I felt motivated to write this article for PUSH as I know dislocated shoulders are a hugely common injury in action sports and everyone wants to know the same thing: when can I get back after it? I remember I rode my mountain bike for the first time at the 4.5 month mark after surgery on my right shoulder. I was very thorough and consistent with my PT for this surgery and went to the gym every day I could once I was cleared to do so. I’d say that shoulder took about 3 months to feel great for day to day things (like grabbing a mug from the top shelf or getting a gallon of milk), 5 months to feel strong and somewhat confident in sports, and probably close to a year for me to stop thinking and worrying about it so much.

Move onto my current situation, where I’m at 1.5 weeks post-op. I remember the overall timeline and exercises from my right shoulder,  but have forgotten all of the specific details of how progress and recovery feels. So, for the next 5+ months I’ll be documenting my recovery for your reading and learning pleasure… I feel for anyone who has to go through this, but you can do it. One day at a time.

Also, a little background on me. I’m a healthy 23 year old guy, 5’10”, 155 pounds. I’m not sure if I send it too hard or just suck, or if it’s a combination of both, but I’ve now had 2 collarbone surgeries (both left) and both left and right labrums. My injuries that have resulted in surgery happened snowboarding, mountain biking, and dirtbiking. I also wakeboard and skate. Obviously we’re all built differently and have varying interests, but I figure a bit about me will help to let you know how your recovery might be different based on your build, health, and interests.

Alright, let’s get into it…

Week 1

The day of surgery was cake – the nerve block did its job well and I felt no pain until around 3am. I was sure to stay on my painkiller schedule, and that is super important. They take a while to kick in, so if the pain kicks in before a painkiller has it’s going to be a miserable half hour. The first 3 days were manageable and never unbearable pain. I struggled to stay asleep some nights. I found it best to sleep in a recliner.

I was off heavy painkillers within 48 hours after surgery and had the bowels moving pretty normally within about 4 days. My first day of PT was 4 days post-surgery, and my shoulder wasn’t feeling ready to move yet. My PT got a good feel of how I was doing so he knew where our goals for the next session were.

Week 2

I started to feel a bit more like a functioning human again week 2. I left the house a couple times for groceries and such and also started working from home. I’m  a web developer so I need to type. It’s difficult and I need to situate my arm carefully, but it works. This phase of recovery is only passive motion, so I’ve been doing pendulums, shoulder rolls, shoulder shrugs, and seeing my PT 3 times per week. PT is super motivating as you get to see your arm move more and more every week.

I’m allowed to have my arm out of the sling at home (in safe, controlled environments), but I still tend to wear it unless I’m playing Xbox or doing my exercises. The arm is still quite sore if it’s out of the sling for very long since it’s so weak. I can also lay in a bed now. I use 3 pillows under my head and one under my left arm and it works pretty well. I still find myself sleeping in the recliner a lot, but I imagine I’ll be sleeping in bed full-time again next week.

Week 3

I got my stitches out and saw my doctor just after the 2 week mark. He was happy with my progress. Taking a proper shower felt so damn good.

Unlike week 2, my arm no longer prefers to be in the sling for comfort. Almost all of the small movements I made in weeks 1-2 that caused me to wince are gone. I spend almost all of my time at home out of the sling, aside from sleeping. I almost never feel any pain anymore, aside from the stretching at PT, but that’s a good pain. I’m becoming a lot more comfortable using my hand/forearm for easy things. I couldn’t touch my face for the first 2 weeks, as it requires just the smallest bit of motion in your shoulder. I’m now able to do that with confidence.

Little things are getting easier – like pulling up my pants with 2 hands or putting a sock on. Essentially anything that’s incredibly light that I can do with moving my forearm/hand but not my shoulder, I’ve started doing. I’m still very limited, but slowly beginning to feel closer to normal. My external rotation is improving greatly and I can now type with no discomfort at all.

Week 4

I road tripped to Minnesota from Montana to attend a wedding with my girlfriend. I figured this would be a decent test. I spent around 12 hours behind the wheel (left arm in a sling), and driving is no issue at all. I’ve been driving since the end of week 1, but no longer feel sore and things like backing up are getting much easier. The wedding was awesome, and you better believe I danced my ass off with my wing in a sling. My shoulder was mildly sore at the end of the night, but overall no issues and felt good. Progress at PT is better every day, and every day truly feels better.

I sleep in a bed every night now, and am down to 2 pillows under my head. I can sleep without the pillow under my arm, but still prefer having it. I’m a side sleeper when I’m healthy, and I’ve started to lay on my right side just a little, but my arm still feels like it wants more support than that. It’s also kind of awkward with the sling on. I also prefer sleeping on my left side, and have not yet tried that. I probably won’t for a couple more weeks.

