Good shit, bro. I’m so happy for you. Such an amazing accomplishment. I think overcoming mental obstacles can be more challenging than physical obstacles. Way to go. I knew you could do it.
In 1971 at Army dive school I drowned 2 times. I finished the school, went to war in South East Asia as a USAF Pararescueman and nearly drowned in the South China Sea rescuing a downed Navy pilot. I still get chills in the pool and the ocean. I have a love/hate relationship with water. You did well and pushed thru the hell of water confidence.
“The more we retreat in our minds, the weaker we become.” “What’s something you’re afraid of, and when the last time you trained for it?” Those two phrases really resonate with me. I think I needed to hear that today.
I don't really like expressions like those. I know people who pushed through terrible and debilitating illnesses with a mental fortitude I can scarcely imagine, yet ultimately succumbed. They were tough people, even though they didn't last and their tough times were endless.
No they don't...they tend to have done some really foolish things to their bodies that you cannot actually recover from by pushing boundaries they never should have pushed.
yeah I was watching this and thinking "damn I'm probably doing this Friday" and realizing that I'd be fucked up by this test hard if I didn't do stuff like this so often at practice
Yeah I just got out of comp. Swimming (8 years, 8-16 y o) and this stuff is really hard. Never gets easier, but for breath you can go way beyond you imagine, just get past the surges and instincts to gasp.
You are lying. If you are a real swimmer, this is a joke. Im not pro, i just live where there are plenty of lakes and this sort of thing is just pure easy bllsht. Childs play to anyone in my area. So yall full of sht or yall big ol pssies.
I'm no competitive swimmer, I just love swimming, this test is super easy if you are familiar with water. He clearly did not spend enough time in water when trying first time, you can tell by just looking at his breathing and the way he is swimming. First thing that is clear, he is holding too much air in while bobbing, this is why he does not sink fast and this is why he cannot fully inhale again on the surface. Clearly lack of experience in this environment. Nothing more, just not enough time spent in water. You can float in water for hours with this kind of restrictions. But you have to spend enough hours in the pool until you get comfortable in this environment, there is no other solution. Poll is super easy, you just have to put hours in and also have fun in water.
@@cruxer666 I mean yea it's not hard, from me the harderst part would be sinking to the bottom, but that doesn't seem te be a requirement? like you can do flips in the middle of the pool as well, I lituarly float even if I release all the air out of my longues
From all tests in the military, this one must be the hardest. It is not only physical but greatly psychological. Lots of people who fail water tests lack the necessary mental discipline to stay calm and use the appropriate techniques leveraging the physical capabilities they already have. It takes lots of training to most people. Congrats to all that pass the test also to the ones who keep challenging themselves to improve their performances.
I honestly REALLY appreciate this episode and the vulnerability. You are in such great shape and I've always struggled with fear, but the fact that you are vulnerable with the fact that you were afraid, but that you would keep trying, helps me. Because even if I don't get it the first time, it's okay. Just keep going back and trying. Train and really grow in it.
Man you are inspiring me on a level I can’t put into words. As someone who failed in 2014 and is getting the opportunity in the next few months. This almost feels like a sign that I have to make it.
During swim week for Marine BootCamp, I failed for 3 days because I couldn’t breakthrough the uncontrollable weight of having boots on and full utilities. I was able to find a rhythm on the fourth day. I still have a problem floating, I’ve never been a good swimmer but I do see progress with the more times I do floating exercises.
I know the feeling bro it took me until the last day because I was trying to strongarm the 50m swim and I reach out to grab the finish line and my body would just go into shock as I grabbed the line and I would just sink to the ground but once I practiced the ways the swim instructors told me to conserve energy to make it last I was able to ace the rest of it on swim week. I know lot of us marines downplay it but it’s no easy feat to do especially when you see how many people get dropped from training cause of it.
@Thecodeist I was basically an infantry instructor for USAF Security Forces, if troops could just learn to listen and apply what their instructors are saying, life would be so much easier for them. Instructors of all branches, be it basic training, specialty school, advanced training, etc, they WANT you to succeed. Advice, instructions, orders, etc, are all designed to teach you SOMETHING. It, no kidding, may take years for you to figure out why they taught you this thing, but there's a good reason. Instructors don't just flap their gums. We generally don't have time for that shit. If it comes from "the man", there's a reason In spite of "hurry up and wait", painting rocks, mopping parking lots in the rain, etc, etc, the US military is the most efficient governmental body in our government. While flying over the damage from Hurricane Katrina, then SecDef Donald Rumsfeld was asked about military intervention in the disaster. [Paraphrased] "We use the military because they are the most efficient government agency there is. We tell them what to do, not how, and they always surprise us with how fast and how well they get it done" So, listen and learn.
The part that got me was being tossed off a diving board with a backpack and full uniform on lol. But it was a great experience because it sucked. And that test wasn't even hard physically. Just uncomfortable for me mentally
@@Thecodeist Was surprised how short and easy the swimming part was. It was like one day if you passed it then the rest of the week was getting fucked up in the squadbay. I almost wished i faked not being able to swim so I could chill in the pool instead lol.
I was traumatized throughout my 21 years of life about swimming. This coming May, I will do my best to learn how to overcome my fear of water by learning how to swim.
Man trust me. I'm not a swimmer, but I swim in my free time. I'll tell you what, its just so peaceful underwater. Its quiet and relaxing. I would recommend trying to beat your fear!
I've failed swim tests in the military. That type of fear is almost incomparable to anything else. I went from being able to stay at the bottom of the 15 foot deep end in any pool to struggling to go all the way under 5 feet of water. I did make it back to the bottom of the pool, however, I know that I need to get my swimming fish sense before any test. If I am uncomfortable in the water during a swim test, I am going through hell.
Growing up in Hawaii before the tech revolution, about the only thing we could do for fun was go to the beach, swimming, surfing, spearfishing even at night. I'm Asian but for my entire life up to HS, I was literally a brown turd from going to the beach so much...I can see how hard it can be for people who didn't have a chance to grow up learning how to be a fish. I feel very fortunate to have grown up near the ocean and enjoying and learning as much as it had to offer. I imagine the Hawaii boys have a much easier time with military water training.
Incredible to watch… made me a bit emotional and almost teary-eyed to watch. So proud of you and thankful for your vulnerability and persistence.. was a definite encouragement to me and I’m sure to many others. ❤
Good for you man. As someone who has done a number of the "cool-guy" schools, much of the mental toughness soldiers get comes through the day to day life and training. So when they get to these schools and tests, they would have an advantage over folks that were never combat military. For me, the individual tests like this wasn't the hard part. The hard part was everything between all these types of tests. The sitting in cold water for a few hours, being in the woods or swamps for 2 or 3 weeks, Being made to stay awake for nights on end. I would just get bored and being bored literally drives me crazy. I remember one school I went too, we were in the woods, below freezing at night, rainy all day, no fires, no cold weather gear, only one meal a day if we were lucky. I looked over after day 14 in the woods and one of the toughtest dudes just broke down in tears sobbing. It lasted a minute or two, then he wiped his face and carried on.
