Maxime Bellemin is a name all veteran competition pilots know well. Not just because of his decades of experience and multiple wins at the national and international level but because of his performance coaching with the French team and his two incredible books dedicated to flying “Performance Paragliding.” The books are in two parts, the first one dedicated to preparation for flying competitions and cross country, the second an analytical approach to flying fast and far consistently. As an engineer Maxime likes to break down the many unknowns in our sport into numbers and his methods are ones you can grasp, practice and put into immediate use. What attitude do we need to win? How should we approach training? Gear? Speed bar? Thermalling? Gliding? Safety and risk? How do we balance our desire for flying and our families and jobs? I found his books invaluable and we had a blast with this conversation. Whether you are a newbie XC pilot seeking your first thermals or trying to win on the World Cup, there is gold here for every pilot. Enjoy!
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Episode 104- Maxime Bellemin and Performance and Preparation
00:00:15 - 01:38:45
Hello everyone and welcome to this week's episode of the Cloud Base Mayhem you too on that note let's start with housekeeping because I'm in charge written a few books that provide structure insights into the sport we love the Mindset Way to pursue the sport that is so important to us I think whether you're a p to pilot appear for pilot world-class PW C com pilot axiom bellman with Gavin to be traveling a lot I know he just got back from Brazil but I've been really excited to talk to you it was harder to write and get your thoughts on all things paragliding atom it's being longtime since we try to set up this conversation Tuck into it right from the right from the start Charles gives a really good kind of opening we'll get into that but your your first book I don't know if you read my review I reviewed got all kinds of notes here I'll let you talk about the book but first of all why the book background that allowed you to write this these books right so in Nineteen Ninety-four longtime ago too moon thankful us on waiting on my bro- my your failed I'm great but I say shoot I'm counting but where did you what would you in the two of US living as coal in Paris we'll leave interesting progress on I could fly hundred cake flights but and I just wondered how could he keep them practicing some very it's over weekends he or the French House food and then if you out and you don't go then there is an retrieve to pick you up Taylor I tried on by biting Oh come on the the the year after was entering the agency seem twenty but nevertheless that's not a big number astound what they're doing because each was like borough triggers in the important commuted company towards the holidays of the GPS so we were all little free time so or my vacation time to make so as I couldn't don't on how to prepare as because you can fly in sippy hello sport is very important by that's why yeah so I went to a not I thought a frame that is used in many sports physical training off Ezekiel aptitudes than technical you compared to others on the full swoon it was can I say that you know to practice we whole we hold have good dateable skin said tactic physical Yes I'm seeing is interesting about physical training we trained on a prepared lightbody to be regretful on any and then I think what made a big difference for me is the mental twenty not only becoming a a bitter by lighting I think the way I act the way I decide so that I could use categorizing the performance factuals our these booking to fifteen so for years ago in French so it was to put your senior Shell hold by knowledge that I was winning share Lewisville When I started traveling for international competitions look I'm not happy with what idea here maybe I should improve that so one frame to another my sister my father on that was not nice a a family by little adventures take me to be honest with myself every it on paper what was good or bad why should improve I should accept with blog entries senior veteran competition I wasn't so caught of Cheam Learned Conferences I got some book so edition where the whole progression I'm not pretending have really good job with that you you stress journaling in both books the importance the journey of those those four categories of physical mind one of our recent guests Alex Roby does the same thing he has a fantastic which is really important but like you is very limited in time so journaling and blogging was a really important piece of the equation the new profile told him such a brilliant we hope you asked him about being an engineer on Jeff Roach of an engineer add with Michael Vici Twenty fifteen x APPs was all about that because he's an engineer the point is that we depend on ooh highly too much about this but I I would like if I ever about being cool at the beginning of the day and the thing would be fine for him because do I share the support Sweden Christie that's a can get too stressed before taking off about the weather conditions of the day if they're bad because you're in a com- at first it was to analyze my analogy consumption but weighted correlation is good when I could see that the nowhere expect that when you're low you should be rush to find for thermal and am flying fast that's where my raise your excited was to to have your full concentration you need to have to climb up you point that out really well in in the second book in Ero and we lose the ability to you know taken has gotten me a bunch of times you know you're just you're just so focused on this Alan you're quite succinct about that for cross country on this idea unsown so I'm coaching people pilots that went to Turkey not tell me about what happened so we simply have a look at his track ratio efficiency hey good unsown and added so an unique to when you make some trek analyses sometimes we have to reconnect with really a personal level I was I was dizzy I was sleeping a between the year after one hour flying our just sure like that because it's something else when you're flying you're not thinking about your bills you're not thinking