My day to day functions are improving noticeably. I use my left hand quite a bit now, always taking very careful caution not to use it to bear weight beyond a coffee cup. By the end of week 4, my ROM (range of motion) is as follows. All of this has been achieved passively (my PT moving and stretching my shoulder with none of my own strength):

• External: ~10 degrees past neutral
• Overhead: ~100 degrees (0 being at my side, 180 being my arm above my head)

All of my exercises are getting easier, which include pendulums, shoulder rolls, shoulder shrugs, and mild external rotation in a swivel chair with my arm on a table.

Week 5

This week was good for the most part, though with additional exercises at PT my bicep tendon has been experiencing some quick, sharp bursts of pain. Relaxing my arm helps mitigate this, and it generally acts up during and after PT, but rarely other times. My therapist says this can be normal and is purely a symptom of tightness and weakness. He’s added a few exercises to my list of things to work on at home, now including very small wall slides using my own strength (or what’s left of it). I’m also using a ski pole to work on my external and forward rotation.

I can also lay on my left side! I’m still not quite comfortable enough to fall asleep that way, though that is partially due to the sling.

Week 6

My bicep tendon has really been acting up a lot, but my PT helped me figure out how to solve that problem today. It seems that with the tightness in my shoulder, after exercises it’s almost as if my bicep tendon needs to “reset”. Previously, I would do pendulums to sort of loosen back up after each exercise. Lately, if I go straight into pendulums after a stretch the sharp pain attacks my bicep tendon. My PT had the recommendation to go into pendulum position (a little hunched over, arm dangling down) but to squeeze my scapula back a few times before doing pendulums.

This has helped reduce the occurrence of the pain immensely. It seems like the bicep tendon just gets a little misplaced and can’t move back properly with how tight my shoulder is, and that tends to “reset” it. Very happy we’ve figured that out, but also motivated for this pain to subside all together. This never occurred with when I had this surgery on my right shoulder. Still feeling happy with progress, but very excited to see my shoulder start moving better in the forwards/upwards direction. It’s still stiff that way and compared to my right I can see that my entire shoulder is moving to compensate, as opposed to just the ball in the socket. Doctor’s orders are full ROM by 10-12 weeks, so it seems we’re on track for that.

Week 7

I’m starting to feel like I’ve turned a bit of a corner. The “active” range of motion phase has began, and it’s nice to begin working the muscles in my arm and shoulder. My bicep tendon is feeling better and bugging me less (though it does still act up) and ROM is continually improving. I’m completely out of the sling now, and that’s been very nice for sleeping as well as driving. I am not using my left hand on the steering wheel yet, but I can help my right hand put my seatbelt on and it’s just a bit more comfortable without the sling overall.

I’m dropping down to 2 days per week of physical therapy since I’m able to begin doing so many more exercises in my free time. I had another followup with my doctor and he was happy with my progress. I’m still not allowed to lift more than a coffee cup, but I’m allowed to use my arm for pretty much whatever I feel comfortable with at this point that doesn’t involve weight bearing. The list of things I’m comfortable with isn’t very long, though day to day functions are getting better and better. I’ve started eating and brushing my teeth with my left hand again. I squeegeed my shower glass with my left hand, which was awesome.

Weeks 8-9

General day to day functions are easy at this point. My doctor said weight bearing should still be very minimal, though I feel like I could pour a gallon of milk now. I still haven’t. PT is going well, and almost all traces of sharp bicep pain are gone. My doctor wants me at full ROM by 10-12 weeks, and I do feel I’m getting quite close to that timeline and my vertical ROM is still pretty poor.

I can see my shoulder moving as it should up to 90 degrees, and then it gets stiff and movement happens more so in my shoulder blade than my actual arm in the socket. My PT seems confident that it’ll come back just fine, but I am putting a more intense focus on my overhead stretches to work on this. I’ve done really, really well with this recovery so far, and this has been my first week or so of somewhat negative thoughts.

For one, I start to think “am I ever going to be normal again? What if it doesn’t come back?” Of course I will get through this eventually, but month after month of never seeing your arm go above your head can become taxing on the mind. I’m working on handling the mental side of this recovery. I’m also just bored. I’ve done a great job staying occupied and finding projects to do, but as an action sports guy no matter how busy I stay I will always miss getting outside and riding, whether that be on 2 wheels or a snowboard. 1 day at a time, still plucking away!

Weeks 10-11

I’ve put a lot of time and effort into my overhead stretches, with continued focus in other areas as well. For the last 2 weeks I’ve had friends (or my mother when I was home for Christmas) help me stretch overhead while lying down. Improvement has been steady, and as I approach the 12 week mark I’m feeling more confident that I will be at or very close to full ROM. I’m feeling functional for most purposes; I’ve been rebuilding a dirtbike and have been fully capable of taking it apart, moving parts, breaking bolts, etc.