Dude. Really appreciate you being real and showing the great stuff along with the tough stuff. Thank you for not shying away from showing the journey and not editing out your learning moments. I absolutely have those anxious moments and mental barriers that sometimes feel insurmountable. Way to keep hammering and way to overcome!! You should be very proud of pushing past that mental edge. Outstanding work.
Funny how mind can stop us from something we could do with no problem. Thank you for showing this. For showing, that we can overcome our mind. I am experiencing it for cantering on horse. I can do it, my body can do it with ease, just in my mind, I see me falling from that horse, so I have problem to do it. I overcomed it multiple times, but my mind from time to time plays tricks on me 😂
Never give up. I am sure everyone watching you is proud of you and your horse. Trust him/her and encourage it to trust you, but don’t let your doubts bleed into your horses mind. He’s got you. I’ve been there.
I haven't done this particular test. But one of the things that messes with your head when you're underwater with your hands restricted is that it's so difficult to get your body oriented the way you need it to be in order to be able to either bob up or flip or kick your way forward. You have to have a lot of patience in waiting out the exact movement when you have managed to get your whole body on top of your feet before you press of the floor, or you will not go straight up. And patience is pretty hard when you are operating on high CO2 in your lungs and everything is telling you you're about to suffocate if you don't breathe soon. I imagine trying it on different occasions is a big help in overcoming all this stuff. Great stuff!
It’s an awesome feeling breaking that fear with water and entering a comfort that feels so unbelievable you wish you never had to surface. The peace and strength of your environment.
As a person who has a huge fear of water, this was so inspiring!! Congratulations!! The world today has no resiliency, and I hope this inspires others to never give up!
This really got my heart beating, the feeling of having your hands and feet stuck together can get you fear. It has this feeling of being unable to swim, but somehow still doing it. Really good job!
I’m so proud of you brother not just for doing this test but for everything! I’m proud to have served with you and I’m proud of what you have accomplished created and overcome! Love you brother
I absolutely loved this, Austen!! One of your best videos. So proud of you for pushing through and succeeding and taking us along with you. There are so many great takeaways from this that I know I’ll start applying to my life. Congratulations and thank you so much for this! 💪🏻☺️
Great job MA! I’m a former MA1 and retired Police Officer. There were many shifts that I had to push through barriers. This is a great lesson for the young folks. Life is hard, but not hard enough to break us. Push through and go beyond your comfort zone.
Austen! You're an inspiration! When met with failure... not once but twice. You refused to backdown. You hit the darkness head on and didn't stop until you reached light. GOOD JOB!!!!!!
I got into a pool by myself for the first time in a long time just yesterday. I taught myself how to swim and wanted to go underwater, but I got scared. I know this was a challenge for you, but in achieving something for yourself you’ve given me the courage to try as well. Thank you.
The night before my Black Belt test I binged 5 or so of these videos because I knew if someone could do some of the crazy stuff that you do, I could handle what I needed to do
As someone who was trained to be scared of water and now getting professional help to learn how the swim, I must say I could relate to everything you felt and it has inspired me tremendously. Thank you.
Thank you for showing your raw reactions, watching your videos are completely changing my response to failure and my perspective of how I can keep myself calm and collected when faced with something I think I can't do. Its hard to put into words what you showing the whole mental process of overcoming very human emotions, can do for people.
Austen my daughter and I have seen some great videos on this channel but I have never gotten teary-eyed on any kind of video like this until today. My daughter is in track and runs the 200 meter then throws shot put and discus. She’s beating her run time and shot put distance a little every meet. Watching you overcome and succeed literally made my eyes tear up. You set a goal and made it happen. Over coming any mental block can feel darn near impossible but you did it. Kudos my friend I have nothing but respect for you.
A few years back, for some reason, I developed this fear of escalators. I have no idea what triggered it but one day I was fine with them and the next I am on the verge of a panic attack. After that, I avoided them completely, would either take the elevator or stairs because I freaked out too much. Then it became a hassle because everytime I'm with other people, I would avoid the escalators. I would meet them at the next floor either through the elevator or stairs while they took the escalator. And even if I was carrying a lot of things, I would still use the stairs if the elevator was unavailable. So, I started trying to worl through it. I started with standing in the center of an escalator, holding onto the railing, closing my eyes, and blasting music into my ears. It worked. I mean, I can only get on an escalator from the ground floor to the next floor up. I still freak out higher than that, but it's progress.
This happened to me too when I was young, probably middle-school age. All of a sudden I was terrified of escalators, especially going down. I used to climb trees all the time and very suddenly developed a crippling fear of heights around the same time too. Fear of heights is pretty rational, but the "lizard-brain" fear-response of freezing while high up is NOT helpful. I still feel a little drop in my stomach on escalators but it's mostly gone away in adulthood.
Love DEF! Been working out with them in SoCal and Vegas for a while now. Highly encourage any athlete to train with them at some point, you learn so much about yourself and your limits. The water is the great equalizer, all athletes will suffer lol. Love it. Good work man, keep it up, your videos are encouraging to many!
“I drunk it with my lung” 😂 At 17 I tried to get deep water certified to become a lifeguard. 8 hrs in a 12 foot pool; I thought I knew how to swim really well, found out I can’t. Swallowed tons of water and nearly drowned but suffered in silence because everyone around me was my age and we were all trying to get certified and act strong. Only 2/10 us got deep water certified. It’s very hard.
Seriously, huge props to you. I get freaked out even just looking at the pool floor during front crawl, particularly as I see it go further down as I swim to the deep end. My local pool is only 2 meters at its deepest. I also freak when I do a flip turn off to head back. Part of the reason I love swimming is because it frightens me, I like the challenge. But this challenge you are doing is beyond amazing and so far beyond what I could comprehend. Just wow!
3 years sober after battling addiction to prescription medication from a injury that left me out of my dream job and broken inside from it all. Divorce you name it I went through and I am so happy to see you make it through and that I’m sure this video of yours will help many many others. Nothing you said was wrong and we have to fight it and not run from it. Great job and god bless
I have a fear of heights but I took up paragliding and sailplane flying. When I'm concentrating on the flying I forget about the altitude and relax. So yeah its ALLLLL mental.
