Dealing with Fear by Boyd Ruppelt | Aug 26, 2021 | Antix, Featured Post, jacksonkayak.com, JAdventures Main Banner, River Running, Whitewater, Whitewater Feature, WW Disciplines | 6 comments Out of all the kayaking, skydiving, scuba diving, shark diving, snowboarding, surfing, caving, biking, wake boarding, skateboarding and everything else I’ve taken a moment in my life to enjoy, kayaking is the biggest mental challenge I’ve taken on out of every extreme sport I’ve tried. It also seems to reflect the challenges I face in life more than any other sport too. I have dealt with my share of loss, scares, failures, and injuries in this sport, including my own drowning. Even with all that experience, I wouldn’t consider myself an expert at overcoming fear and, admittedly, this is a lifelong challenge that we all have to take on every day, in every aspect of our lives. That said, I think this video is a solid start for tackling the fear issue that we all have to deal with in kayaking. My sincerest hope is that this will help you have a more healthy dialogue within yourself about the fear you’ll inevitably feel in kayaking, so you can make better choices for you and take on those bigger dreams and goals the mental blocks and fears may be keeping you from. Who knows, maybe it’ll help you in other areas of life too, it’s certainly helped me in every aspect of my own life. 6 Comments Bob Moffett on August 27, 2021 at 1:26 am Man, this is a sweet video! I’ve been working on overcoming my fears for 30+yrs. For myself personally, deciding First that I want to take on this challenge. Secondly deciding that I do have the skills, then closing my eyes and visualizing the Rapid and the techniques needed to run the rapid is part of my process. I follow it up with breathing techniques to control my heartrate and expand my vision as you mentioned. Reply Eric on August 27, 2021 at 2:39 pm Brother, PLEASE continue a series on this subject matter! As an old school, middle aged “OG” who KNOWS what it’s like to be one with the river, I’ve got to figure out how to get back there. I have some health limitations that keep me from being on the water as much as I’d like to be, but truthfully, fear is keeping me out of the game. I was once a Class V++ boater, always pushing the envelop. Irrational fear has taken that away from me…so much so that it affects even the basics, like my hand roll…or paddle roll even! It’s crazy…and I don’t understand it. I know my skill level. I was scouted (tried to recruit me) for the US Olympic Whitewater Team back in the day, and now fear is keeping me out of the game. Please continue a series on this, b/c I found your video so helpful and I’m going to follow it, looking for more. I should STILL be boatin’ Class V and I’m not…and sadly, that’s the only place I’m truly happy and ONE with the river (or “in the flow”, as you refer to it). I’m not content on class III-IV but irrational fear is keeping me there and even robbing me of my enjoyment on it. Some of my best memories were doing the “impossible”…being so in tune with the river that you are smiling at that class VI you just dropped into…becoming one with the river again. I NEED TO GET BACK THERE! Thank you very much for making this video and PLEASE consider doing a series on the subject. I’ll be watching for it… Reply Dejan on August 29, 2021 at 4:19 am Dude, you really tapped into a subject that’s just as imply as physical training. Once I began to understand fear mid-2020, my kayaking took a huge step forward. Your video helps explain why I do certain things to process fear, yet makes me stronger mentally, and more dialed. Reply David Lafferty on August 30, 2021 at 8:30 am Best comment. “How to assess yourself. Make hard moves on easy rivers.” PREEEEEECH!! Reply F Moffett on September 11, 2021 at 6:49 pm Thank you. I listened to this because my son sent it to me, however I decided to see how i could apply it to MY area of fear, which at present is facing long term care of a loved one with dementia. Reply Kevin Daly on September 30, 2021 at 8:53 am Boyd, YOU are an excellent teacher. My son and his girlfriend are avid kayakers, and as experienced as they are I worry about their safety on occasion. Since he shared this video with me, perhaps he was acknowledging our similarities go even deeper. An iron worker in my youth, everything you said made perfect sense and reflects how we both similarly both organize and overcome our fear. Recognize, organize, prepare, team up, and embrace. Your kayaking experiences are not only an amazing backdrop, it focused my attention