My PT has given me exercises to help begin strengthening (which actually help with ROM quite a bit) as well as work on areas that are still awkward or not perfect. We are starting to bridge the gap between stretching and strengthening. I plan to focus heavily for the next week or so on perfecting my ROM so I can then focus fully on getting strong again. My overhead stretches are at about 170 degrees now, so I’m almost to full overhead.

Week 12

Day to day, I feel like a normal human being. For everyday tasks there are very few things I can’t do or where I notice the limits in my shoulder. I’m still very weak and my range of motion isn’t quite perfect, but my doctor was happy with it in my last visit. My shoulder is still tight, but with a really good stretch I can get my hand to the floor when lying down and trying to go full overhead. My external rotation is steadily improving, with thrower’s position still being around 30 degrees away from perfect. I’m continuing to stretch, but also beginning to strengthen. Gym phase will begin soon.

Weeks 13-15

While I was stoked to have nearly full overhead motion at 12 weeks as my doctor had aimed for, I’m realizing how far I still have to go in the thrower’s/external positions. As I recall, my right shoulder definitely healed faster than this one, though it’s impossible to remember exact timeline. That said, I’m putting a lot of effort into getting my rotation back so that I can begin strengthening. Strength phase begins once I have full ROM, and fun activities begin once I’m strong, so I need my ROM back.

I’m now at the point where everything starts to feel so good that I forget I’m still weak and not normal yet. I’ll move quickly by accident and definitely feel it – my shoulder is not ready for anything remotely close to intense or quick, but it’s steadily progressing. Still not having full ROM at 14 weeks can be concerning, but my shoulder isn’t locked up – it’s still progressing, just slowly. My doctor did let me know this was a very extensive repair in comparison to most open Bankart repairs, so it’s not too surprising. One day at a time, working on it.

Weeks 16-17

Gym time! Wow, it feels good to get some proper exercise again. I’m still about 10% shy of full ROM in the thrower’s position, but my PT is confident that it will come back with time and exercise, and I am too. I’ve started going to the gym and have been doing exercises specifically to get my shoulder strong. This primarily involves the cable machine (internal and external rotations, and then pulling both up and down in thrower’s position), though I have also been doing flys and pushups using TRX bands. The other day, I pounded out a whopping 13 standard pushups and 5 pullups. I sure was sore, but it felt incredible. I’m starting to feel like I’m getting close, and am also getting excited to ride again. It’s been far too long. It’s looking to me like I should be ready to go after a solid 5-6 more weeks of consistency as the gym.

Week 18

My progress at the gym has been incredible and motivating. I’m to the point where I can feel where I’m still limited and weak, and know just the exercises to focus on. I’m up to 20 pushups and 10 pullups, and the amount of weight I’m using on the cable machine is steadily going up. I still feel very vulnerable in the thrower’s position. At this point, if I give it a really intense stretch I can pretty much get my arm to the ground in thrower’s position lying down. While it’s slow, I am definitely getting a few more degrees of motion every week and will undoubtedly have full ROM in the next week or two.

At this point it’s nice having my right arm as a baseline when at the gym; I can very clearly see which exercises I struggle more on and feel the difference in the same amount of weight on my left vs right shoulder. Thrower’s position exercises are still a combination of stretching and strengthening, so it’s definitely intense, but good. Every week I’m getting more excited to go ride and feeling better and better.

Week 19

I saw my PT and he agreed that I’m in a position to continue going to the gym and no longer need to go to PT. Yesterday after the gym I was doing my thrower’s position stretch (lying down and pushing down with a ski pole) and got my entire arm to the ground for the first time. It’s still tight, but I can now reach full ROM and am just continuing on the gym grind. Another 4 weeks of working hard at the gym and it’ll be time to strap into a snowboard.

One thing my PT helped me focus on is ensuring I go all the way down to a full hang when doing pullups each rep. I wasn’t dropping all the way down, and that’s where it’s the most intense on my shoulder. With this change, I’ve dropped from 10 pullups down to 5, but they’re much tougher and more effective. I did 25 pushups today, so those are coming along well. Overall just going to keep up the consistency and go shred when my left feels pretty much as good as my right.

Weeks 20-21

I’ve been super consistent at the gym and getting stronger by the day. I used to do standing backflips as part of my workout, and I’ve finally added those back in. I also went camping and shot a 12 gauge shotgun, one shot with a slug round. I sure was sore, but was able to do it. I’m now to the point where I feel like my limiting factor is the last bit of RoM in thrower’s position. While I can get it to the ground when I give it an intense stretch, it seems like it’s been tightening up back to about 15-20 degrees off every day. Being almost 5 months in, this is something I probably should have given a little more focus earlier on. I plan to focus heavily on stretching this area for the next few weeks until I have full range without a problem. I’m feeling overall very strong but still limited in some areas, and I think getting full RoM will make this last 10% of discomfort go away and allow me to begin trusting my shoulder once again.