Chills. Austen this was an awesome video and truly inspiring. Especially as someone who has been so mentally filled with anxiety and overwhelming feelings that is now leaking into other things such as lack of motivation to show up to the gym.. Ready to put that work back in 👏🏾
Another awesome episode, and actually my favorite one by far! Thank you for your honesty and openness in sharing your fears, anxiety, doubts, mental blocks, etc. that were causing your problems and hindering your reaching your goal and passing this very difficult and dangerous test. I have no doubt that it inspired many others who experience fears, doubts, anxiety, etc. in many areas and have kept them, so far, from reaching their full potential. Was so happy to see you stick with it, return, and pass...and even go beyond the minimum requirements. And, I loved your ending thoughts..."When I see an obstacle, I see an opportunity, and when I feel fear, I know I have room to grow. ... What's something you're afraid of, and when's the last time you trained for it?" And Prime's recommendation, "When you find yourself at an obstacle like that, lean in, approach versus avoid." So true! Thanks guys for the inspiration and for your service to our nation!
I once saw an emaciated Chinese boy get beaten across the face with a metal rod because he was flailing around, sucking in water while doing a dead man float. "Grab the rod!! Grab the f&*$ing rod!!" The instructors yelled, as they bludgeoned him ever so gently to get his attention. Lmao
always remember, as someone who did swim tests extensively... you control your oxygen intake. YOU can always do it. I promise. Im so proud of you though for this!!! The best advise I have is sing your favorite song, or make a vacation in your head to keep you calm. When it comes to flips, bend your body at the first bob to get that feel before you execute:) That will help you a lot with completing it calmly. Back flips, I noticed it helps if you pop back only releasing a little bit of air. The rest of the air will help "carry" you back to surface. Now it absolutely could help me cause I have boobs, however that air will help you a lot to. As you saw, you control how many bobs you do in two minutes, so stay calm and dont forget to take a nice steady deep breath before starting and try to not fully exhale every time you break surface :) Just some advice for anyone trying this test.
I was in the nation swimming team of my country; I discovered when I was 27 yo that I have hemiplegic migraines, it's like if I'm having a stroke. Many times I've been in the pool and I have to remind myself "not to train to hard" if not I will get an attack, it's awful, suddenly the right side of my body feels heavy, and I feel I cannot breath, I get so scared, the first times I ended up crying g and calling friends even I asked to be picked up. But I'm going to have this attacks all my life and swimming was my life so I will think of you next time I will get an attack in the water, relax, don't get scared, don't go to that dark place. Thanks for your video and for doing the challenge, don't giving up and complete it!!! 🎉🎉🎉
How I passed (and I’m not a big swimmer) 1. Relax. Learn to relax in the pool. You’re under water you cannot control it. 2. Count in your head. I hit the bottom every 15 seconds. So count it down. Know when the next breath is. 3. When you’re floating and “emergency breathing” just keep working. Slow and steady wins the race. 4. Flips are fun. 5. Know where the mask is, open your eyes and grab it. Pro tip: there’s also no rules against flipping your hands to the front. If you can you should. Plenty of people in my class did it (during the flip) and I did it on the test. It made everything easier. Eventually if you train (we had a week of pool work) you’ll be comfortable in the water and this test is easy. Navy seals do it with a brick.
I love the message here. I know the video's a year old, but it spoke to me. I have two fears that I have to face and they're connected: 1) the fear of public speaking, 2) the fear of rejection. Both of these come from a fear that what I do will be looked upon unfavorably by others around me, that they'll think less of me for saying or doing what I must, and that there will be negative social consequences like the loss of an opportunity. It's not the same as facing a fear of drowning, but it feels just as paralyzing when I avoid social situations that require me to do these things due to that mental barrier. Now, in my 40s, I have matured enough to recognize these and to determine, like Austen did, to simply not give up. I can't tell you how many speeches and presentations I have given in order to get to the point where I feel like I can perform this basic job skill without my hands shaking. You have to "train". You have to just keep trying it and exposing yourself to that fear until you find ways to manage it. And it's not as simply as just beating it once and being done. You still have to summon that mental fortitude over and over again. Great message. For all of you out there, whatever your fear is, find the courage to face it. Get help to face it. Train to face it. Struggle against it and it'll make you a better, more confident person for having faced that adversity. Congrats to Austen for his perseverance!
As a freediver this seems easy just because I'm use to it. Yes, I know what can build up in your mind and for me I just cope with it by focusing on other thing. But for someone who had failed once to do it again that's like another level of mental toughness man. Also I'm sure I'll fail the other test as I'm not that physically as fit as this guy. I have a friend who drown twice underwater and he never dive again. This is a mental breakthrough congrat to you.
Inspiring to watch you press through this. Proud of your persistence-especially mentally. Huge Congrats Austen!! Agree with you that facing fears and overcoming challenges is the best way to live without regrets. That’s how I feel about Hybricon😆 Best is how you share your vulnerability and overcome failures. Thanks for always being real.
Those events and a few others were required for the Marine Combat Instructor of Water Survival Course in 2000. "Control your fears and manage your water space".
NICE try, I'm a pool manager and usa swim coach. During the summer my staff wanted to give this try. Amazing that most of them made it. ( as you see here the trick is to actually be comfortable in the water) Most of the kids that did it have been swimming thier whole lives. Rutherford Pool Ypsilanti Michigan / Ypsi Otter Swim Club
Yeah I've been swimming my whole life and this was honestly confusing to watch bc I just don't have fear of the water. And I'm the worst swimmer in my family; my sisters got full college athletic scholarships for swimming while I usually finished last in my heats. Which is to say, comfort in the water seems much more important than swimming ability for a test like this.
I was attached to a special forces group in 86. We had this e-5 who applied to army dive school for the express reason that he wanted a pocket flap patch! He was already a parachutist and pathfinder an ai so his next patch was to go on his pocket flap. He thought dive school would be "the easiest one to get" lol. Well he came back very sad saying that he drowned and failed. He applied again, same result. He didnt give up! Third time was his last chance. They wouldnt accept him again. And he finally made it. He said that that was the hardest school, and he would never attempt it again knowing what he know now. After that we called him "squid" ....hey squid, God bless you man!
“It may last for a minute, an hour, a day, or even a year; but eventually it will subside, And something else will take its place!” - The great Eric Thomas As someone who made it only 6/7ths of the way through the ELAP exam (my State fireman physical exam) due to the lack of oxygen I was getting from not knowing how to pace myself, I was never able to come to terms with myself for not being mentally strong enough to keep it pushing to the end. This gave me a new flame, a fire in my self to give it another shot. I hope it does for someone else too!
this is a huge help, i may not intend on ever doing the socom but i do have comp swimming tests and a lot of tests for lifeguarding that can be similar to this and even though i’m in shape the mental game is the hardest part so seeing him do this and feel the same as i do mentally through it is a huge inspiration
Exactly, this guy shows mental strength, because he tries again and again and again. Although he knows he is facing 15 minutes of hell, facing fear of death and CO2. So he is getting the batch for both mental and physical strength. Face your fear. Life is now. Well done.
