Dealing with Fear

[@frederickwelham3829]

"Make hard moves on easy rivers". The best advice I have ever heard.

[@tobaccoroadadventures]

As a spry 55 year old man who’s in his first season of whitewater this video is priceless! Thank you!

[@CleanLineKayaking]

You’re welcome! 🤙🏻

[@ddistrtt]

The tone of this video is on point. I think we need more of this kind of vibe in the sport.

[@DennyT71]

It sucks bud, I'm 71+. I'm tone deaf. But I still rock and roll. On both sides, I might add.😅😅😅

[@kayakkootenaybc]

Fear is strong. But gratitude is stronger. Be grateful you are where you are. Feel fear but be grateful for it.

[@CleanLineKayaking]

truth 🙏

[@joshuaannabelle]

I all ways feel so lucky that life has let me experience kayaking and places we go that others will never see.

[@Mudman7778]

Its a Head Game, and its part of the package deal. cant WW kayak without it. I wouldn't do it if it wasn't for the Fear! I would stick to flat water paddling if you dont want the fear. thanks for the share.

[@jepz11]

Been struck by blind panic, and was helped by the instructor very well. For years I worked at handling that fear through paddling circumstances I dared to take on. On our main river, the Waal (the Rhine), and on big flatwater. To challenge myself, to overcome tresholds in trusting my skills. At age 67 I started my white water career only on condition that I learned a reliable roll. Did that pay off! After two seasons including lessons in the French Alpes, white water is my passion. Over time, the horror of my fear has made me happier than I could ever imagine.

[@ctumbles74]

This guy is just incredible. Thanks man. You’re a blessing. Keep it up.

I'm a beginner in kayaking, and this has opened a window of understanding. It will help also with a professional decision I've recently made that requires me to leave the country, and honestly I'm super scared about it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic bro!

[@howarddavidson1447]

I discovered a helpful technique awhile back. Not sure if it will work for others but here goes: I was sitting in an eddy about to run a drop that scares me. I felt very afraid. Specifically, I noticed a powerful and unpleasant feeling in my abdomen. It felt like a big mass of fear. I observed it and noticed it starting to rise up into my chest and move towards my throat. It felt like it was about to travel up into my head, take over and make me mindless. I managed to take some big breaths and push it back down a bit. Once it was down to chest level, I sort of made a bargain with it. I allowed it to stay where it was and not fight it further - as long as it did not try to climb higher again. I let it come along for the ride, so to speak, but not control the ride. Ran the drop. It went great. Point is, you can not eradicate fear but there may be ways to peacefully coexist with it. Thanks for the thought provoking video!

[@SpecialBeaterService]

I was forced to do pot holing/caving in the marines. The fear of getting stuck underground wakes me up in the middle of the night to this day. Whenever I get anxious on a the water I think of that and wish I was back there rather than attempting the next rapid. 😜

[@jepz11]

What I get from this, David, is that laughing about yourself and the fear, helps. Correct?

[@DejanSmaic]

I love this video, because it is SPOT ON! I'm on the tail end of my 5th season paddling and competent IV boater. Moving into V's with my son in 2022. Everything you covered in this video is exactly how I've learned to cope with fear, and put it in my little dry bag, and pull it out only when I need it. The common denominator for coping with fear is: CONFIDENCE. It's how you arrive at the "C" word. I love working IV rivers and creeks I am extremely comfortable and familiar with to try harder stuff, harder moves because I know it's ok to screw up. Also, the laughing part works most of the time. I got stuck on a hole and got worked, worst my 14 yo son ever seen, but as soon as I got my self in a side surf, I was cracking up and laughing out loud until it took me over again...that's when I was laughing soo hard upside down, I inhaled water and decided to take a swim...oh soo fun!!! Also, I think the worst and scariest part of trying new runs is the reputation and war stories people tell. The runs are never as bad as the stories and beta.

[@gpalmer456]

Fantastic content. A year ago I nearly gave up on kayaking after I experienced the worst swim in my 9 years followed by a shoulder injury. The depression that followed was deep. Thankfully I am surrounded by and paddle with very uplifting people. I’ve been easing back into things, looking to stack up the small successes to earn back my confidence. Kayaking has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Never having been much of adventurer, it has showed things to me I would have never otherwise experienced. Your videos are so well put together. I hope you find putting them together just as rewarding as it is to watch them.