I’ve transitioned from shoulder exclusive workouts to a combination of shoulder and full body workouts. I’ve been very impressed at how quickly my bicep and other muscles have returned, but there are many exercises where I feel the clear difference between my right and left. I’m definitely good enough that I’m feeling pretty ready to go snowboard or dirtbike, but plan to give it a few more weeks of hard work to ensure I’m as strong as possible and risk is minimized. I don’t expect my left to feel like my right, but I do expect it to feel as strong and as reliable, and I’m not quite there yet.

Weeks 22-23

50 pushups! This has been a goal for months. At my final appointment with my doctor at the 3 month mark, we were discussing when I could get back to activity. He asked how many pushups and pullups I could do when strong and healthy, and I told him 50 and 20, respectively. He said as long as I was at least 4.5 months out and hit those numbers, I could go ride. I was so stoked to hit 50 pushups. I can do around 14 pullups, and am steadily improving. I’ve also been working hard on my stretching and am damn near full RoM; I’ll have it this week. Pretty much ready to go rip. Staying smart and working hard the next couple weeks to minimize risk as much as possible, but I think I’m ready. It’s been a long road.

Week 24

I went snowboarding! For one hour… before the Coronavirus pandemic hit our local ski hills and shut everything down. That said, it felt great and I feel so fortunate to have gotten to ride before sh*t hit the fan. My shoulder was sore but felt solid. Extreme motions definitely were an intense stretch. I did 2 tamedogs (frontflips) and was stoked on that!

The following weekend I went dirtbike riding both days. My shoulder was quite sore due to the intensity dirtbiking requires, but felt solid and reliable. Overall I’m going to keep working out (from home now due to shutdowns across the USA) but plan to return to general activities again, with careful attention. It’s been a long road – stoked to be back, even in this weird time in our history. I hope your recovery goes smoothly and I hope this helps! Leave a comment with any questions.

The post An Athlete’s Detailed Account of Open Bankart Repair Recovery appeared first on PUSH.

So why on earth are some the world’s greatest athletes setting an example for the new generation by posting rad edits with nothing more than a beanie and goggles? Why does Nyjah Huston’s most badass skate edit showcase him slamming his dome on the concrete in slow motion as if it’s awesome? Why do I feel like the odd one out when I go to the skate park and decide I want to protect my brain?

There are some sports that have it right. If I showed up at the bike park or the motocross track without a helmet, I’d get called out for not having one. This is how it needs to be in every sport. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve slammed my head so hard snowboarding that I may not be here had I not been wearing a helmet. I remember the one time I did go to the skate park without a helmet I had a silly fall that ended up with my head on the concrete.

This may be harsh and controversial, but when I hear of an athlete who sustained a serious head injury without a helmet on, it always feels like a “well what did you expect..?” type of moment. Sure, it sucks, it’s sad, and I’d never wish that upon anyone. But by not wearing a helmet, athletes are directly acknowledging the increased risk in the sports they do. I don’t want to see my friends or anyone else hurt pursuing the sports they love due to not wearing a helmet. I’m tired of seeing articles about athletes who suffered brain trauma or worse because they were too stupid to protect their dome. Yes, that’s harsh. But apparently it has to be as nothing and nobody else seems to be getting the point across.

The sad part about the lack of helmet wearing is that there never seems to be a good reason for it. I’ve heard from a couple people “it’s not as comfortable”, but for the most part it truthfully seems to be a matter of either lack of thought or because it’s not the cool thing to do. For some it’s a matter of cost, as helmets can undoubtedly be pricey. It’s always hard to make an investment you don’t see the immediate return on. When buying a helmet, the thing people need to realize is the investment truthfully is your brain. If you value your ability to walk, talk, eat, laugh, love, do the sports you love and just live your life the way you want to, put a helmet on your head and call out the next person you see who doesn’t have one on.

As for professional athletes, they need to realize they have a responsibility as role models. They aren’t just competing and filming at the highest level of their respective sports – they are directly influencing the younger generations of athletes. I can assure you there’s a correlation between the number of pros wearing helmets and the number of amateurs wearing helmets. Protecting your head is the “cool thing to do”, and everybody needs to realize that.

This is one of those topics that’s really tough to change, but change has to start somewhere. One helmet at a time… I hope to see a day when everyone’s head is protected – from the ski hill to the skate park to the road.

Please, please, please do yourself and your mom a favor and wear your f***ing helmet.

The post Wear Your F***ing Helmet appeared first on PUSH.