I love the water and being underwater I honestly cant relate to what your going through but it's still impressive to overcome the things your struggling with good job.
Imagine to have to go in the sea to save someone...with waves and currents,to enhale water from the strong waves and watch the people in from of you to call for help 🙏 and its your job to save them. That feeling man....of tiredness excaustion, feeling you're gonna die and you have a job to do. Great job man. I understand the feeling and dark thoughts. You made it. Keep up the good work 💪.
Nice! I will try this sometime under supervision of course. I am scared of water and learnt to swim, it's been 2months since I started swimming, loving it!
I was an endurance athlete in college and did all kinds of races then and later on. Did my first iron-distance triathlon recently and panicked at the start of the open-water swim and almost quit right there... if you've never been in a situation like that, it's hard to appreciate how different a pool feels vs deep dark open water surrounded by kicking legs and bodies. I pushed through the fear, finished the swim damn near dead last but won the race because I'm a killer cyclist and runner. If I'd quit the swim I would still feel ashamed today and I'd never have known that I had a win in me if I'd just continued on. NEVER stop believing in yourself. At the end of the day, YOU are the only person that can achieve your dreams. Believe you're the baddest motherfucker out there, and you can make it so.
I guess it is about the mental strength you will need to dive beneath a ship and place your explosive charges in total darkness and then get away from that place before those charges explodes.
Outstanding job! I know the feeling of being underwater and stressing. That mental stress, in water is very difficult to overcome. Congratulations on a big accomplishment!!
Your videos are cool, but this one was inspirational. So happy to watch you overcome like that. Thank you for the opportunity. Idk you, but I’m proud of you.
What a great win for you. Three times was the charm. Your training and determination helped you win. The challenge that I have trained for is my second attempt to summit my first 14'er. In the next three months I will have at it!!
I may be weird in saying this but you didn't quit, quitting to me is not coming back & doing it again, what you did is strengthened your mind & then went back to do it all over again, that takes courage because you already know what you're putting yourself through
Thank you Austin, seeing you struggling Govea me hope because I see you all fit and trained that is easy to forget that no matter the level of fitness we all have our own “Demons”. I have started my fitness journey and is so easy to let our heads do the talking, and like I said this video has given me the strength to get out of the dark places in my head. Thank you so very much.
I'm a retired professional firefighter and there is no swim test to get that job. I worked in a major Canadian city and got to do some really cool stuff. I would be outright lying if I didn't say that I have experienced some serious claustrophobia and panic in some harry situations. The desire to panic and rip your mask off is a real thing and many people don't know what that feels like. We use compressed air, not oxygen, so it's old dry air you are sucking. When you wear 75 pounds of gear and start exerting yourself you can get pretty squirrely. I've had to calm myself down a number of times when the panic sets in. Once you run out of air that's a big problem. As physical as that job was, many times it was a mental challenge for sure. Having said that, I am NOT good in deep water. This has inspired me to take on the challenge of overcoming my fear of deep water. I'll take it slow but I love the mental challenge aspect of it. Terrific job man, this was really cool to watch.
I’ve been a swimmer for a long time but, the thing that gets me is the memory of me drowning as a child and I almost drowned at a wave pool in New Jersey but I never worried cuz I had my dad my mom and my brother all in the pool plus lifeguards but I kept swimming and now I have achieved my dream in life so if you’re scared of one thing keep pushing forward and conquer it nothing should be able to beat you down so much that you can’t get back up always believe in yourself❤
I’ve been scared of taking the ASVAB for the navy. I have failed it so many times, I practice so much and still can’t over come the fear of failing it again. I went to Meps the other day and finally got somewhere and of course I failed it, then i got sent home. Navy is key and the only way to go. Hooyah!
Good shit, bro. I’m so happy for you. Such an amazing accomplishment. I think overcoming mental obstacles can be more challenging than physical obstacles. Way to go. I knew you could do it.
That was AWESOME....that is a TOUGH TEST. GREAT JOB!
Hey, GREAT JOB 👍👏
Curious how Olympic synchronized swimmers would hold up?
But physical obstacles are ultimately mental obstacle when you break it down
Was he scared of water or something?
In 1971 at Army dive school I drowned 2 times. I finished the school, went to war in South East Asia as a USAF Pararescueman and nearly drowned in the South China Sea rescuing a downed Navy pilot. I still get chills in the pool and the ocean. I have a love/hate relationship with water. You did well and pushed thru the hell of water confidence.
Jesus, you’re mental strength, toughness, and perseverance is next level. Thank you for your service
Thank you for your service 🙏
Thank you for your service!
Thank you for your service!
Salute to you brother🫡
“The more we retreat in our minds, the weaker we become.” “What’s something you’re afraid of, and when the last time you trained for it?” Those two phrases really resonate with me. I think I needed to hear that today.
haha, I am afraid of getting my finger bitten off and I have a phobia of holes, want me to stare at holes and bite my fingers off?
it’s just a joke I don’t mean to start an argument lol
Agreed
Tough times don’t last, tough people do 👍well done mate
Thanks Steven 🙏
I don't really like expressions like those. I know people who pushed through terrible and debilitating illnesses with a mental fortitude I can scarcely imagine, yet ultimately succumbed. They were tough people, even though they didn't last and their tough times were endless.
No they don't...they tend to have done some really foolish things to their bodies that you cannot actually recover from by pushing boundaries they never should have pushed.
I’m a competitive swimmer and we do drills just like that all the time to train lung health and mental fortitude. It never gets easy.
yeah I was watching this and thinking "damn I'm probably doing this Friday" and realizing that I'd be fucked up by this test hard if I didn't do stuff like this so often at practice
Yeah I just got out of comp. Swimming (8 years, 8-16 y o) and this stuff is really hard. Never gets easier, but for breath you can go way beyond you imagine, just get past the surges and instincts to gasp.
You are lying. If you are a real swimmer, this is a joke. Im not pro, i just live where there are plenty of lakes and this sort of thing is just pure easy bllsht. Childs play to anyone in my area. So yall full of sht or yall big ol pssies.
I'm no competitive swimmer, I just love swimming, this test is super easy if you are familiar with water. He clearly did not spend enough time in water when trying first time, you can tell by just looking at his breathing and the way he is swimming. First thing that is clear, he is holding too much air in while bobbing, this is why he does not sink fast and this is why he cannot fully inhale again on the surface. Clearly lack of experience in this environment. Nothing more, just not enough time spent in water. You can float in water for hours with this kind of restrictions. But you have to spend enough hours in the pool until you get comfortable in this environment, there is no other solution. Poll is super easy, you just have to put hours in and also have fun in water.
