Beginners....

[newbie08]

Hi there

I was meant to finish my ** course recently and I didn't manage to complete it because I had all kinds of problems during the dynamic apnea session.

The first was I was too buoyant and after a long time messing about I realised neck weights weren't working and that a heavier-than-normal weight belt did the trick.

The second was I truly did not know how to duck dive properly (yes, even in water only 1.5m deep!) and the instructor had to spend ages trying to teach me which wasted time.

Thirdly, I was so annoyed at myself I just got more and more angry and the session went nowhere.

Now I'm expected to put in two or three times more pool time than anyone else before I'll be allowed in open water.

My static session was fine however and was really enjoyable.

Did anyone else had this problem during the course??
Or anyone out there who was a slow learner or late developer like me?

 

[vali]

the secret is not to be afraid of water

 

[fcallagy]

Hi Newbie and welcome to db.
relax and do this at your own pace. many of us may be better at one discipline than another and we need to give our bodies and minds time to adjust what we are now asking of them. Sometimes people on courses fly through them and sometimes they dont. relax and dont get too hung up about it as it will happen when it happens i think i would find it very hard to duck dive in 1.5 m of water but search around here and look at the beginners freediving thread for hep on all sorts of freediving stuff.

 

[newbie08]

Hmm vali that's really helpful thanks a lot......not :rcard

I was just very embarrassed that though I'm very comfortable in the water I've never been able to duck dive properly. And I felt a complete retard compared to everyone else I don't know if I should dare show my face again.

Anyone else out there a slow learner?

 

[vali]

if you want 2 dive properly you must pull out the legs of the water...the gravity will do the rest....

 

[immerlustig]

you don't make it sound like you enjoy freediving much, actually.

the instructor had to spend ages trying to teach me which wasted time.

what's the problem with spending more time to learn something? unless, of course, you don't want to learn in the first place or you belong to those people who want the results without the work necessary to get there.

maybe you want to review your attitude towards improvement. if you don't improve anything but your duck diving you still have improved. no?

take it easy.

roland

 

[Pastor]

Hmm vali that's really helpful thanks a lot......not :rcard

I was just very embarrassed that though I'm very comfortable in the water I've never been able to duck dive properly. And I felt a complete retard compared to everyone else I don't know if I should dare show my face again.

Anyone else out there a slow learner?

Don't feel bad about it, loads of people are slow picking some aspects up, only not many will accept that fact or admit it. Just carry on and perfect it and eventually you'll be a better diver for your effort. It's easy for those with more experience to forget how intimidating freediving can be when your just starting out.

 

[ILDiver]

I have my weak points in diving too. Mine are in open water, just getting myself to relax with all that is going on around the floats and the pressure I put on myself. I think I should be doing better than I am and I end up doing worse because I focus on the negative. It will all come with time in the water. Once more things become second nature, you won't be focused on them to get frustrated....except the next hurdle that frustrates you but you will have advanced, so....

Keep with it, it will come.

 

[newbie08]

you don't make it sound like you enjoy freediving much, actually.



what's the problem with spending more time to learn something? unless, of course, you don't want to learn in the first place or you belong to those people who want the results without the work necessary to get there.

maybe you want to review your attitude towards improvement. if you don't improve anything but your duck diving you still have improved. no?

take it easy.

roland

If I didn't want to freedive I wouldn't go to the trouble of registering and posting my problem on here would I?

 

[immerlustig]

and if i wouldn't care about freediving or your problems i wouldn't recommend you to relax and take it easy, would i?

peace and harmony

roland

 

[newbie08]

The problem is I seemed to be the only person in the group who was "slow". Everyone else finished the course in the two days....I haven't yet finished.

 

[ILDiver]

the instructor had to spend ages trying to teach me which wasted time.

Immerlustig, I think it more that he feels that things are tied up on getting him caught up and he feels bad to have wasted others time, not his. But that leads to him being more focused on feeling bad for others that he then delays his own development (that is what happens to me).

Newbie08, you have to find a way to block out the negatives around you while diving. Maybe that means stepping backwards and starting with goals you know you can reach to get you going. In my last class I was trying to jump into all the new stuff without being comfortable with the stuff I already learned. That made it 10 times more difficult on me. As you are more comfortable with the intricate details of the easy stuff, you see more easily what your issues are on the next step and because you can focus more on them. It takes PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

That's my theory on myself, I hope that helps.

