The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training For Climbers

the Carlos Castaneda books.” It was just the framework I needed to guide me.
    Studying Castaneda’s books and other books on warriorship in more depth, I came up with the guiding principle I was looking for. The warrior’s way is all about impeccable use of attention. Everything hinges upon how one uses attention—does one waste it or focus it onto the task at hand? This principle was a very pragmatic and tangible guide.
    I hadn’t reasoned my way directly to this insight. I had gathered information, but the answer itself had come from my intuition. This event further convinced me of something I had been coming to for a while. Solutions involve a unified process, combining conscious analysis, receptivity to intuition, and the discipline to follow through. I refined the Rock Warrior’s Way philosophy and method using this insight from that waking moment. By being observant and paying attention, I structured my ideas around a warriorship framework.
    So when you reflect on my story of Super Slab , do you see anything of your climbing in it? I’ve now worked with hundreds of climbers, and know those struggles I had in Eldorado are typical and widely shared.
    Here are a few questions that will give you insight into what might be limiting your climbing performance:
    When climbing a route that challenges you at your limit, do you …
    1. … get frustrated
when things don’t turn out as you want or expect?
    2. … hold your breath when you climb?
    3. … believe that falling isn’t part of the climbing process?
    4. … dwell on what’s impossible and what you can’t do?
    5. … commit only tentatively when climbing into the crux?
    6. … resist falling, over-protect, overgrip, or grab quickdraws/pro?
    7. … rush yourself, think about wanting to be through the crux or at the top of the route, wanting the effort to be over?
    Answering “yes” to any of these questions indicates that you aren’t using attention impeccably, as a warrior would.
    Now, read this book. If you dedicate yourself to the mental effort of adopting the warrior processes, your awareness will improve dramatically. No matter how imperfectly you adopt the processes, your awareness will improve. You’ll be shocked at the magnitude of the results. Awareness is the key to beginning any process and to solving any problem. You’ll notice big changes in your approach, your mindset, how you climb, and how much fun you have climbing. After you’ve read the book and spent some time on the rock, take this short quiz again. I believe you’ll see yourself transformed.
    —Arno Ilgner

Introduction
    The Rock Warrior’s Way is both a mental-training program and a philosophy of rock climbing that draws from the rich warrior tradition and literature. Its style is very different from what many people think of as war-like, being neither combative nor overly aggressive. Rather, it is a program of balance, harmony, and insight that is inspired by a peaceable application of ancient martial traditions. There are many books available on warriorship you might find useful. I recommend Way of the Peaceful Warrior , by Dan Millman, and The Craft of the Warrior , by Robert Spencer, as a start for anyone interested in fully exploring this rich way of thinking. The Rock Warrior’s Way focuses on applying the warrior mindset to rock climbing, using ideas and exercises that have come from years of my own reading and research, personal experience on the rock, and work with my students in mental-training seminars.
    The warrior philosophy derives from the uniquely demanding situation facing a soldier or combatant, such as a samurai, in a deadly duel. He must perform with absolute mastery and calm in the face of horrendous mortal danger. In preparation, the warrior hones his body and mind. If he does not, he will not live long. In battle, he must be acutely aware of subtle details in the environment, his behavior and his opponent’s behavior, yet remain completely impassive about his own peril. If he clings too dearly to his own life, or is ruled by his Ego, he will seek escape; his attention will waver; he will be destroyed. Paradoxically, if he adopts a stance of embracing the risk and accepting the consequences, he is far more likely to survive. It is easy to see how the warrior mentality can be applied to the risky business of rock climbing.
    An important component of the warrior literature for me is the work of Carlos Castaneda, who wrote of his experiences with a