@@cruxer666 I mean yea it's not hard, from me the harderst part would be sinking to the bottom, but that doesn't seem te be a requirement? like you can do flips in the middle of the pool as well, I lituarly float even if I release all the air out of my longues
From all tests in the military, this one must be the hardest. It is not only physical but greatly psychological. Lots of people who fail water tests lack the necessary mental discipline to stay calm and use the appropriate techniques leveraging the physical capabilities they already have. It takes lots of training to most people. Congrats to all that pass the test also to the ones who keep challenging themselves to improve their performances.
I honestly REALLY appreciate this episode and the vulnerability. You are in such great shape and I've always struggled with fear, but the fact that you are vulnerable with the fact that you were afraid, but that you would keep trying, helps me. Because even if I don't get it the first time, it's okay. Just keep going back and trying. Train and really grow in it.
Bro yes EXACTLY!
Man you are inspiring me on a level I can’t put into words. As someone who failed in 2014 and is getting the opportunity in the next few months. This almost feels like a sign that I have to make it.
Thanks man! That’s awesome you are getting another chance 👏 you can absolutely make it
@@AustenAlexanderDavid Blaine did a good video where he talked about his underwater quest. I think he holds a record now.
@@wannabecarguyBlaine on TH-cam?
You'll make it!
You got this is! You have to tell yourself the entire time that you’re gonna pass. Reassurance 👍🏽
During swim week for Marine BootCamp, I failed for 3 days because I couldn’t breakthrough the uncontrollable weight of having boots on and full utilities. I was able to find a rhythm on the fourth day. I still have a problem floating, I’ve never been a good swimmer but I do see progress with the more times I do floating exercises.
Yeah certain people have different buoyancies, and if you have a negative buoyancy it will be WAY harder
I know the feeling bro it took me until the last day because I was trying to strongarm the 50m swim and I reach out to grab the finish line and my body would just go into shock as I grabbed the line and I would just sink to the ground but once I practiced the ways the swim instructors told me to conserve energy to make it last I was able to ace the rest of it on swim week. I know lot of us marines downplay it but it’s no easy feat to do especially when you see how many people get dropped from training cause of it.
@Thecodeist I was basically an infantry instructor for USAF Security Forces, if troops could just learn to listen and apply what their instructors are saying, life would be so much easier for them.
Instructors of all branches, be it basic training, specialty school, advanced training, etc, they WANT you to succeed.
Advice, instructions, orders, etc, are all designed to teach you SOMETHING. It, no kidding, may take years for you to figure out why they taught you this thing, but there's a good reason. Instructors don't just flap their gums. We generally don't have time for that shit. If it comes from "the man", there's a reason
In spite of "hurry up and wait", painting rocks, mopping parking lots in the rain, etc, etc, the US military is the most efficient governmental body in our government.
While flying over the damage from Hurricane Katrina, then SecDef Donald Rumsfeld was asked about military intervention in the disaster.
[Paraphrased] "We use the military because they are the most efficient government agency there is. We tell them what to do, not how, and they always surprise us with how fast and how well they get it done"
So, listen and learn.
The part that got me was being tossed off a diving board with a backpack and full uniform on lol. But it was a great experience because it sucked. And that test wasn't even hard physically. Just uncomfortable for me mentally
@@Thecodeist Was surprised how short and easy the swimming part was. It was like one day if you passed it then the rest of the week was getting fucked up in the squadbay. I almost wished i faked not being able to swim so I could chill in the pool instead lol.
I was traumatized throughout my 21 years of life about swimming. This coming May, I will do my best to learn how to overcome my fear of water by learning how to swim.
Go for it!
Go for it, and I’ll tell you this, swimming once you get it down is fun. I like to imagine I’m in space or flying when ever I swim.
Also if you look at things as fun you tend to do better.
Man trust me. I'm not a swimmer, but I swim in my free time. I'll tell you what, its just so peaceful underwater. Its quiet and relaxing. I would recommend trying to beat your fear!
I’m a swimmer and I love it and I’m very happy for you and I hope that you enjoy it
Love the mental block aspect of this and getting over it Austen!
Thanks for the support!
Oh ya, he got over the mental block long ago, this was just engineered for a story/teaching...
@@AustenAlexanderRemember going down on me on the hpu boat??
I've failed swim tests in the military. That type of fear is almost incomparable to anything else. I went from being able to stay at the bottom of the 15 foot deep end in any pool to struggling to go all the way under 5 feet of water. I did make it back to the bottom of the pool, however, I know that I need to get my swimming fish sense before any test. If I am uncomfortable in the water during a swim test, I am going through hell.
Thank you for your service🙏
No u havent😂
Growing up in Hawaii before the tech revolution, about the only thing we could do for fun was go to the beach, swimming, surfing, spearfishing even at night. I'm Asian but for my entire life up to HS, I was literally a brown turd from going to the beach so much...I can see how hard it can be for people who didn't have a chance to grow up learning how to be a fish. I feel very fortunate to have grown up near the ocean and enjoying and learning as much as it had to offer. I imagine the Hawaii boys have a much easier time with military water training.
Immigrant!
@@sophimahi3516 Everyone knows you're dumb, but you don't see us shouting it at you.
Brown turd 💀
I commend all those who serve and anyone who wants to join the service go for it make your dreams a reality! #ARMYSTRONG
Incredible to watch… made me a bit emotional and almost teary-eyed to watch. So proud of you and thankful for your vulnerability and persistence.. was a definite encouragement to me and I’m sure to many others. ❤
Good for you man. As someone who has done a number of the "cool-guy" schools, much of the mental toughness soldiers get comes through the day to day life and training. So when they get to these schools and tests, they would have an advantage over folks that were never combat military. For me, the individual tests like this wasn't the hard part. The hard part was everything between all these types of tests. The sitting in cold water for a few hours, being in the woods or swamps for 2 or 3 weeks, Being made to stay awake for nights on end. I would just get bored and being bored literally drives me crazy. I remember one school I went too, we were in the woods, below freezing at night, rainy all day, no fires, no cold weather gear, only one meal a day if we were lucky. I looked over after day 14 in the woods and one of the toughtest dudes just broke down in tears sobbing. It lasted a minute or two, then he wiped his face and carried on.
Rangers Lead The Way!
Dude. Really appreciate you being real and showing the great stuff along with the tough stuff. Thank you for not shying away from showing the journey and not editing out your learning moments.
I absolutely have those anxious moments and mental barriers that sometimes feel insurmountable. Way to keep hammering and way to overcome!! You should be very proud of pushing past that mental edge. Outstanding work.
