“Courage is
the power of the mind to overcome fear”
– Martin Luther King
The following post has tips to empower the body and mind to overcome fear - co-written by Jeff Laxier and myself (Cate Hawthorne). It is written about whitewater river kayaking, but one can apply these skills to many different situations on and off the water.
 |
| Make hard moves on water you are comfy with. photo: Jeff Laxier |
Bobbing in a
surging eddy, I bounce above an elevation drop.
Time slows, and the river holds me in its trance. My heart pumps loudly
above the roar of the river as I second guess my ability to negotiate the
rapid. My inner voice screams “STOP,”
and I start to work through my fear.
There are
many ways to overcome fear. Here are 3 strategies that work for us:
 |
| Mathew Nelson reads the water with perfection. photo by Jeff Laxier |
1. Warrior Cry – Reach deep down into
your core and belt out a primal roar. This
activates inner strength, positive attitude, and clears the head of “what ifs?” By clearing the mind, it readies the body for
action. Don’t worry – no one else will
hear you above the roar of the rapid. If
they do, they will blow off the stress to by laughing at you or emitting their
own warrior cry.
 |
| Cate Hawthorne demonstrating a Warrior Cry. photo by Jeff Laxier |
2. Train Hard – Show up at the rapid
with the skills necessary to style it.
In your training, build general and specific skills that you can apply
to the rapid. Examples of general skills
include look where you want to go, generate speed, keep strokes forward. Examples of specific skills include precise
eddy turns, ferries, and boof strokes.
These skills don’t come by just running the river every weekend but are
earned with focused practice and training.
 |
| It does not need to be hard or scary to learn, train hard. photo by Cate Hawthorne |
3. Visualization – Review the moves that
need to be made and rehearse them in your mind.
Visualize them and talk yourself through them. Emphasize the positive.
 |
| Cate Hawthorne in the flow of the Eel River. photo by Jeff Laxier |
Often our
minds get in the way of what our bodies know to do. We allow ourselves to doubt our training and
skills and focus too much on the hazards rather than the correct line. In your training, focus on building your
skills and using positive visualization and self-talk. When you get to the tricky rapid, pour-over,
or scary wave, use these tools to squelch fear and style the line.
Do you have strategies that help with managing fear? If so, please share them in the comments.
 |
| Rivers, Arteries to Life! photo by Cate Hawthorne |