 

[trux]

Someone has to be the slowest. Some people have more previous experience, better predisposition, or are less stressed about how well they do, but rather focused on the learning. It does not mean you cannot get better than others - if you really enjoy it and wish to continue, simply be patient and give it as much time as it needs. The best preparation is spending hours and hours in water, snorkeling, and exploring the bottoms of seas, rivers, and lakes in your neighborhood - there you won't need to bother whether you are stylish and in time, but will be much more comfortable in water with fins and mask, learning most of what you need in freediving naturally too (especially if you already got the initial instructions). Of course, even if just snorkeling, keep safe and have a buddy close to you.

 

[sanso]

How quick You learn doesn't matter.

I just noticed one thing: You say, You couldn't even duckdive in 1.5m water. It takes more control to duckdive in shallow water, because You have to stop or veer off very soon. For a decent duckdive You need space beneath, since it may well take You three meters down before You know it.
Training the duckdive in 1.5m water doesn't make much sense.

 

[vali]

i-m sorry that you where offended by my post
i-m a 40 year guy and i expect others to think deeper [my bad]
when i say "not to be afraid of the water" i meant not a specific place and second in time....
there are moments in wich i get scared of something under water....other scale perhaps, but the fact remains...
i dived since i was 6 years old naked in the shallow waters of the black sea...so i have 34 years of getting used to water...and after 34 years of going down i tell u...the water is more powerfull than us...so the proper respect must be show....
do not try to be in line with the others coursants....be yourself
is like in drawings....if you do not have talent work hard...
is no shame to be the last now and the first later....
the problem with the water...like in drawings and of course in sex...is not to be in a hurry....
so!
take your time!!!
the water will embrace you

 

[drunkinbda]

and of course in sex...is not to be in a hurry....
so!
take your time!!!

but if you hurry then you can go to bed sooner!!!


:chatup:blackeye

 

[billieball]

I got frustrated with myself during my first formal freediving course. Never mind that I was doing quite well for a beginner...I just put a lot of pressure on myself, and if I didn't "get" something, I'd get really pissed off at myself. The duck dive is one of those things. I've had an advanced freediving course, and still occasionally struggle with the duck dive. The only time I truly do it right is when I am completely relaxed (which usually ends up being right before I give up in frustration!). Once I'm down, though, I can tell a world of difference in my dive if I've entered the water properly. Maybe that's why I love free immersion so much...no duck dive!:t

Be kind to yourself. Trux is right, in that someone has to be slower than the others. Not everyone is going to "get it" right away. Try your hardest to relax (oxymoron, maybe?), take your time, and PRACTICE. Freediving can change your life. Doing it properly can only aid in that change.

 

[James Baguio]

Hi Newbie08...I'm just a beginner too...
I'm glad you said your static is fine and enjoyable.
For me doing static is the least fun to do. I'm having problems during the 'struggle phase' - a lot of negative thoughts come in. These thoughts prevent me from being relaxed and extend my static time. I learned that when I am successful at blocking these negative thoughts (by actively thinking of relaxing and enjoyable thoughts), my static times improve. The same trick worked for the other student I was with.
From what I learned so far, I think these not only apply to static discipline... block out all negative thoughts, force yourself to think positive (even before you practice), be patient and practice a lot. Also, watch a lot of free diving videos at YouTube. You'll see a lot of good examples to emulate.
Hope this helps

 

[Kattie]

Hello,
I dont know if it will help but i faced the exact same problems... not really during the course itself but when I joined the club I am training with at the moment. I was looking at the others and wanted to show them that I could do it too but I was just floating... so I was ashame and then could not relax... it,s a vicious circle really. Once i realised that, I just thought what ever, i'll do what I can. I think it's because during the course the instructor was really laid back and I was with some friends so i was not afraid to be judged but the first time I went to the club I was really impressed so I did terrible (and I am the only girl as well). Now I no longer need a neck weight or a weight belt at all for dynamic. I realised that i have to start by going to the bottom and then I can stay mid water. It's about finding your own balance and not being afraid to stop after 3 m and try again. It's the same for the duck dive I started to get it when I relaxed about it. It think these things are harder for those of us who are used to get things right fast. We put pressure on ourselves and lets face it, in a sport that is all about relaxation, pressure does not work.