about your girlfriend you're not you know you're we'll get back in the game dude where'd you just go for the last couple minutes I was not the last us it was the one before the last the my my I I have very few collapses I can tell you the distance because I checked on by look like afterwards Tsk to tell you the full story I didn't Saudi I I I I went into store NATO to clean out so I it was eh undergo line with fresh case after so was nuts mind was not settled the comp I thinking so the conclusion is before Keep Ping around a little bit but I paid a lot of attention to the world championships really well he had a great race and in Macedonia but I was watching it too make the distinction really well but I think it's worth fleshing out is it's you know we used to fly allied to end a speed but now clearly everyone yes you were in the fifties or back you know you just had the hammer it to end to speed among a lot not nearly as long as you have in terms of competitions but this seems gene is a dramatic in Macedonia because on many occasions to the end of prediction on the indicative climb up on the line so I'm chiefs what's at stake is the world champion title so hugh you may be it's a bunch of fifty guys coming together to go you make during the section ir on goods and then to play with yours so I'm not sure whether the word in English twelve laying Loyd's around complaints did simply fat churn I'm so when you're when you're first Brealey you're you're flying a lot of your first gaggle but then there's a jump you have to to to win Tass not not being the rabbit not doing crazy things too early not leading break and how to kind of follow your own intuitions like you did to to know how to do that they have to spend some time being the rabbit is that that's part of being the rabbit you know so don't practice but if you want to climb the ladder anyone but somehow you know the marginal gains are getting about your mental attitude on demand you have on said so if you want to reach the the position that might be tween feeling good has been for being a champion offering would because your as we you looking for top positions for a long time and then I think in recent years I right priorities are shifted towards instead becoming to a different realization about the sport doing a duet she's wise that's a great attitude a the most of my dreams involved leading a justin you I'm proud of what I'm I don't on an Ip this but to accept that S- sometimes examples four watch that some I've never Zayn simply that I've never been selected on the but accepting you've gone through the week question the motivation I had earned the reasons for me for flying traveling for screen you signs for with all those things that Dr Year External Order of insurance than I won't be good I five for the world championships is is a lot different than for us it you you come from tough countryman respect them a is human beings as pilots they most of them are the the support system you have in coaching? It's a very jealous yeah we have a very burns so yeah we have a good a talk about weaknesses and and and how you how do you incorporate that into becoming a better pilot can you cannot have all abilities you can be good at everything you can ballots because I maybe you want to train them dow down nuts enough steak or for your own governments or those well then teams all the the the ability to climb I'm you to complete a full week of competition being able the consequences on even if we're making a mistake we you skipped over something earlier that we should have talked about With those are rarer and rarer these days but we are looking to fly for a long the flights like Alex's donor ten eleven our tasks you say for energy which has that's massive that that's a that's a huge color need talking about too is just the resilience in the durability of the body you right so concur Summarize did table tweet reproduce your fault under so to have your mind Karakia I want to think right you need to he tried so under euro-zone to drink kind of food yo you decide to eat in the morning oil during your on your body will just magic but on the long run does not so Sunday they were very interesting nature about tradition edition on the Bundy's duration at the end I will have a drink and then it's over if you're the dreaded you'll be Richard for edited wetter as I think that what you on when your buddies put under between be better for absorbing the analogy of ASEAN being a fit during the dust but or the more interesting reserve toss that you you've is that we're all reserve I so I just that you so it was a specific period of my career when I was I story of resolve doses one of them will you monkeys and snakes and song the flame bought was yeah you know when you sponsor the equipment manufacturer now but the others yellow it's about flying faster than mm prototypes blaming them simply that I couldn't get controller working under my results were working on the student to stay away from its on my resume was hooked over some kind of route in a very small step flat on the on boom were passing by on so may reserve we inflated run the Dukes those are spectacular cliffs that must have been exciting Mike Federal to what happens that we all turn neutrals four against the cliff could see a ball To avoid the the Roy terrific so I read the that was not so far on the first one to to collapse don't unwanted I- I cleaned out the slider position of the orientation so when I decided to release the Blythedale you knew that you have a I made an attempt to infinity tumble before it existed when that's the story you wanted to this one being a of presenting entre so important for your so the conditions I think I was not in the white process to get to the stock point of this task so whether through the process to be present they do get so used to because I really as my for a on our way out of my abilities hero built cycle taste did you give it like the guy but gave me some very interesting books perfectible for me but the guy was not the iphone another one carotenes zone but whatever in so I I found my answers on from by solution took breakfast on to increase my ability to recover collapses on to is we need to go through that each I'm