Chapter 2 - Part 1 - Obstacles to Learning Whitewater - Fear

A BOOMER’S GUIDE TO WHITEWATER KAYAKING - OBSTACLES TO LEARNING – PART 1-FEAR

When I took my ACA instructor certification one of the first things we learned is this – you have to help new kayakers get over their fear of whitewater. So in this video I will discuss the main obstacle to learning – fear!

Research has shown that some people develop fears after a first-hand experience of an adverse event, such as getting stung by a bee or being chased by a dog. This is known as FEAR CONDITIONING.

There is another theory that fear conditioning can occur indirectly. For example, images of a horrifying plan crash can induce a fear of flying in many people. Similarly, you may watch some YouTube videos that show kayakers getting tossed upside down on a river or, worse, dying on a river. It does not matter that these people may have been in very dangerous water, only that they were injured or killed. Seeing something like that may affect not only your ability to learn whitewater kayaking, but even your desire to try it.

In this video I will present instances of each type. I will also include a link in the Description area that has a link to a scene from The African Queen I think you will like as well as relate to.