Funny how mind can stop us from something we could do with no problem. Thank you for showing this. For showing, that we can overcome our mind. I am experiencing it for cantering on horse. I can do it, my body can do it with ease, just in my mind, I see me falling from that horse, so I have problem to do it. I overcomed it multiple times, but my mind from time to time plays tricks on me 😂
Never give up. I am sure everyone watching you is proud of you and your horse. Trust him/her and encourage it to trust you, but don’t let your doubts bleed into your horses mind. He’s got you.
I’ve been there.
I haven't done this particular test. But one of the things that messes with your head when you're underwater with your hands restricted is that it's so difficult to get your body oriented the way you need it to be in order to be able to either bob up or flip or kick your way forward. You have to have a lot of patience in waiting out the exact movement when you have managed to get your whole body on top of your feet before you press of the floor, or you will not go straight up. And patience is pretty hard when you are operating on high CO2 in your lungs and everything is telling you you're about to suffocate if you don't breathe soon. I imagine trying it on different occasions is a big help in overcoming all this stuff. Great stuff!
It’s an awesome feeling breaking that fear with water and entering a comfort that feels so unbelievable you wish you never had to surface. The peace and strength of your environment.
As a person who has a huge fear of water, this was so inspiring!! Congratulations!! The world today has no resiliency, and I hope this inspires others to never give up!
This really got my heart beating, the feeling of having your hands and feet stuck together can get you fear. It has this feeling of being unable to swim, but somehow still doing it. Really good job!
I’m so proud of you brother not just for doing this test but for everything! I’m proud to have served with you and I’m proud of what you have accomplished created and overcome! Love you brother
I absolutely loved this, Austen!! One of your best videos. So proud of you for pushing through and succeeding and taking us along with you. There are so many great takeaways from this that I know I’ll start applying to my life. Congratulations and thank you so much for this! 💪🏻☺️
Thanks for the support, Linda! Really glad you enjoyed it and can benefit from it
Great job MA! I’m a former MA1 and retired Police Officer. There were many shifts that I had to push through barriers. This is a great lesson for the young folks. Life is hard, but not hard enough to break us. Push through and go beyond your comfort zone.
Well done. Inspiring. You never gave up. You failed attempts but you never gave up. And finally, you were free
Austen! You're an inspiration! When met with failure... not once but twice. You refused to backdown. You hit the darkness head on and didn't stop until you reached light. GOOD JOB!!!!!!
I got into a pool by myself for the first time in a long time just yesterday. I taught myself how to swim and wanted to go underwater, but I got scared. I know this was a challenge for you, but in achieving something for yourself you’ve given me the courage to try as well. Thank you.
This is awesome. Thank you for sticking with it and showing the breakthrough. This is instrumental, metaphorical and literal. Your courage helps me.
The night before my Black Belt test I binged 5 or so of these videos because I knew if someone could do some of the crazy stuff that you do, I could handle what I needed to do
What martial art was it?
As someone who was trained to be scared of water and now getting professional help to learn how the swim, I must say I could relate to everything you felt and it has inspired me tremendously. Thank you.
Thank you for showing your raw reactions, watching your videos are completely changing my response to failure and my perspective of how I can keep myself calm and collected when faced with something I think I can't do. Its hard to put into words what you showing the whole mental process of overcoming very human emotions, can do for people.
Austen my daughter and I have seen some great videos on this channel but I have never gotten teary-eyed on any kind of video like this until today. My daughter is in track and runs the 200 meter then throws shot put and discus. She’s beating her run time and shot put distance a little every meet. Watching you overcome and succeed literally made my eyes tear up. You set a goal and made it happen. Over coming any mental block can feel darn near impossible but you did it. Kudos my friend I have nothing but respect for you.
A few years back, for some reason, I developed this fear of escalators. I have no idea what triggered it but one day I was fine with them and the next I am on the verge of a panic attack. After that, I avoided them completely, would either take the elevator or stairs because I freaked out too much.
Then it became a hassle because everytime I'm with other people, I would avoid the escalators. I would meet them at the next floor either through the elevator or stairs while they took the escalator. And even if I was carrying a lot of things, I would still use the stairs if the elevator was unavailable.
So, I started trying to worl through it. I started with standing in the center of an escalator, holding onto the railing, closing my eyes, and blasting music into my ears. It worked. I mean, I can only get on an escalator from the ground floor to the next floor up. I still freak out higher than that, but it's progress.
This happened to me too when I was young, probably middle-school age. All of a sudden I was terrified of escalators, especially going down. I used to climb trees all the time and very suddenly developed a crippling fear of heights around the same time too. Fear of heights is pretty rational, but the "lizard-brain" fear-response of freezing while high up is NOT helpful. I still feel a little drop in my stomach on escalators but it's mostly gone away in adulthood.
Love this! So proud that you pushed through and you didn’t give up! I always said, in order to succeed, you have to learn how to fail.
that is insane.. l love swimming. I love it a lot.
I never knew these tests were even a thing.
I'm creep'd out just looking at him going through it
Love DEF! Been working out with them in SoCal and Vegas for a while now. Highly encourage any athlete to train with them at some point, you learn so much about yourself and your limits. The water is the great equalizer, all athletes will suffer lol. Love it. Good work man, keep it up, your videos are encouraging to many!
Thanks man! Yes they are great people 🙏 maybe I’ll run into you one day
Where exactly in Vegas?
“I drunk it with my lung” 😂 At 17 I tried to get deep water certified to become a lifeguard. 8 hrs in a 12 foot pool; I thought I knew how to swim really well, found out I can’t. Swallowed tons of water and nearly drowned but suffered in silence because everyone around me was my age and we were all trying to get certified and act strong. Only 2/10 us got deep water certified. It’s very hard.
Yeesh.
Im proud of you man. Love you. Love your videos. You are such an inspiration to so many. Its such a psychological challenge and you endured
Excellent! Very proud of you. And you should be very proud of yourself. You both said it perfectly -- lean in to the fear. It's time to grow!
Seriously, huge props to you. I get freaked out even just looking at the pool floor during front crawl, particularly as I see it go further down as I swim to the deep end. My local pool is only 2 meters at its deepest. I also freak when I do a flip turn off to head back. Part of the reason I love swimming is because it frightens me, I like the challenge. But this challenge you are doing is beyond amazing and so far beyond what I could comprehend. Just wow!
3 years sober after battling addiction to prescription medication from a injury that left me out of my dream job and broken inside from it all. Divorce you name it I went through and I am so happy to see you make it through and that I’m sure this video of yours will help many many others. Nothing you said was wrong and we have to fight it and not run from it. Great job and god bless
I have a fear of heights but I took up paragliding and sailplane flying. When I'm concentrating on the flying I forget about the altitude and relax. So yeah its ALLLLL mental.
I respect the vulnerability man. You're a legend austin!
