to put the work in to trust yourself, then learn how to "clock in" for the big ones.
Great video. I recently started doing structured online coaching with Bartosz, there has been so much failure and frustration (mainly stepping up freestyle) but I went from no bow stall to flat looping my MixMaster in a summer. Having structure and keeping a diary really keeps you keep some perspective I think, Alex Honnold does it and he's arguably the most clutch athlete in the world. People always talk about how freestyle keeps with rolling etc, but I think it really helps with mentality etc
B B Cool, I ve just got to linking more than 3 ends in my MixMaster. The bow stall is really elusive (at keast to me) and great to hear that you can flat-water loop the boat 👍🏻 can you give a link to the online coaching you use
@@AngusRobins Sure thing Angus. It's proper coaching with training plans etc, if you are semi interested in progressing your freestyle or getting structure I'd say fire the guys an email. Think they price from occasional video consultation to elite performance plans loveitliveit.co.uk/kayak-coaching/online-kayak-coach/. I'm on the silver plan, like it's a big of an investment but I figure I've spent the guts of 2k on my boat and gear, may as well invest a little more to really access their potential
To me Oliver Lang will always be the most clutch and unknown athlete of all time.
Glad to know those guys are making it work! They were a pleasure to watch in person at Nile Special. Bartosz is a technical wizard. You can see his mind working in real time on the wave.
Very thoughtful and and ultimately encouraging. Thank you.
You're very welcome!
Really enjoyed this one. I’m 36, and I recently got back into paddling after a decade-long hiatus (maybe paddling 1-2x per year). Fear is a bigger issue for me now than when I began as a teenager. I can get hurt more easily now, and it takes me longer to recover from injuries. I ran Class IV-V as a teenager and I worked my way back into some mild Class V this year (Nantahala Cascades at 400cfs). It’s harder to overcome the fear these days, but paddling different rivers than I’m used to has helped build some confidence.
Well for starters don't focus on what you used to paddle and just enjoy yourself!
Just what needed to hear as someone pretty new to ww. Really looking forward to this series.
Glad to hear it!
Good timing on this. Just had my ass handed to me on a run that I’m ready to do but was stiff and I psyched myself out. I kept saying to myself take it one rapid at a time. But in my head (I don’t want to freaking flip here - guess what happened?) Yup. Flipped and then a bony swim. But I learned it was my head- gotta control and relax the mind.
Give her hell, stick to the fundamentals!
I definitely hear myself in some of your description. I paddled the New River Gorge and swam in Double Z my first time, to the *right of table rock. Tried to roll twice and was lifting my head. That failure held me back for a while. I never like to be a burden and I feel like I am when I swim. Ive paddled harder local runs since then, but COVID and my master's haven't helped me getting out there more.
Rough man! Just find some current and do some roll practice. Holding people back is always something I worry about too.
I know this may sound idiotic, but I just fear for my boat. I bought a Jackson Nirvana (Secondhand) last year and have yet to take it out on any challenging whitewater, however, on the whitewater I have taken it out on, my head has just been constantly filled with worries that I might punch a nice hole into the hull. I know it's stupid to think about it, and I don't know why I do, I'd just love to enjoy myself and understand that kayaks are replaceable, but I just can't get it out of my head. Any advice or experience with this?
Break a couple.
Lol in all seriousness boats do break, but you've usually earned it. Maybe it is all at once, or over a long time, but they take a lot of abuse before they crack.
Best way to have boats last longer is to run clean lines. Only way to do that is accept failure and enjoy the process
Perfect timing for this series bro. I’m just now considering my first whitewater boat.
Awesome! Make sure it is something you can learn a trick in this winter in the pool. That will keep you engaged and trick you into learning a lot more than just a roll.
Alex Barham I’m 6’2” 235, I’m thinking mamba or z3
Machno L man
Alex Barham I was betting you’d say that, hows the outfitting in them?
It is adequate. You can make it comfortable
Agers Falls was my first big drop to! I didn't get the stellar picture reel but I plugged it just as badly
Bahaha! Yeah many of us have had the same experience
Cool video dude. Started paddling in 2017 I’m coming into my own as a class 4 boater, with the occasional class 5. Got mentally fucked by the upper gauley September 12th, paddled a big ez against my better judgment. I let my hubris get the better of me and found out very quickly big water is a whole different game than class 4 creek boating. Anyway keep doing what you do!
Don't stress it man. By definition you're going to get smacked backwards now and again. There is really no practice or training for big water. Best to take that first lap seriously and then ease into it. Think about an Ottawa trip before next Gauley season.
Man I’d like to pick your brain about outfitting an old perception amp. Mainly putting in a new back band. I have NO EXPERIENCE in putting in a back band. Maybe I can get you you to PM me on Facebook messenger 🤷🏼♂️
@@Nc_Nick907 Here's how you drop it into one of those OG perception boats with the foam back rest thingy.
ua-cam.com/video/ChyKWLztKN0/v-deo.html
Info on mounting the ratchets
ua-cam.com/video/ko_eLt7m8I0/v-deo.html
Great vid as always! What are your thoughts on verses kayaks?
They said they were going to send up a boat for a review but didn't. Haven't paddled a boat of theirs yet, but their process doesn't involve traditional prototyping.
For us geezers, there’s a golf metaphor coined by Bob Rotella. “Golf is not a game of perfect”. This can apply to WW kayaking. It can be about dealing with the head game, and how you recover.
Sorry man, but you lost me at golf.
Alex Barham Haha. Yeah, bit of a stretch, it was a play off your paintball reference.
Haha no worries
The hardest part of white water. Is pushing through the head game. Master that, and the river becomes you symphony.
That's part of it for sure, but you still need to be technically sound and understand what you're doing
It's easy to forget that kayaking is a sport, and one should be getting 'worked'.
WW kayaking is not a leisurely float down aerated water.
This feels silly to type, but holds some truth.
Getting worked happens sometimes, but we should always be working!
Great video, loved the paintball reference! Used to play speedball back in hs
Awesome! Glad someone got it!
Ha! I know that hole well. Pit 1 🙄🤪
And for the record I've Achieved, survived, and credited to White Water,,, have practiced reproducing 😜
Good lord lol
Wanna teach me playboating? I can do a stern squirt and surf, that's about it. However I think I need a new jitsu, I ended up with one with the recall issue and found out too late
Sorry man, at most I coach informally when opportunities for growth arise. There are some really good instructors on the Ottawa who teach freestyle on an epic playground.
Jitsu recall? Did the track pop out?
@@AlexBarham yep! It popped out, I've glued it down twice
Glue or tape won't do it. Try replacing the mount system as shown in here to a two-bolt system. That will put an end to the seat sliding around.
ua-cam.com/video/ZsXtIBP-83I/v-deo.html