[@kevinfraser5179]

What an incredibly important and well-done video. Learning how to deal with fear has been my number 1 most important skill to learn. As a somewhat recent beginner, I am glad my path led me to all the info you just shared. These lessons were not always learned the easiest way. However, my self-confidence on and off the river has only been going up. On top of all of this, I deal with anxiety issues in my everyday life. The methods I have had to learn to manage it on the river have been incredibly useful off the river as well. I think at the end of the day the big secret to dealing with fear is learning how to trust yourself.

[@keystonedaytrip238]

This is very appropriate & timely for me ! I’ve been recreational kayaking for a few years now . At 53 years young I’m drawn to ww boating ! I readily admit I’m anxious , scared , nervous ! This coming spring I’ll be setting out in my new Zen 3.0 :) I’m in shape , though a bit beat up . I say what the hell , I’m doing it before I get much older . Thanks for this calm & very insightful video . EDIT : dang there’s my beautiful boat ! Yellow Z3

[@riverviking5125]

Great video! I've been working hard at overcoming fear that resulted from very poor instruction and being put into rapids well above my skill level. After working with some great instructors these past 2 years, my skills are finally increasing, however, I still deal with the fear. Its good to know feeling fear is normal. I've been trying to control it by taking slow, deep breaths and visualizing running the rapid successfully while telling myself "this is within your skill level, you got this". Many times I've looked at the features and thought, "what is the worst that could happen?" Usually it's an embarrassing swim. I like your suggestion of asking what is "most likely" to happen if you mess up a line instead of thinking what is the "worst thing". I will definitely be trying some of the other techniques you mentioned: laughing, taking the time to see the river, etc. Hopefully they will help me refocus my thoughts. Thanks for making this video !!!

[@pachaification]

I have a boat that I started in and it came to me without a drain plug, and after some time I realized that wondering around put-in, looking for the right size stick helped more and more calm me down and get centered.

[@joshuaannabelle]

Your video explains alot about how I feel. I recently went on a trip and was feeling scared of what thos river might bring, as I put on my spraydeck the fear went and the focus and joy started. I'm sharing this video. 🤟

[@shanefanon]

... oh man ... best video yet . Thank you !

[@menelson11]

Great video. I have really been working on fear, I have good skills but for some reason I am afraid of rolling. I don’t roll often because I have have a great brace and I am good at lines on rapids but in the back of my head I am constantly worried about what happens if I do need to role. I have started purposely rolling in rapids to clear that from my mind and it has really helped. I would also suggest an amazing book that I have read recently called Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales about survival, who survives, who doesn’t and why. The book does a great job breaking down a lot of the points that you shared like the difference between a logical and emotional brain and how we can utilize both to survive in any situation.

[@darksidecarnival5385]

Great video. I was feeling confident in my paddling and looking back at where I was when I started last year I am remembering my decisions and my anxiety because I had so much fear of the unknown in whitewater kayaking. Now that I have gained more experience and knowledge of my strengths and my weaknesses I'm better at assessing my personal risk. Thank you. This video is helping me

[@kevinhill.8]

Nice video Boyd. Some great stuff in here. This is one I will be coming back to regularly to help me with the mental aspect of kayaking.

[@CleanLineKayaking]

This one helped me to make too... I'll be coming back a time or two myself

[@kevinhill.8]

@@CleanLineKayaking for sure. I really like how you encourage people to think about the most LIKELY scenario, if things go wrong, instead of just the worst case.