I snapped it right at the end of the first plate, close to my neck. I think I looked something like this when it happened…

 

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A post shared by Pinkbike (@pinkbike) on Aug 10, 2019 at 1:52pm PDT

…but it probably went more like this…

 

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A post shared by Colton // Jerry of the Day (@jerryoftheday) on Aug 7, 2019 at 6:11pm PDT

Regardless of how it happened, my kickass summer quickly went from shredding bikes and dirtbikes 4 days per week to sitting in a recliner searching for a TV show to binge. It was easy to start feeling sorry for myself – and then I picked my head up and started thinking positively. I started thinking about how lucky I am…

• I live in a country that has experienced health care professionals who were able to throw a second plate in my collarbone with no complications. I live somewhere that there are amazing surgeons who can make me as good as new.
• I broke my collarbone. Yeah, I would have rather not. With that said, it could have always been worse – way worse. My head is okay. My shoulder stayed in its socket. My break was repairable. I can still walk.
• I keep thinking “I’m out for 6-8 weeks.” What does out mean? I’ve been working hard to think of injury as an opportunity instead of a burden. What can I now do that I should be doing regularly, or something I want to do but haven’t made time for? Not being able to ride all of a sudden frees up so much time for new opportunities. Thinking this way helps a lot.
• This is a relatively quick recovery. I’ll still be able to ride my bike and dirtbike before winter hits.

It is so damn easy to get down on yourself when injured and fall into a slump. Obviously the longer the recovery the harder it is to stay positive and motivated, but if you can manage to pull yourself out of that slump and motivate in some way you won’t be disappointed. It’s possible to accomplish more during an injury than you would ever expect. The mind is powerful.

On top of all of this, my mother has always said “everything happens for a reason…” and I never thought much of it or even agreed with it. And then things kept happening in my life where it made more and more sense. While you may or may not believe in this, it can also make seemingly bad things feel a lot better. I’ll never know how life might have played out differently had I not crashed, but believing that everything happens for a reason allows me to take life one day at a time and not feel sorry for myself for getting hurt.

The post Staying Positive Through Injury: Everything Happens for a Reason appeared first on PUSH.

What do I mean by this exactly? Well, 3 seasons ago I counted my days on the mountain snowboarding each and every time I went. I logged which mountain I went to and a brief entry of how the conditions were, who I rode with, how well I rode, and if anything particularly good or bad happened that day. At the end of the season, this was incredibly rewarding and fun to look back on. When I am logging 80+ days per season, so many of the days run together that I soon forget some of the great experiences I had. At the end of the year, I looked at my list of days and thought “man, I could’ve gotten 5 more…”, and so it began. Ever since that year I’ve been logging every day I ride in every sport.

It is a huge motivator. If I rode 80 days last year, I want to ride 90 this year. It pushes me to get off the couch when I’m feeling a “lazy day” and go ride instead. There have been a lot of days I’ve had a hard time getting off of the couch, but none that I ever regretted doing so. Whether your goal is hours on a dirtbike, miles on a mountain bike, vertical feet on skins, or simply days outside, take a shot at keeping track and see how it pushes you forward. You’ll be amazed at how many days you’re able to add each year even when you think you’re maxed out, and how much improvement you’ll see in any sport from pushing for extra time getting out and doing it.

This year, I’m working towards 2,000 miles on a dirtbike and a combined 100 days between mountain biking and dirtbiking. What are you working towards? Comment your new goals below! If you don’t already have an account, it’s quick and easy to make one. You’ll be able to comment across the site, create a profile, pin tutorials, and more.

The post Counting Days appeared first on PUSH.

