The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training For Climbers

around—you need to commit. That’s the point of the exercise.
    You can do the exercise on the rock, on boulders, on toprope, or even on lead, but practicing lunging is easiest in a climbing gym. You have many choices of holds, close to the ground, and you can safely fall onto the padded floor.
    Setup : First, find an opportunity for a lunge. The classic lunge involves a very long, dynamic reach past a holdless section, but you can invent a fine lunge simply by ignoring intermediate holds. It’s possible to lunge on almost any reachy move, even one that you could also do statically, but for this exercise it’s better to find a move that you can only do by lunging, using starting holds that are hard to hold onto if you miss your target. Your goal is to invent a move that requires a feeling of 100-percent commitment to accomplish. This way you won’t be able to “cheat.” You’ll only make the move if you fully commit to flying, and if you miss you’ll fall. (Note: After only a little practice you’ll find you need to invent longer lunges for yourself in order to demand that feeling of 100-percent commitment. You’re learning a powerful climbing skill, which you can use on the rock, but that’s not the main purpose of this exercise!)
    Set the intention : to commit 100-percent to the lunge. Focus your attention on creating an explosive, confident, 100-percent effort.
    To increase the commitment required, lunge with both hands at the same time. Do a two-handed lunge on a vertical wall, starting in a crouched position and using large footholds. The leg power you can generate this way allows huge lunges, even if your upper-body strength is limited. Another variation involves lunging with both hands at the same time, to two different target holds. (Tip: use “soft-eyes focus” when doing this variation.)
    When you lunge, you must commit to the move in order to make it through. If you are tentative, you’ll fall. Lunging builds confidence and gives you a concrete, one-move example of what 100-percent commitment feels like.
    2. Appropriate Risk Assessment
    This is a variation of Describing Objectively (Chapter 3 Exercises). Risk assessment is a craft requiring clear thinking and thoroughness. When facing an intimidating crux, many climbers simply ask themselves, “Will I fall or not?” Answering this question gives you no information, and in fact sets you up to use a haphazard guess to guide your actions. This exercise gives you an outline for more appropriate risk assessment.
    Setup : Find a route on which you will have to risk a fall. Ideally, find a route where you can pause restfully below the potential fall section, so you can go through the exercise without rushing or getting pumped.
    Your goal is to decide whether or not a risk is appropriate for you. Do this by assessing the fall consequences and comparing these to your experience with similar consequences. Remember that you don’t assess the consequences by figuring out whether or not you will fall. Rather, you understand that a fall is always possible and you weigh the fall consequences against your experience with responding to such consequences. Set the intention : to assess the risk thoroughly and objectively.
    A) Assess the fall consequence. Ask these questions: “How far is the pro spaced? Is the climbing in line with the pro? Where will I end up if I do take a fall? How far will the fall be? Are there any ledges? Is the route overhanging or slabby? Will the fall be straight down or will I pendulum?”
    B) Assess your experience with falls of the type you are considering. Ask, “How much experience do I have with this kind of fall consequence?” Compare the potential fall with other falls you’ve taken. Is it similar? What, exactly, are the differences? Are these differences incremental or great? Can you mentally bridge the gap between falls you’ve taken and the fall you’re assessing, and can you envision how to take the fall with a reasonable margin of safety? How did you respond to falls in the past? How will your planned response to this fall differ from your past responses to similar falls?
    C) Decide whether or not to take the risk. Remember, the point of this exercise is not necessarily to take the risk, but to practice the assessment method and make an appropriate choice. If the type of fall you’re considering is far beyond your experience, then the risk is probably not appropriate for you. Find a route with a more familiar