river confidence

BOOF IT STEVE

Maybe its just me? but,

paddlin a few years an have been paddled grade 4 water and i know its fun challenge for me but can handle it. (most of the time)

Sometimes i get to the put in and theres no problem paddlin but sometimes for no reason which i can think of , "im not feelin it" is a way i feel and not confident to get on a river that i might have been on the week b4 and had a great time....then on the way home ya feel silly for feelin that way coz u paddled it or maybe walked around something ya shoud nt

does this happen any1 else?

ozt9vdujny3srf

The important thing to remember about whitewater boating is that we are only there to have fun. So if you rock up one day and walk a few things that in different form you might have done, or if you decide not to get on a river, then so what.

I think most paddlers with a bit of sanity do the same. It isn't uncommon (for whatever reason) for really top class (like pro) paddlers to not run stuff they are def up to if they don't feel like it.

Zuppy

If your pushing yourself, I find your either on form or not. And if find the more you push your limits the better judge you are of when to walk or run it.

Form will mean nothing on a river you can paddle half asleep. So the 'bad' days are a good sign. :-) being optimistic here.

irishlostboy

we all get these days. days where you just cannot seem to paddle well, or with confidence. then you get that occasional day where you are just on fire and everything is working so well and you are nailing things you never did before.
for me, i find the secret is just paddle loads. i get more crap days if i am only paddling once every week or two. if i am paddling every day or every second day, i tend to get a higher percentage of good days to bad days.
dont use river difficulty and grade to decide how good you are. a good paddler can milk a challenge out of grade 2 piss if they want to, and will make it look class and smooth.
some tips to paddle well that work for me;
ritual; have a warm-up and stretching ritual. this warms you up, and can be used to focus your mind in the "now" ritual boat and gear check. again, up safety and awareness, while having a mental adjustment.
specific on-river warm up moves. when you get on the river, do a few specific moves that help your body and mind get in tune. reverse paddling and ferry gliding is great for this i find. doing reverse ferry glides while really focussing on the technique, what you are doing with your head, where are you removing the paddle, how is your torso rotation.
visualise your paddling; creative visualisation is a lot more than daydreaming. if you are seeing the line you are paddling before you paddle it you are mentally prepared for what is coming and can be pro-active rather than reactive. practice this projection of mind.
study the minutiae of the hydrolics of the river. REALLY understand all the little bits of different flow, why they are there and what they mean to you and your interaction of the river. thisa is good mental training and you cannot have too much knowledge of the river. the last time you want to get introduced to a cheeky rejector current is when it is playing with you.
hope these ideas help