Life Lessons Taught by Outdoor Adventure/Action Sports

1. The first step is taking the first step. It is all too easy to see something that looks appealing to you, really interests you, and never act on it. I find that many of my friends and I tend to be “jacks of all trades” if you will when it comes to outdoor activities. Now I’m not saying we’re experts at all of these, but we can hold our own. That whole array of skill sets came from just going for it and taking that first step in whatever it was. Doing this repeatedly for things like various outdoor adventure sports (let’s call em OAS from now on), where the only real consequence of disliking it is not doing again makes you accustomed to trying new things. The vast majority of my friends have no problem taking a job in a random place, quitting a job to travel, studying whatever they choose, or just up and moving somewhere and I’m inclined to believe there’s a strong correlation between the two.
2. You’re going to take the line you’re focused on. Anyone who’s involved in OAS knows this. Mountain bike, dirt bike, snowboard, etc, it’s all the same. When you’re cruising through a trail or down a hill things are going fast. Strangely enough life tends to go by fast. While you’re heading down that line, there’s a lot of obstacles in the way. Lots of trees you can hit, cliffs you can fall off, rocks that can stop you in your tracks. You know that they’re there, you can seem them in your peripheral vision, but you never focus on them because you’re keeping your eyes on the line that you want to take. Same goes for life. There’s all sorts of pitfalls along that way that can screw you up, but that’s not what you’re focused on. You don’t ignore them, you know they’re there, but you just stay focused on where you want to go and going there.
3. You’re going to eat shit. As was just noted, there’s lots of obstacles. There’s going to be a few points along the way that get the better of you. Sometimes you’ll come out miraculously unharmed, and sometimes you’re headed to the hospital. If you go through life thinking you’re not going to eat shit at some point you’re setting yourself up wrong which follows into my next point:
4. Know how to fall. You know you’re going to eat shit, so now when you find yourself in a situation where you know you’re going down adjust accordingly. I’m convinced I don’t get hurt more because my mom taught us how to fall when we were young. You don’t put your arms out, you don’t try to stop it, you go with it and try to redirect so that it works out better. You keep the momentum going smooth, try to tuck and roll, and avoid hitting something else. When you see you’ve screwed up somewhere in life, as soon as you recognize it you start making corrective action immediately, you don’t wait till you hit the ground. Are you going to be able to fix things completely right away? No. Are you going to do everything to stop things being as bad as they could have been? Yes, yes you are.
5. Get back up and go again. There’s going to be a few bad falls in there, very potentially some injuries. That never stops you from going again. Especially if you’re uninjured. If you did something that scared you, you take a step back, analyze what you did, establish if what you were trying was feasible and try again. If you weren’t ready for what you were trying, you slow down and work your way up to it but you never stop. This goes for any line, jump, trail, trick, etc. If something doesn’t work out in life, you either try it again if you think you’re ready and it just didn’t work right, or you try a different approach and slowly work your way up to it.
6. There’s certain things you just have to learn by doing. My favorite example of this is slacklining. Anyone’s who’s walked on a slackline knows that at first it’s hard as hell but then somehow, magically, becomes easy. Your body learns on its own through muscle memory exactly what it has to do in order to keep you balanced on that wobbly ass webbing tied between two trees. Are there certain tips people can give you to start? Sure. Put all your weight on the line at once, pick the point at the end of the line and look at it, etc. Someone can only tell you so much though before you just have to do it (see point #1). In life there’s lots of things that can be learned from other people, and I’m in no way saying that those things shouldn’t be learned, but there has to be a point where you say screw it I’m just going to figure this out and learn on my own.
7. Skills grow on each other. The more you expose yourself to, the more you find that something else you’ve done makes learning something else much easier. This is why you shouldn’t limit your experiences. If something interests you take the opportunity to learn it, if someone asks you if you want to go do something and you’ve got nothing else going on go for it! It all just turns into experience.
8. You’re going to get lost. Things may even be going to plan, and you have a pretty good idea of what’s going on and then next thing you know your buddy accidentally drops into a canyon you guys shouldn’t be in while canyoneering or you end up stuck out mountain biking till 2 in the morning. The only thing to do in these situations is stop, analyze, and try to fix it. You then make a decision and go with it. I’m still very young and I’ve already had a few points in my life where I’ve been momentarily “lost”. Trying to decide what the best thing to do is, which direction you want to go and where exactly that direction will take you. The only thing you can do is pause, clear your head, consider your options, make a decision and go.
9. Doing things alone can be great, but doing things with friends is always great. I’ve done my fair share of activities on my own and it’s pretty much always fun. It’s a good way to clear your head, get out and go at your own pace. Doing things on your own is always nice, but doing things with your best friends has no compromise! It’s awesome having people there to push you, egg each other on and share the memories. Cherish the friendships and cherish the good times, and above else be a good friend.
10. Pick your line and learn the trail. This one is only relevant to activities with a trail but it’s a big one. When you go to a new trail for the first time, you’re not going to know it. The first lap will feel kinda weird and won’t flow quite right. The more you hit it, the more you learn, the better lines you pick, the better it flows and the more fun it gets. Sometimes it actually just won’t be a good trail, but you need to give it a try. Apply to any new experience, class, job, etc.
11. You don’t need the best gear to get good at something. I would actually argue the opposite when learning something. So many people get wrapped around having the best gear, but when you’re learning it’s not necessary. From my point of view, if you learn on shitty gear and get good, when you get good gear you’ll be that much better. There’s nothing better than having sub par gear and smoking people who have all the newest top notch stuff. Now once you’ve really gotten into something, then you start to actually know what you need (what you NEED often times isn’t the best) and that’s when it’s time to start making investments. In life you don’t need the best stuff to start, material or otherwise. Just start. You’ll get a good base and eventually you’ll end up with what you need.

The post Life Lessons of Outdoor Action Sports appeared first on PUSH.