Chills. Austen this was an awesome video and truly inspiring. Especially as someone who has been so mentally filled with anxiety and overwhelming feelings that is now leaking into other things such as lack of motivation to show up to the gym.. Ready to put that work back in 👏🏾
Let’s goooooo!! Glad you enjoyed and glad you got something out of it!
Another awesome episode, and actually my favorite one by far! Thank you for your honesty and openness in sharing your fears, anxiety, doubts, mental blocks, etc. that were causing your problems and hindering your reaching your goal and passing this very difficult and dangerous test. I have no doubt that it inspired many others who experience fears, doubts, anxiety, etc. in many areas and have kept them, so far, from reaching their full potential. Was so happy to see you stick with it, return, and pass...and even go beyond the minimum requirements. And, I loved your ending thoughts..."When I see an obstacle, I see an opportunity, and when I feel fear, I know I have room to grow. ... What's something you're afraid of, and when's the last time you trained for it?" And Prime's recommendation, "When you find yourself at an obstacle like that, lean in, approach versus avoid." So true! Thanks guys for the inspiration and for your service to our nation!
Your commitment and mental and physical fortitude are truly inspiring. Well done. 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
Are these instructors always this encouraging? If so thats fantastic. Love to see it.
Of course not. This guy isn’t in the military he’s filming for TH-cam.
I once saw an emaciated Chinese boy get beaten across the face with a metal rod because he was flailing around, sucking in water while doing a dead man float.
"Grab the rod!! Grab the f&*$ing rod!!" The instructors yelled, as they bludgeoned him ever so gently to get his attention. Lmao
Prime is such an awesome guy he’s had a pretty wild life as well
always remember, as someone who did swim tests extensively... you control your oxygen intake. YOU can always do it. I promise. Im so proud of you though for this!!! The best advise I have is sing your favorite song, or make a vacation in your head to keep you calm. When it comes to flips, bend your body at the first bob to get that feel before you execute:) That will help you a lot with completing it calmly. Back flips, I noticed it helps if you pop back only releasing a little bit of air. The rest of the air will help "carry" you back to surface. Now it absolutely could help me cause I have boobs, however that air will help you a lot to. As you saw, you control how many bobs you do in two minutes, so stay calm and dont forget to take a nice steady deep breath before starting and try to not fully exhale every time you break surface :) Just some advice for anyone trying this test.
I was in the nation swimming team of my country; I discovered when I was 27 yo that I have hemiplegic migraines, it's like if I'm having a stroke. Many times I've been in the pool and I have to remind myself "not to train to hard" if not I will get an attack, it's awful, suddenly the right side of my body feels heavy, and I feel I cannot breath, I get so scared, the first times I ended up crying g and calling friends even I asked to be picked up. But I'm going to have this attacks all my life and swimming was my life so I will think of you next time I will get an attack in the water, relax, don't get scared, don't go to that dark place. Thanks for your video and for doing the challenge, don't giving up and complete it!!! 🎉🎉🎉
Everybody needs a friend like Prime.
How I passed (and I’m not a big swimmer)
1. Relax.
Learn to relax in the pool. You’re under water you cannot control it.
2. Count in your head. I hit the bottom every 15 seconds. So count it down. Know when the next breath is.
3. When you’re floating and “emergency breathing” just keep working. Slow and steady wins the race.
4. Flips are fun.
5. Know where the mask is, open your eyes and grab it.
Pro tip: there’s also no rules against flipping your hands to the front. If you can you should. Plenty of people in my class did it (during the flip) and I did it on the test. It made everything easier.
Eventually if you train (we had a week of pool work) you’ll be comfortable in the water and this test is easy. Navy seals do it with a brick.
I love the message here. I know the video's a year old, but it spoke to me. I have two fears that I have to face and they're connected: 1) the fear of public speaking, 2) the fear of rejection. Both of these come from a fear that what I do will be looked upon unfavorably by others around me, that they'll think less of me for saying or doing what I must, and that there will be negative social consequences like the loss of an opportunity. It's not the same as facing a fear of drowning, but it feels just as paralyzing when I avoid social situations that require me to do these things due to that mental barrier. Now, in my 40s, I have matured enough to recognize these and to determine, like Austen did, to simply not give up. I can't tell you how many speeches and presentations I have given in order to get to the point where I feel like I can perform this basic job skill without my hands shaking. You have to "train". You have to just keep trying it and exposing yourself to that fear until you find ways to manage it. And it's not as simply as just beating it once and being done. You still have to summon that mental fortitude over and over again.
Great message. For all of you out there, whatever your fear is, find the courage to face it. Get help to face it. Train to face it. Struggle against it and it'll make you a better, more confident person for having faced that adversity. Congrats to Austen for his perseverance!
As a freediver this seems easy just because I'm use to it. Yes, I know what can build up in your mind and for me I just cope with it by focusing on other thing. But for someone who had failed once to do it again that's like another level of mental toughness man. Also I'm sure I'll fail the other test as I'm not that physically as fit as this guy. I have a friend who drown twice underwater and he never dive again. This is a mental breakthrough congrat to you.
Was thinking the exact same thing, me and my buddies put ourselves through this almost daily in the pools in the summer. It's our version of fun
Inspiring to watch you press through this. Proud of your persistence-especially mentally. Huge Congrats Austen!! Agree with you that facing fears and overcoming challenges is the best way to live without regrets. That’s how I feel about Hybricon😆 Best is how you share your vulnerability and overcome failures. Thanks for always being real.
Those events and a few others were required for the Marine Combat Instructor of Water Survival Course in 2000. "Control your fears and manage your water space".
Best video I’ve seen on this channel by far, congratulations brother!
The short sent me here. Good way of peaking interest in a video and as a fellow "biggest fear is the water" i cannot imagine having to do these tests.
Thanks for watching! Yes it was tough 🥲
NICE try, I'm a pool manager and usa swim coach. During the summer my staff wanted to give this try. Amazing that most of them made it. ( as you see here the trick is to actually be comfortable in the water) Most of the kids that did it have been swimming thier whole lives. Rutherford Pool Ypsilanti Michigan / Ypsi Otter Swim Club
Yeah I've been swimming my whole life and this was honestly confusing to watch bc I just don't have fear of the water. And I'm the worst swimmer in my family; my sisters got full college athletic scholarships for swimming while I usually finished last in my heats. Which is to say, comfort in the water seems much more important than swimming ability for a test like this.
This is some inspirational stuff here. I drowned once and I'd love to do this test to get over that water PTSD. Hah, wheels are turning in my head!
Im so proud of you bro!!! Tears and everything to watch you overcome this test.
This was awesome to see! Way to go big dawg! That’s how you get it done and you motivated the helm out of me!
I got to work with the UTL team out in SD. Such a great group of people and Prime is a top notch dude.