[@danielsteever7566]

I'm a kayaker who has recently got into paragliding. Nit to be mistaken for base jumping or sky diving. Its a foot launch off a steep hill. Anyway spot on with your video. The thing about paragliding, once I've decided to launch its all brain cells on deck. If I have a good launch then the only thing I think about is the joy of flying.. I have the skills, I think to handle most contingencies. But If I'm 1,00 ft up or even more I just enjoy it. Because I'm gonna hit the ground eventually so why worry until the time comes. In the same way when I decide to commit to a rapid. I'm gonna end up at the bottom regardless. So enjoy it. When you have that mind set you will enjoy what you are doing and you will make smarter decisions and won't be so choppy with your movements and will just flow. My opinion. Dan

[@jessicachristian7002]

A friendly reminder that you promised to give a video of how to bomb proof your roll. I am still awaiting your perspective on this! :)

[@CleanLineKayaking]

on the way… edits take a lot of time. I had to wait for roll sessions to open back up to film some more clips. I give some rolling tips in the big water video that would definitely help in the meantime though

[@MTB_Rider_96]

The most fear I've had to overcome was when we paddled Browns Canyon and the Royal Gorge on the Arkansas at 4900cfs. Even after making it through still in my kayak, I thought I did not want to ever try that again......but I probably will. :)

[@Wookietet]

Hey dude, just getting into kayaking at 46 and im fortunate enough to have a best friend as a seasoned instructor, like you hes calm and really good at explaing situations and what and how to deal with it. Your videos are so well thought out and presented, so clear and well broken down into stages. the rolling ones satiated some fears i had (yet to get in the pool) but made it look obtainable. Thank you for your efforts in explaining stuff realy well.

[@JamTagg]

Great structure and advice!

[@SandraTeine]

This is exactly one of the videos I was looking for, big thanks!

[@paulmoon1803]

Amazing inspirational outlook thank you. The longer I wait before entering a feature the more my anxiety builds ... love the thought of using and being one with the energy of the river and the beauty of the environment ... will deffo be using this going forward ... thank you again

[@valned3776]

This was such a helpful video. I’m a newer paddler and just happy to be at the point where trying bigger things is fun, not terrifying. When it goes well it really makes me want to keep at it. But I have a technique related question for the OP or commenters. I used to carry my stress in my neck and shoulders and have raging tension headaches before lunch. That’s decreased as I’ve improved. But I’ve been gripping my paddle too tight and I’m working way too hard on the water. I have tendinitis in my one wrist from my last trip and it still hurts to twist it 2 weeks later 😒 Did anyone else have a similar problem when they started and what worked?

[@CleanLineKayaking]

That’s actually a pretty common experience/progression. As you get more comfortable, things do get easier and good technique can become more natural. The big secret is to learn how to relax into the sport, but that’s a pretty personal thing and is likely different for everyone… a part of getting to know yourself. In the mean time, a smaller diameter shaft can help encourage you to loosen your grip, as well as the “twirl” learning to spin the paddle in your hands occasionally, and the classic “pinkies out”. A lot of beginner and intermediate paddlers try to increase grip, but your primary grip should happen between your thumb and first two fingers… electrical tape on the shaft can provide extra grip while allowing a looser grip. Learning and practicing proper stroke technique can help too, something many experts have to go back and do. Hopefully some of that will help. Thanks for watching! 🤙🏻

[@jepz11]

One word: yoga. Got me to know my body, it made me lean, yoga is about the balance of tension and relaxation.

[@johannesenssle5650]

Great Video. Thank you very much.

[@maudchica]

I really like your videos, they are real, they are easy to understand (thats an compliment)

[@gabrieldeschenes607]

I like to repeat motivational quotes and words in my head or even out loud walking up to my boat or above rapids that make me nervous that I’ve heard from instructors, family or friends. My other one to boost my confidence is to just try to sing a song you like above the rapid. It helps me concentrate and reassures me be calming my heart rate down because I find myself hilarious!

[@nickbates4554]

Thank you so much for this video.

[@CleanLineKayaking]

you’re welcome! Hoping this one gets around because I think people need it. I know I did 🤙🏻

[@barretosborne3732]

I think we've all had days were we think we're awake and solid, we put on, and we realize we just aren't fully there that day. On my normal good days, I sing random parts to songs to get out of my head (lots of disney songs lol - one of my favorites is Hakuna Matata). On off days at some point I recognize the fear for what it is and I get irrationally angry at it. I use the anger to clear my mind of the fear and get my head in the game. In either situation I agree with you that laughter is one of the greatest tools to overcome fear.

[@kevinhill.8]

I really like the advice about laughter too. I remember learning to roll and I knew I had it when I rolled up laughing for the first time. Not letting the fear dominate is imperative for rolling imo.