In May of 2005, Brian Deegan was asked to perform a backflip on his dirtbike in less than ideal conditions for the MTV show “Viva La Bam”, and he knew it. There was a strong crosswind, but they decided to move forward with the shoot. His pride and desire for fame wouldn’t allow him to say no, so he went for it anyway. After catching his stomach on his bars, sustaining internal bleeding, and almost losing his life, he started to wonder how “worth it” his pursuit of fame and progression really was. Brian had always been known to risk himself in order to further his career, his fame, and his pride, but for the first time he was having reservations about his decision making and started to point his life in a safer direction.

Jeremy Lusk was a freestyle motocrosser taking the world by storm as he began winning huge competitions in the early stages of his career. Lusk was competing at an FMX competition in Costa Rica in early 2009. Multiple sources indicate the setup was less than ideal, there was wind, and Lusk simply wasn’t riding like the dominant force he was. Lusk came up short on a backflip variation trick and broke his neck, causing irreversible brain damage that would lead to his death the next day. Jeremy Lusk’s death hit many people in the action sports community hard, making them question if everything they were doing was really worth the risk of it all.

“It made me look at life. I said from here on out I’m going to live my life the right way. I’m going to try to make the best of it and spend the most time with my kids and my family and the people I love, and my friends. It just made me think of all the dumb little things I’ve argued over and my bad attitude and being negative. It gave me a vision: I said I was over wasting my time anymore. Life’s a gift, and it can be taken away just like that.” – Brian Deegan on the death of his best friend, Jeremy Lusk

There are countless more examples of tragedy in action sports, from Erik Roner’s shocking skydiving death to Shane McConkey’s fatal ski BASE jump. It seems tragedy is inevitable in action sports.

Yet here we are. It’s now late 2018 and action sports have been pushed farther than ever imaged. Travis Pastrana did a double cork 1080 on a motorcycle. Josh Sheehan did a triple backflip nearly 100 feet in the air on his dirtbike. Jed Mildon can quad backflip a BMX bike, while Ryan Williams can triple frontflip one. A handful of snowboarders are now throwing quads with ease, and who knows what’s been going on behind the scenes in the hush-hush community of BASE Jumping. Bottom line – it’s not stopping anytime soon.

So what point am I trying to prove? I need to start by pointing out that I am not recommending that anyone spend their time on the couch because the world is too dangerous. I am a snowboarder, mountain biker, dirtbiker, wakeboarder, skater, and more. I seize the opportunity to get outside and push myself. I do not think people should stop doing what they love because of the unfortunate tragedies that happen to a small percentage of people in the community, nor do I think those people would want anyone to stop pushing.

The devestating stories above all have one thing in common: there were risk factors. Well, higher risk factors than normal. Sure, action sports at a high level will always be risky. But when risk factors start to become factors outside of your control, that’s when it’s time to assess the situation and consider the bigger picture. Your head can be in the game, but when wind, visiblity, a poorly built setup, etc. becomes part of the equation, you’re no longer in control. This is the point when it’s time to weigh risk versus reward and be prepared to swallow your pride.

I think the moral of the story is the action sports community has lost (or almost lost) a lot of talented, influental, and all around great people due to lack of this consideration of risk versus reward, compounded with the inability to swallow pride in a community that thrives on success. I hope everyone continues to push the envelope and the progression goes on, but I hope it can happen with a smaller percentage of tragedies. In a community where the body does the talking, let the mind take control for once.

Related Articles and Videos:

• Blood Line: The Life and Times of Brian Deegan – a documentary about Deegan’s life where he addresses a lot of the points made in this article
• What Happened At the 2018 Women’s Slopestyle Final? – a Transworld Snowboarding article about the dangerous riding conditions at the Olympics and why it should have been avoided
• Travis Pastrana Remembers Erik Roner – Pastrana remembering a friend and legend
• McConkey Movie – a movie that remembers the life and impact of Shane McConkey, and why we shouldn’t stop sending it with our friends
• Jeremy Lusk Tribute – a Metal Mulisha tribute to friend and athlete Jeremy Lusk

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I also remember breaking my collarbone and being out for six weeks. I remember tearing my labrum and being out for 6 months. I remember concussing myself and being scared for years. The thing about injuries is that they are what you make of them. When you’re injured and out, you’ll never appreciate your health more. We take our health for granted while we have it, but once you’re unable to perform basic functions for weeks or months at a time, you will certainly be ready to have your health back. The wonderful thing about injuries is most of them are forgotten quickly. The time of injury seems to drag on forever, but when it’s over it’s out of mind so quickly. My 5 months of heavy PT and misery during the deepest winter in years seemed like it would never end, and now feels like a distant memory. Do what’s necessary to take care of rehab while you’re injured so that you can forget about it once you’re healed.