on every point you made. Today I’m an old dog in the tech world and you might think I’ve outgrown fear but I haven’t. It can be just as intense as it was when I was 19 and stepping out on an I-beam 50 ft up. Your breakdown was beautiful, and something I will reflect upon the next time I’m invited to a meeting with an unhappy customer who is intent on screaming at my VP. (LOL). Your video offers wisdom on how to approach any fear in life. Public speaking, dating, or whatever. I’ll be sharing this video with my team, and looking out for more of your work. I’ll also be checking out “The Rise of Superman” (Steven Kotler). Life IS a river. Thank you! Reply Submit a Comment Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ
Bob Moffett on August 27, 2021 at 1:26 am Man, this is a sweet video! I’ve been working on overcoming my fears for 30+yrs. For myself personally, deciding First that I want to take on this challenge. Secondly deciding that I do have the skills, then closing my eyes and visualizing the Rapid and the techniques needed to run the rapid is part of my process. I follow it up with breathing techniques to control my heartrate and expand my vision as you mentioned. Reply
Eric on August 27, 2021 at 2:39 pm Brother, PLEASE continue a series on this subject matter! As an old school, middle aged “OG” who KNOWS what it’s like to be one with the river, I’ve got to figure out how to get back there. I have some health limitations that keep me from being on the water as much as I’d like to be, but truthfully, fear is keeping me out of the game. I was once a Class V++ boater, always pushing the envelop. Irrational fear has taken that away from me…so much so that it affects even the basics, like my hand roll…or paddle roll even! It’s crazy…and I don’t understand it. I know my skill level. I was scouted (tried to recruit me) for the US Olympic Whitewater Team back in the day, and now fear is keeping me out of the game. Please continue a series on this, b/c I found your video so helpful and I’m going to follow it, looking for more. I should STILL be boatin’ Class V and I’m not…and sadly, that’s the only place I’m truly happy and ONE with the river (or “in the flow”, as you refer to it). I’m not content on class III-IV but irrational fear is keeping me there and even robbing me of my enjoyment on it. Some of my best memories were doing the “impossible”…being so in tune with the river that you are smiling at that class VI you just dropped into…becoming one with the river again. I NEED TO GET BACK THERE! Thank you very much for making this video and PLEASE consider doing a series on the subject. I’ll be watching for it… Reply
Dejan on August 29, 2021 at 4:19 am Dude, you really tapped into a subject that’s just as imply as physical training. Once I began to understand fear mid-2020, my kayaking took a huge step forward. Your video helps explain why I do certain things to process fear, yet makes me stronger mentally, and more dialed. Reply
David Lafferty on August 30, 2021 at 8:30 am Best comment. “How to assess yourself. Make hard moves on easy rivers.” PREEEEEECH!! Reply
F Moffett on September 11, 2021 at 6:49 pm Thank you. I listened to this because my son sent it to me, however I decided to see how i could apply it to MY area of fear, which at present is facing long term care of a loved one with dementia. Reply
Kevin Daly on September 30, 2021 at 8:53 am Boyd, YOU are an excellent teacher. My son and his girlfriend are avid kayakers, and as experienced as they are I worry about their safety on occasion. Since he shared this video with me, perhaps he was acknowledging our similarities go even deeper. An iron worker in my youth, everything you said made perfect sense and reflects how we both similarly both organize and overcome our fear. Recognize, organize, prepare, team up, and embrace. Your kayaking experiences are not only an amazing backdrop, it focused my attention on every point you made. Today I’m an old dog in the tech world and you might think I’ve outgrown fear but I haven’t. It can be just as intense as it was when I was 19 and stepping out on an I-beam 50 ft up. Your breakdown was beautiful, and something I will reflect upon the next time I’m invited to a meeting with an unhappy customer who is intent on screaming at my VP. (LOL). Your video offers wisdom on how to approach any fear in life. Public speaking, dating, or whatever. I’ll be sharing this video with my team, and looking out for more of your work. I’ll also be checking out “The Rise of Superman” (Steven Kotler). Life IS a river. Thank you! Reply