talking of this a lot of us a lot of pilots have dealt with what you know beyond the fear of the incident it was the the you yeah long time ago Whoa you're younger than me Uh you'll motivations so that's kind zero benefit of practicing so that's the division that's a reserve me to secure the overall budget was very pregnancy why but in fact that was my division no on so I came back to in identifying better Michael personal values excuse let me define the justice I fetch like him Mike site if I have to respect others have to respect the conditions we'd give you a key opposition of where you are who you are and then the bearing of where you all known or your boss your important aspect of this and it when you and you you talk we know they're going to be good to the they're going to be great teaching tools you're GONNA learn a ton for me they're quite easy to enjoy and then then things shift and then it's flying career right now is that I try to look forward and they end you know what's so hard about the accent houses that it ends you put so much cops and then ends and so right now I'm in this competitions and you win a super final for example you win you know that's I I don't know what my question is there but you're you talk about this very well in your book and the one you've chosen now which is to just go do it to have fun occasion under the I think it's safe assessments on the WHO'd consciousness but it's really Dow minium it is that you you prepare lead you your last but the point is that was your mind open to grab all the positive rides that we around on winning the the to win I'm not criticizing giving be aware eleanor no you're talking about extrinsic and entrance committee fall many sports he's about being I have to to be in the prison in the past in the future it's kind of to fill that emptiness after on even because you win the is your enjoy being there so you you must be aware the bunch of the athletes after the race were just about to release our third one and dark place afterwards and he's he's solved that by and for me I want to not solve it I don't know if it's even solvable but like you said be present oh through and it can't all be the rush of the x Alps that's just that's ridiculous are very lucrative for our minds and it's hardened human up that is to easy to you you be so happy about reaching your having several roles an intermediate steps he's misery than than you ever Ah Dungy way of assessing yourself on yes what you not so surprised about what you said about CRA given he I think he spends a lot of time on that I think I think his competence I think about it constantly even during the race you know that it and but in the excerpts I mean it's not the same as in you know in a other mountain again you've lost too precious hours of the day and that's the difference and it's but flying low and flying straight man that's that's a whole ooh it's funny because I twice in the tour earned hopefully trump was to to save me to greg by chipotle deflate would have been nice so but then I felt so chew really hungry with mycenae spent the next day war I was would be used as take off I was pissed off with participating again in the tool and then I was with a friend and I had studied the memory of the edition unawares against the so making decisions and I eat earned a combination of physical exertion to give a reserve I buy them no level of accidents or so I think we have such a the next time it is it is remarkable eighteen was really terrifically bad it was risky just flyable or not flyable barrier because we were flying in a lot of wind almost that entire race with a couple of exceptions most of the people in the race get into you get into this head space where very strange I mean literally the day after the race I would go flying in conditions that are half book I guess like an extended state of flow that you get in where you just I have read years ago definition of flu in magazine but I don't need to make a decision your body will act according to the feelings the decision face there is no decision is your simply doing things because that's his new distraction so it's it's a state where ah the impression that everything is booth you know be blurred on to be a free in a I also want to be mindful of your time if you wouldn't mind there's just feel free to answer them in a long form APP that could I just touch on some topics fly full bar permanently of climbs your greater than two meters talk about press full gas in the first third of the race you know you're you're a lot more conservative yeah I might wait another couple of years because things evolving a bit but trying plus it's not because you're flying fast that we you would climb on your decline fast psalms then you'll do you'd foodball as soon as the areas of meters per season it's a off lane goggles so that the the time to identify about this mccranie thing is the macro theory two more speedier to be taken so polity final to go through so much soon the tendency to fly fast because you you win gain from also or a dusk I think that's where things slut so true social depending on who is present their they will be rewarded by leading bonuses so that's a psychological effect but that yes you get to the end of your task Goud I they're wrong and you don't you don't you don't you don't take full the phone for those of you listening to I I think it's beyond the scope of the conversation good job at that but it's not just mccreadie but Reichmann and Cochran these are sailplane pilots the three together and yet still understand the To trying to put all these in my brain and utilizing but I just I I love this quote or I love this thought will condition it the right question is that's your touching something sensitive of I have a competition by competition image of Houston on the reaching your best possible level that's so the conditions if you flying competition who channels mission so if you're on takeoff waiting for tweet folsom seen hypothetical incoming is the wind picking up what about shadows the bet on the future just conditions are are there I think it's for me to just think about even though I think it's naturally I think we all naturally understand you have to be good with Bechtel's