I was attached to a special forces group in 86. We had this e-5 who applied to army dive school for the express reason that he wanted a pocket flap patch! He was already a parachutist and pathfinder an ai so his next patch was to go on his pocket flap. He thought dive school would be "the easiest one to get" lol. Well he came back very sad saying that he drowned and failed. He applied again, same result. He didnt give up! Third time was his last chance. They wouldnt accept him again. And he finally made it. He said that that was the hardest school, and he would never attempt it again knowing what he know now. After that we called him "squid" ....hey squid, God bless you man!
“It may last for a minute, an hour, a day, or even a year; but eventually it will subside, And something else will take its place!” - The great Eric Thomas
As someone who made it only 6/7ths of the way through the ELAP exam (my State fireman physical exam) due to the lack of oxygen I was getting from not knowing how to pace myself, I was never able to come to terms with myself for not being mentally strong enough to keep it pushing to the end. This gave me a new flame, a fire in my self to give it another shot. I hope it does for someone else too!
Much respect to even try once. More respect to not quit. It's a MENTAL thing. AWESOME!! CONGRATULATIONS!!
this is a huge help, i may not intend on ever doing the socom but i do have comp swimming tests and a lot of tests for lifeguarding that can be similar to this and even though i’m in shape the mental game is the hardest part so seeing him do this and feel the same as i do mentally through it is a huge inspiration
Exactly, this guy shows mental strength, because he tries again and again and again. Although he knows he is facing 15 minutes of hell, facing fear of death and CO2.
So he is getting the batch for both mental and physical strength. Face your fear. Life is now. Well done.
I love the water and being underwater I honestly cant relate to what your going through but it's still impressive to overcome the things your struggling with good job.
Imagine to have to go in the sea to save someone...with waves and currents,to enhale water from the strong waves and watch the people in from of you to call for help 🙏 and its your job to save them. That feeling man....of tiredness excaustion, feeling you're gonna die and you have a job to do. Great job man. I understand the feeling and dark thoughts. You made it. Keep up the good work 💪.
Being comfortable in an uncomfortable situation is such a special forces thing 3:52
Very inspiring. Great video.👍🏻
Nice! I will try this sometime under supervision of course.
I am scared of water and learnt to swim, it's been 2months since I started swimming, loving it!
It's one thing to fail, it's another to fail publicly and share your struggles with others. respect.
I like Prime Hall’s approach. Has a solid, calm confidence that is positively infectious!
So awesome. I love that you don’t hide anything just tell it the way it is wether it success or failure, but never accepting defeat. Great job!
Congratulations Austen! I know that had to be tough.
I was an endurance athlete in college and did all kinds of races then and later on. Did my first iron-distance triathlon recently and panicked at the start of the open-water swim and almost quit right there... if you've never been in a situation like that, it's hard to appreciate how different a pool feels vs deep dark open water surrounded by kicking legs and bodies. I pushed through the fear, finished the swim damn near dead last but won the race because I'm a killer cyclist and runner. If I'd quit the swim I would still feel ashamed today and I'd never have known that I had a win in me if I'd just continued on. NEVER stop believing in yourself. At the end of the day, YOU are the only person that can achieve your dreams. Believe you're the baddest motherfucker out there, and you can make it so.
The instructor (Prime) is on the wavelength. Solid dude.
I guess it is about the mental strength you will need to dive beneath a ship and place your explosive charges in total darkness and then get away from that place before those charges explodes.
Outstanding job! I know the feeling of being underwater and stressing. That mental stress, in water is very difficult to overcome. Congratulations on a big accomplishment!!
Awesome video, Austen! You are such a great guy 😊
Thanks Nate! Glad you enjoyed it 💪
@@AustenAlexander no problem
That is truly awesome Austen. Well done bro.
Austin looking good, Great job. I have so much respect for all of our Soldiers
Your videos are cool, but this one was inspirational. So happy to watch you overcome like that. Thank you for the opportunity. Idk you, but I’m proud of you.
Congratulations! Awesome to see you overcome and achieve this he win.
Thanks Nancy!
What a great win for you. Three times was the charm. Your training and determination helped you win. The challenge that I have trained for is my second attempt to summit my first 14'er. In the next three months I will have at it!!
I may be weird in saying this but you didn't quit, quitting to me is not coming back & doing it again, what you did is strengthened your mind & then went back to do it all over again, that takes courage because you already know what you're putting yourself through
Thank you Austin, seeing you struggling Govea me hope because I see you all fit and trained that is easy to forget that no matter the level of fitness we all have our own “Demons”. I have started my fitness journey and is so easy to let our heads do the talking, and like I said this video has given me the strength to get out of the dark places in my head. Thank you so very much.
I'm a retired professional firefighter and there is no swim test to get that job. I worked in a major Canadian city and got to do some really cool stuff. I would be outright lying if I didn't say that I have experienced some serious claustrophobia and panic in some harry situations. The desire to panic and rip your mask off is a real thing and many people don't know what that feels like. We use compressed air, not oxygen, so it's old dry air you are sucking. When you wear 75 pounds of gear and start exerting yourself you can get pretty squirrely. I've had to calm myself down a number of times when the panic sets in. Once you run out of air that's a big problem.
As physical as that job was, many times it was a mental challenge for sure. Having said that, I am NOT good in deep water. This has inspired me to take on the challenge of overcoming my fear of deep water. I'll take it slow but I love the mental challenge aspect of it. Terrific job man, this was really cool to watch.
Congratulations Austin ! 🎉you really inspired me to takle a fear .. thankyou
The feeling of breakthrough is pure. Can't explain with words.
Damn dude. That was brutal to watch but so amazing. Way to go!!!!
Thank you!
I’ve been a swimmer for a long time but, the thing that gets me is the memory of me drowning as a child and I almost drowned at a wave pool in New Jersey but I never worried cuz I had my dad my mom and my brother all in the pool plus lifeguards but I kept swimming and now I have achieved my dream in life so if you’re scared of one thing keep pushing forward and conquer it nothing should be able to beat you down so much that you can’t get back up always believe in yourself❤
This was actually so inspiring for me. Thanks for sharing this Austen!
thanks for watching!
The water is the great equalizer.
That was a lot more to do than I thought! Great mental training!!
Awesome stuff bro. Congrats. Watching this inspires me to keep after my demons. Thank you.
Great accomplishment, Austen. I had the opportunity to train under Prime as well, and he is a solid dude.
the message behind this video is so deep, not just in sports but for live in general :)
I’ve been scared of taking the ASVAB for the navy. I have failed it so many times, I practice so much and still can’t over come the fear of failing it again. I went to Meps the other day and finally got somewhere and of course I failed it, then i got sent home. Navy is key and the only way to go. Hooyah!