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confidence 18 years 11 months ago #5993

thanks for all the input everyone. I don't think my problem was paddling too difficult of water, as i ran some big class 4s no problem just last weekend and I had a blast surfing every feature i could get on and spent some time rescuing raft swimmers. I think it was more that i just psyched meself out after a couple bad days when my back was hurting and thought that something was wrong. I'm feeling super confident once again and your input helped a lot. Cheers!

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confidence 18 years 11 months ago #5994

first off congradulations going down class 4 in your first year. My suggestion would be going to a pool or a flatwater river and doing some roll practise or even just wetexit practise maybe then you will able to get a little confidence and then go from there.

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confidence 18 years 11 months ago #5997

Totally, you just have to start building your confidence from ground up. Paddle easy stuff, practice rolls in places you feal secure in, then progress to places that intimidate you (funny water, wave trains...). I think just paddeling easy rivers with a good group, having fun and playing around is the best cure. And don´t think to much about how you are going to fail, think about how you are always going to roll up next time.

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confidence 18 years 11 months ago #6003

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Sounds that the river gods have givin you a good trashing for jumping on stuff out of your skill levels at the moment! MOst if not all whitewater paddlers have had a good trashing similar to yours.

My advice would be to start off on easier whitewater relearn the basic river skills, picking lines breaking in out of eddies, ferry glides, using waves. Oh and build up gradually to the harder grades

Good luck and hope you perserveer

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confidence 18 years 11 months ago #6019

[b:edd80dc869]Think positive!!! [/b:edd80dc869]Don't think 'will my roll work this time", just think you can do it or even better don't think, just do it. You have done it so much time before. [b:edd80dc869]Enjoy yourself [/b:edd80dc869]in your boat and it will come back automaticly!!

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confidence 18 years 11 months ago #6023

Hey there.
Lik Bartw said think positive.
Dude, 90% of failure is pedetermined by the mind set.
Get comfortable, revist the basics (something we should all do every paddle run) and start up from there.
If you believe that you are going to fail, odds are you will.
If you know you will succeed ther rolls get reversed. (not to mention you end up on the top side again...)
As for the level of water you are running, it depends on your progress. But go back and work up again.

Good luck and happy paddling.

NOTE: Everyone is gonna get hit eventually. From rock hits, cuts, and for some a lot more painfull than that.
It is a sport that runs the edge. Get back in and go for it.
HAVE FUN. That is the big part.

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confidence 18 years 11 months ago #6045

Basically what the others guys said, its all in the mind. For me, the thing i do is think about the worst that can realiisticaly happen, then go for it. Usually, even on class four, the worst that can happens is just a thrashing and swim, is that so bad? In your case your back got hurt, so youve got that hanging over you, another part of the problem is that maybe youve got the back incident ruining your concentration during rapids. AS for the roll, tons of people just lose here roll, yours might be the same way. The best cure is just to paractice at the pool or get some roll classes .

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confidence 18 years 11 months ago #6063

Two weeks ago I was in a swimming pool and I decided to do some wet exits from my boat. I haven't swam since I learned to roll. Sometimes it takes 3-4 trys, but I always roll up. Two days later, I'm kayaking on the Merced river, at a high flow, and I tip over in the first rapid. I tryed to roll up but missed and didn't even get a breath in between attempts. So, I swam. Funny thing was, I didn't even flip over the rest of the day. In retrospect, I think that I freaked myself out. I feel as though I set myself up to fail, mentally. Point being, your head can keep you out of trouble, and can also cause you to do some stupid things. Just keep paddling through the fear and then you will reach the fun. Then the cycle begins all over again, as you push yourself harder.

Take care

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confidence 18 years 11 months ago #6065

There is a big difference between running a rapid outside your comfort zone and paddling a rapid fully in control.

My guess is that you have done more of the first and not too much of the second. Like the guys have said take your boating back a few grades. Grade 2 & 3 are the places where people learn how to paddle rapids in control. You only need to go on from there when you can nail every eddy, surf every wave and play in every hole on that section with out having any issues.

Playing is also a good way to help improve your boating skills however only if the feature isn't too big or real hard to access. Also don't forget to warm up as this will help avoiding back pain.

Take it easy, have fun and be safe out there,

Neil

www.swiftwaterrescue.at

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