[@JakeYaks]

Still waiting on these self assessment and bullet proofing your roll videos! Either way love your vids keep it up

[@CleanLineKayaking]

so many videos to edit/finish editing… need some devoted time I think. Glad you’re hangin’ in there!

[@rahulsubramanian1481]

Lots of really great information here Boyd! Very well put together and have bookmarked it to refer to in the future :)

[@CleanLineKayaking]

thanks man! glad you like it!

[@eriksnogenius]

I look at something scary that I'm thinking of doing. I think am I really going to do this? And then I think yes and I go. And at that moment I'm focused and not really afraid. And it generally works out fine, to my surprise sometimes and gratitude. Sometimes I say those words but I'm really sort of faking the feelings and it doesn't work out so well

[@waynefatguyinakayak7408]

The thing that causes me the most fear and anxiety on the river is not knowing what is right below the surface of the water. How deep or shallow, smooth rocks or sharp, sticks and logs just below the surface, etc. When I'm paddling the ocean, my biggest fear is getting flipped where there are jellyfish, followed by people in powerboats that aren't paying attention.

[@jepz11]

Wayne, please know the difference between what you can control and what's beyond your control. What you can own is: keep on learning. Keep on rolling, keep on practising hard waves, work on white water moves in easy circumstances, scout a rapid you can't oversee, paddle with people you trust. This way, I created "bottom" in myself, for the trust I have in my skills.

[@danielprekel1004]

Love this video!!! Unfortunatly I am not affraid very often. If I am too close to doing stupid things, like paddling a rapid way over my skill level, its always good to have friends around who tell you. Sometimes when I feel Im not focused enough in a challenging situation I used to speak to myself loudly :)

[@wuckhere]

Great video! When im fired up or jittery above a rapid I have to do my mental prep exercise. First i concentrate on my heart rate and breathe to get my self calm. As im doing this i run through the rapid in my head and confirm with myself that i know the line/lines. plan a and plan b/c. I focus on entering the rapid with the mindset of "Do Work". There is no longer fear, Im not tense, I just do what i need to do, to get the job done. Its like im running the rapid is a slower motion and im super focused. Then when i get to the bottom and into the eddie i get a crazy feeling thats calming and satisfying. like a little buzz. This is way differnt than your typical adrenaline rush. I like the way you have broken it down. The advise i give is don't run stuff super fired up but rather calm yourself down, focus, then fire up the rapid.

[@parzable]

You are wicked smat kid! ☝️🍋

[@ericcox580]

THANK you for this video. Please reference my comments on Jackson Kayak. I hope to see a series on this subject-matter! Thanks again!

[@JoelGlidden43]

Thanks for taking the time to make this video, Boyd - super helpful stuff here!

[@anniemorin1947]

Thank you!!!

[@wandering_dreamcatcher]

I loved this video ❤️

[@CleanLineKayaking]

That's awesome, I appreciate it! Thanks for watching!

[@traildog6339]

Excellent video‼️THANK YOU!!! A local Class V kayaker/instructor highly recommends it. I saw on the Jackson page about this video a reference to your own drowning. Is that a reference to your fear of drowning, or did you have an incident?

[@CleanLineKayaking]

I drowned when I was a teen kayaking. At this point in my career, I’ve drowned and I know lots of people who’ve drowned, some revived successfully and some who’ve passed… and I’ve been there for both. It’s an inherent risk of our sport, unfortunately. If you paddle hard whitewater long enough, you’ll inevitably experience it too. My goal isn’t to scare you or anyone else with that reality, but instead to provide good coping skills, perspective, and positive tools for working through that reality, keeping it in perspective, and for choosing growth and holding a healthy, peaceful, respectful attitude around it instead. Otherwise, it’s just really easy to expend a lot of energy and time just being fearful, holding a fearful attitude, making fearful decisions. In kayaking that fearful decision-making can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy if left unchecked (ie if you fearfully stare at an undercut as you paddle through a rapid, your chances are higher for going into it) or it just severely holds people back from progression or getting what they need from the sport. Learning to deal with the fear in a healthy way, breaks those cycles and gives you the freedom to grow more and get what you want out of kayaking. Obviously, I’d say this is applicable to all aspects of life. Cheers & thanks for watching! Kayaking just forces us to grow in ways

[@traildog6339]

Thank you immensely for the in-depth & thoughtful answer. You definitely packed a lot of good points in there. I will be pondering them for some time, perhaps until I ponder no more.

