The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training For Climbers

fall consequence or do some intentional falling practice (see next exercise) and gain experience before taking on the risk.
    By systematically assessing consequences and your experience, you will commit to risks that are more appropriate for you and minimize the chances of injury.
    3. Falling Practice
    Practicing falling helps take the falling experience out of the unknown and makes it part of the normal climbing process. Warning: falling can be dangerous! Choose your fall zones wisely, and practice in small, gradual steps. Make sure you accept responsibility for how you choose to practice.
    The fall-practice zone should not have any protruding ledges and should have good bolts or several pieces of trad pro for protection. The failure of any single piece should not result in an unacceptably dangerous fall. In the beginning of your practice, choose a fall zone that is slightly overhanging to help reduce possibility of injury. Then, as you gain experience, you can practice other falling situations, such as those on vertical rock or with slightly swinging falls. Have plenty of rope in the system—at least thirty feet of rope between you and your belayer—to absorb the fall force. The rope will stretch during your practice session, so, after a few falls, hang on a piece of pro and let the rope regain its shape and length.
    Maintain proper form as you practice falling. Proper form includes keeping arms and legs slightly bent, with arms out in front at chest height so you can respond to the impact. Don’t grab the rope. Step off gently rather than jumping out and back, which can cause you to slam into the wall. Breathe continuously and stay relaxed.
    Recommended sample of graduated falling practice:
    A) Toprope. Begin falling practice on toprope. First, climb up a ways, then simply let go and hang on the rope. Swing to the left and to the right, shuffling or even running back and forth across the rock. Become comfortable with being unattached to the rock and trusting the system. Next, with a clear zone beneath you, ask for a few feet of slack and jump. Repeat with a little more slack. Pay attention to your form as you practice.
    B) Lead falls. Begin this step by taking falls right at your protection point. This is like a toprope fall; you’ll only fall as much as the rope stretches. After you are comfortable with this, climb up one move and take a fall. Continue in small increments, one or two moves up at a time. Practice several times at each increment until you’re comfortable increasing the fall distance. Becoming comfortable with falls of twenty feet will prepare you quite well for the fall consequence on most sport climbs. Remember, however, that practicing falling can be dangerous. Choose your fall zone wisely!
    C) Diagonal falls. Not all routes are straight, and neither are the falls that can result from them. Once you gain some falling savvy you may want to gain experience with falls that include a swing or pendulum.
    If you have some control over your fall, you can reduce dangerous swings by the way you detach from the rock. To practice this technique, climb diagonally away from your protection point for a few feet, and then jump off in the direction of your last piece of pro. Notice how the jump anticipates the direction you would swing when the rope comes taut and reduces or eliminates your pendulum across the wall. Notice how your trajectory changes with various jump tactics and distances from your protection point.
    Note: By practicing falling you help separate real concerns from phantom fear and improve your understanding of the consequences. You learn how to fall properly, thus minimizing, but not eliminating, the chance of injury on a “routine” fall.
    Any fall can hurt you, but there are some routes with potential falls that will cause injury or death. On these routes it’s important to NOT push yourself past the point of no return and thereby take a fall. This may seem obvious but I feel it’s important to emphasize it. A fall can happen at any time . Don’t go on “R” (runout) or “X” (ground-fall potential) routes thinking that a fall can’t happen. Don’t fool yourself thinking that just because it’s not a good idea to fall that you won’t fall. Holds could break, you can slip, or you could pump out. Learning about falling includes learning how to recognize when falling will cause injury or death. Decide beforehand if you’re entering a risk that you are willing to take, and pay