to understand it to a done bond and then once you you've tagged the don point you're you take a more in your way to the thought to the born and then go back and then the wind issue on for example facing a ten or fifteen jimmy despair Halloween duration to the Dunkin so it's not worth taking zero five meters base again dont fifteen hundred meters back in its equivalent is not the real speed affront because he onto your goal so that's went do the windies a bleeding together underwing the wind is coming from your the right side of the of the game because if so you will have to fight against the ritual condition so it might boden and I also like that you pointed out you have these great little summaries of the NFL each chapter such a I mean I think I've done that naturally but I like we have experience so not everything is conscious in mind you know but you even without you being conscious of that another that's why you're doing the right thing yeah an- happened into the third layer and one of the things I learned very early on clouds the sky when you're up top but when you had the group dynamic to it then it becomes a percentage content but Yeah I like that a lot and then with I forget the two-thirds and you divide into two halves the you have to rain a new when you're so low you're limiting collateral damage I take that as just to be you know try to WHO's leading ones we mentioned before I'm in Brazil again two three weeks ago walk out so you can call me stupid that we'd be studying agreement they are I was on Ben I had five five hundred meters lines are they couldn't catch up with anyone because they were together in the group for the phone I could top up the gaggle on I was so happy with this was out was pretty expected I dropped out to just threw together you know good friends in stay together they had hold maxine I'm sorry I is slightly slighted away from your question you know I just personally struggle with because I'm not a math is not I'm not real stint and he's always wanted to watch he's always a threat like you he doesn't like really understands F- TV really understands lead points and he really gets into you know just just fly day I think not officer all Nah I I don't see a very good runs two to doing it but it doesn't like you said I don't it doesn't seem like it's rewarding the right thing Opel's of news leading in the system unloaded how to fix some problem with the right to burn it's a it's catching up our values countries on various positions because I really want to find those leading bonuses ride ratio to goal and this was something I just felt kind of silly to not pay enough so if we are facing wind for maybe these glide ratio will because we have these front wing headwind up to five hundred five instead of six Oh you may think that it's not really important goal gives you the risk that you're taking if you're that by half or maybe we use it to nil so it gives you another before reaching by the way so that's your glide we should go is not compared to the ground but to some aw goes all variable activation the body activation versus mind activation yeah so home algae off your body and mind so we can clearly magin that Shaw playing chess you should have lower activation a matter of first when we take off we have as having a jug or even a stroller work before and could use some April and then during the flight and we will be physically active with all arms will use a bit more for mine so this activation is to always so money are we preparing future are we gliding are we nick spread it's awesome variations so the the follow is something that I out of wishing you can collect or possible sources of your flight the more you have to narrow wide and then we'll focus slowly and slowly into your I'm to stop but from the external I just want to censor mice annoyed so I focus on what I need in terms of resources woman's so this is kind of a kind of information until the time you take off on you have to be by yourself from your book I just I really liked the distinction here learning to lose is not correct yeah correct and then not in not respect him of keeping with division of and you we are living experiences on experience no but there is something to be learned as a possible way of improvement for example so about a netted of respect but the the the last part of that was to learn from failures is to look for causes that I wanted to talk about and then I've gotTa let you go I know you gotta go get your your kids and this is decision making to the actually I'm GonNa completely changed of your incredible talents I would call him rabbits like maxime you know who's just that that's you know that's part of his he's trying to learn how to consistently fly fast turnover again what have they really learned in you talked about this in the book I I think of them in a great way a good bilateral beat so but that's that's that's an opinion notes producing a gain on the game very high level of performance data I think that did appreciate on the source of division in Yanji for them so certain join to seeking era so interested where they are able to us I think the X.
01:38:45 - 01:39:16
APPs he's very cool very calm you know in in many ways he seems things are the the confidence for example day maxine.
01:39:16 - 01:41:47
There's so much we can talk about here your books are packed with information again thanks for helping me maxime thanks for helping so many of us with they can't wait to fly with you one of these days I can't believe we haven't I really would like to tweety and interesting matter that we are showing we are we are community If you find the cloud base may website or shared on social media you can talk about it on the way to launch with your pilot friends I know a lot in all kinds of behind the scenes cost so if you can support US financially all we've ever asked for a buck show so for example if he did a buck show and every two weeks it'd be about twenty five dollars a year but for a whole bunch of different reasons which I've said many times on the show I don't WanNa do that I don't like to advertising dollars I think that's a pretty toxic business model so I hope you dig that corruption you can also do that directly through the website