[@CleanLineKayaking]

@@traildog6339 no worries! Thanks for taking the time to ponder! I sure haven’t stopped…

[@DanielGilAfonso]

Just keep smiling and never get any time restrictions for the descent... Always feel more scared and do stupid mistakes or portage quite easy rapids when there is only so little time to be on the water!

[@DennyT71]

When I'm dealing with the fear,I stand at the obstacles and reason with myself. Have I done bigger or harder, will I lose life or limb? Am I near help. Then, the most important thing I ask is, HOW DO I FEEL AT THIS VERY MOMENT!!! AFTER THAT I NOTICED I PULLED OUT ALL MY HAIR SO I GO FOR IT.. YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE.

[@michalsj1788]

Great video man

[@SchaeferYaks]

Great video dude 🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@patsywalker9378]

Great video. Thank you. As for ideas for future videos, how about talking about some basic stuff. One idea is the outfitting of a kayak - how tight or loose should you be in it (my opinion is you should wear it - but comfortably), maybe the differences in feel of a forward seat position vs. a middle or back seat position. How about a video about paddle preferences, bent vs. straight shaft, offset, feather vs. no feather, grip width and its effects on torso rotation, shoulder, wrist and elbow strain, etc... I know a lot of that is personal preference and subjective, but it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on it. Additionally, a discussion on how human diversity might impact the above. People have different biomechanics. For example, no matter how much training the average person has, they probably will not be able to pitch a baseball over 90 mph. Some people have long torso vs. short torso, long arms or legs, or very short. Flexibility varies greatly, and age takes strength and flexibility away. Maybe some videos that explore those topics. They might raise more questions than they answer, but provoking thinking is usually not a bad thing. Cheers!

[@billpeabody6998]

I have always bought in to the idea that there was 2 kinds of fear. 1.) Bad fear - controls you and can get you killed. 2.) Good fear - is something when harnessed can help you focus and it keeps you alive

[@michaelarvidson2801]

Once I made the decision, I'll sing or hum a silly song to myself. Sarah says all the cereal names she can think of. It's just way to get your mind out of your body's way

[@CleanLineKayaking]

hahaha I love when I have just the right song in my head

[@tysonsmudfossiladventures3468]

Try Timber falling and Logging, you almost die every day! Fear can be Motivational. kayaking is that same fear of not knowing the outcome for sure. Dig It !

[@colinbolger9645]

Thanks for that’s , very good . Will you be doing anything on rolling in the future ?

[@CleanLineKayaking]

It’s on the way, but will focus more on teaching the roll, correcting the roll, bombproofing it, and using a backdeck roll safely for river running

[@colinbolger9645]

@@CleanLineKayaking Brilliant, looking forward to it 👍🏻

[@whywouldntwe3]

little off topic but obviously your the guy. is there a difference in knee pocket height in a antix2 compared to a Z3? thanks

[@CleanLineKayaking]

No worries… The Z3 is 1” higher and 1” wider. I put some stout knee blocks into the Z3 to make it feel a touch tighter (both shorter and narrower) than the Antix. In the Antix the Bees Knees is sufficient for my taste, but Z3 needed extra padding.

[@SouthernYak]

good video!

[@jonathanarias4567]

Hi, what is the title of the book you mentioned on flow state?

[@CleanLineKayaking]

‘The Rise of Superman’ is a good intro, but was written more for athletes. ‘Stealing Fire’ and ‘The Art of Impossible’ are good too. 🤙🏻

[@PALSRide]

Before I started kayaking my former hobbies were rockclimbing paragliding skydiving caving hang gliding and riding motorcycles way too fast so fear has been something that I’ve dealt with for a long long time but you ask what I do I pray I ask God to help me and protect me and the guys I’m with and talking to God gives me great peace

[@fredmcyntyre8601]

as the old saying goes, " Yak hard, or else..."

[@FeWolf]

Fear, let's me know I am alive.

[@CleanLineKayaking]

what would we do without it?

[@barretosborne3732]

100% agree