The Top 8 Tips to Vanquish Your Fear

Hey guys! Jeremy here. Some of you might remember the articles I published on the Loopkicks site about a year and a half ago. And since I can’t find them there anymore, I figured I’d publish the updated versions here! So you’ll be seeing some throwbacks in the coming weeks. Without further ado, here’s the first tricking article I ever wrote — The Top 8 Tips to Vanquish your Fear!

We’ve all felt it. That oh-my-God-I’m-about-to-break-my-freaking-neck feeling before going for a big move. Trickers have to battle fear all the time, but trick tutorials don’t really explain how to overcome the crippling anxiety that comes with pushing your limits. So I contacted some of the world’s best and bravest trickers to help us all figure out just how they do it. And finally, these words of wisdom came to light.

Stop putting tricks on a pedestal.

If you start thinking of big moves as being crazy difficult and nearly impossible, you construct a mental barrier between yourself and your own success. Instead, listen to Rudy Meadows: “I look at every trick I do as the same. Some tricks are harder than others, yeah, but not necessarily bigger. Don’t put any trick you want on a pedestal. It only makes you overthink it and makes it a lot harder than it is.” By approaching each trick as a reasonable, reachable goal, success is already a reality in your mind, and fear has little opportunity to take root.

Do your homework.

If Batman Begins taught us anything, it’s that people fear what they don’t understand. So, watch tutorials and study the best in the biz until you can write a textbook on the trick you want to master. Trampolines and all prerequisite tricks are your best friends here, so get comfortable with them. And Pat Chu, aka Ramenfood, adds that, “Visualization of yourself performing the trick helps because if you know the trick and understand it, the trick will become less scary.” Mental imagery is great prep work for the real thing, so give it a shot!

Focus on your technique, not your terror.

For this one we turn to Nick Vail: “Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time. Either doing the trick, or being afraid of the trick… If you focus on your execution and leave the emotion outside of your mind while in the moment, you are only subject to executional errors.” Couldn’t have said it any better myself.

The first one’s the worst one.

Your first attempt at a trick is probably gonna be the scariest. But after that, every attempt is way easier because now you know that you can and will survive! So for your first-ever attempt or even your first try for the session, just get past it, and it will be much smoother sailing from there.

GET OUT OF YOUR MIND!

Shout-out to Lil Jon for this tip. If you get too wrapped up in your own fear and “analysis paralysis,” you have to step outside your own head for a bit. Work on a different trick, talk to your teammates for a while, listen to music, meditate, just do whatever works for you. That way you can hit the “Reset” button and come back to the trick with a clear mind.

Go Super Saiyan.

All trickers were born with Saiyan blood, so when the time comes, GET PUMPED! Spike up your hair, scream, get a pep talk, get a Spirit Bomb going, do anything you need. Or if you were tragically raised without “Dragon Ball Z,” just play some music and wait for the drop. The right music creates a rush of adrenaline that shatters inhibitions and pushes you to new heights (literally). Von Simmons sums it up perfectly: “When the music is right, let its mood carry you.”

Try a different approach.

If you are still frustrated and freaked out despite hours of working on a move, take some advice from Tony Surphman. He suggests trying “different setups for the move you wish to land… because a different strategy is all you may be missing… Break the rules!” All trickers’ bodies and skill sets are different, so experiment to figure out what works best for you. Besides, as Tony later adds, this experimentation will help make you a unique tricker with a style all your own.

Stay confident and positive!

In tricking, attitude is everything, so strive toward the confidence of Rory Bratter. Before a big trick or combo, Rory explains, “I change my mind frame from I’m gonna try this, to I’m gonna do this.” When success becomes cemented in certainty, you are much more likely to make it a reality. But even if you don’t land the move, you have not failed! Bailey Payne points out that, “you actually have succeeded because you got over the fear of it!” If you label yourself a failure and start feeling resentful, you will never improve. But if you stay optimistic in the face of adversity, you will have it made.

Nobody said tricking was easy; if it were, anyone could do it. But pushing through the physical and mental roadblocks is what makes tricking so unique and trickers so accomplished. So remember how badly you want it, glance at these tips if you need to, and go out and kill it!!