So far the discussion has been all physical, but what about the mental part of coming back from injury? I spent a year away from snowboarding after my shoulder surgery. I expected myself to be back to the rider I was a year prior within weeks. I had never let anything hold me back, so I couldn’t see why that would change. It took me most of the season to really get back. A year out put a little voice in the back of my head that was so much more difficult to overcome than I could have expected. I had always had the Send It Mentality, and this was my first time struggling with it. What that season made me realize is that injuries can change the way you look at things, but that’s not the worst thing in the world. I always thought it was. It all depends what your goals are.

For years, I wanted to become a professional snowboarder. I still do. But for years I was pursuing it. After last winter season and a lot of thinking, I came to the realization and decision that it’s not going to happen. This is due to many factors – age, money, skill, etc. I also think about people like Ken Roczen, who had one of the most brutal crashes I’ve seen in ages, and was back racing one year later. Everyone thought his career was over, but he knew what he wanted and went for it. I look at Bruce Cook, who became a paraplegic after attempting the first ever freestyle motocross double frontflip. Shortly after, he was backflipping his dirtbike with a seatbelt on. Again, it all depends what your goals are and how hard you’re willing to work. Injuries can change things, but that doesn’t mean they have to ruin things.

I am directing my focus and talents to creating a network of action sports tutorials to tie an amazing community together. Ken Roczen is working his way back to the top of the podium. Bruce Cook has embraced life in the most positive way and inspires people every day, all the while ripping his dirtbike without the use of his legs. The human body is fragile and powerful at the same time. While preparation, commitment, and strength can help avoid injuries, they tend to be a part of action sports. Stay positive through the lows and keep pushing. Whether your goals change or not, injuries are part of the game. Most of the best athletes are capable of handling injuries better than anyone else. No matter how long it takes to get back to where you want to be after an injury, don’t give up. The life of an action sports athlete is too great.

The post Conquering Injuries appeared first on PUSH.

First, take a sport that doesn’t require the “Send It” mentality (SIM for short). Soccer is a good example. Soccer is an intense sport that requires persistence and dedication to become a good player. It requires strength, quick mindedness, and a tenacious personality to compete at a high level. What it does not require is immediate jumps in progression. With soccer, you practice and you improve. You practice more, and you improve even more. There is no point in the progression of a soccer player where a higher level of risk is immediately required to continue to improve. Soccer is a respectable sport with a lot of talented athletes, but it’s not a game that requires the SIM. It’s not an action sport.

Defined, the Send It Mentality is the ability to perform in situations that do require an immediately higher level of risk to continue progression. Take an action sport like freestyle skiing for example. There comes a point as a freestyle skier where you’re a capable and talented athlete, and it’s time to learn a backflip. The backflip is a trick that requires an immediate increase of risk and a high level of commitment to first learn. The difficulty lies in the unknown. While you believe you’re capable of the trick, there is no way to know unless you try. You could land on your neck, and that scares people. This is where the SIM comes into play.

The SIM is essential to all action sports. While it may not come easy, the more you do the easier it gets. There are three keys to becoming a good action sports athlete:

1. Knowing you’re ready to try something new
2. Knowing you can commit to trying it
3. Trusting your friends

From my experience, all 3 of these are essential. When you’re ready, you’re ready. Waiting does nothing. Get your head in the game and just do it. Be ready to commit despite the unknown or don’t do it. Commitment is everything. With commitment, risk is small. Without it, it’s probable. This is what makes action sports their own breed of sports – they require this ability that no other sport requires. The third point above is relevant for if you’re not entirely sure you’re ready to try something new. If you have friends in the sport who have watched your progression and truly know your level, they know what you’re capable of. If a friend you trust says you’re ready to backflip, believe them, picture it, and learn it. This is a tight knit community and friends will be one of the biggest motivators you have. Find a positive group of people to rip with and keep them close.

So you don’t have the SIM naturally and you’re having a hard time acquiring it. Your chest tightens up when you think about going upside down or doing a new trick, and you always bail or freeze up when it’s time to give it a go. This is most of the people in this world. That’s why most people aren’t good action sport athletes. Again – it’s a small, wild community. But let me tell you this – all it takes is one time. Beat that feeling one time. From there, it gets easier and easier. Your first invert will terrify you. You won’t know what it’s going to feel like or if it’s going to work. That’s the point. You will learn to love that feeling, and once you have confidence and the ability to commit it just keeps going. You learn one trick, and then another, and another, until you see a new trick in your head, put your head down, and try it. The SIM gets way more powerful the more you use it.

If you’re afraid of something, fall asleep picturing yourself stomping it. Wake up and go do it. Beat that feeling in your chest just once, and then you’ll be trying new tricks for years to come.

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