The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training For Climbers

finish the exercise with any non-habitual action. Do something that feels a little bold. Say, “Give me two feet of slack!” rather than “Take!”—then jump off. Or, keep climbing and go for the next rest. Purposely slap for a useless hold and force a fall. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as it’s non-habitual.
    Delaying and dissociating help you move to the Witness position. From the Witness position you are able to break the habitual cycle of reacting to limiting thoughts.
    4. Foreign Affairs
    Setup : Put yourself in a climbing situation that you normally avoid or have never considered. The situation should make you extremely uncomfortable—it should feel foreign . For example, get on a climb and don’t take your chalk bag. Or, climb in shoes that are too large. If you are a “strength” climber, get on a delicate slab climb.
    Your goal is to produce an emotional reaction to the stressful situation. See if you react—by becoming frustrated, angry, or blaming something such as weak forearms. These type reactions indicate unconsciousness.
    Set the intention : to observe these limiting behaviors.
    This exercise helps you subdue your Ego and gain self-knowledge. Your Ego thrives by getting on routes where you have a significant chance of reaching the top. Observe when you get frustrated, angry, or react—all manifestations of the Ego not getting what it wants. Once you observe these limiting reactions and leaks of attention, you can plug them by stopping that behavior.
    5. Self Stalking
    Videotape yourself on a route at your limit. Climb as you normally do without changing anything. Then watch the video, noting your technique, body language, etc. Then, watch it again, this time recalling the inner dialogue you had at each point during the climb. Was your self-talk limiting or empowering? Can you see any effects that your self-talk had on your climbing?
    Watching yourself on video is a great way to separate yourself from your performance. You are able to see your performance more objectively because you are seeing it as others would, separate from the subjective feelings of effort.
    Chapter 2, Life is Subtle
    1. Place/Push
    Setup : Choose a route that is easy for you, either toprope or lead.
    Set the intention : to climb by pushing with both legs. As you climb this way, push your hips up and in, close to the rock. Place/Push improves your consciousness of using your body to climb efficiently. It also creates a more positive posture, a more balanced style, and generates confidence.
    2. Rock Meditation
    This exercise is great to include in your warm-up.
    Setup : Choose a route that is easy for you, either toprope or lead.
    Set the intention : to climb slowly and pay attention to how you are climbing. Use precise footwork, climb and breathe continuously, push with both legs, and focus on balance.
    By climbing efficiently and fluidly on easier routes you’ll set a tone for the day that will continue through your later efforts on harder routes.
    3. P-C-O
    This is a written exercise. Answer each of these similar-sounding questions, in the order given:
    What is the biggest problem you have with improving your climbing performance?
    A:____________________________________________________________
    _____________________________________________________________.
    What is the biggest challenge you have with improving your climbing performance?
    A:_____________________________________________________________
    ______________________________________________________________.
    What is the biggest opportunity you have with improving your climbing performance?
    A:_____________________________________________________________
    ______________________________________________________________.
    These questions are the same except for a single change: the words problem/challenge/opportunity. Your answers, however, may be revealing. When you see “improving your climbing performance” as a problem , your answer will show an avoidance orientation and you’ll state the situation passively—for example, “I’m afraid of falling.”
    If you replace problem with challenge when framing the question, your answer will necessarily imply action: “My biggest challenge is to overcome my fear of falling.” Even though you’re talking about the same situation, your thought process is more love-based and you’ve got the beginnings of a plan.
    Finally, if you replace challenge with opportunity , your answer becomes even more