Training for Climbing, 2nd: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Performance (How To Climb Series)

most climbers to recognize the thoughts and life patterns that are really holding them back and that their time and energy could be invested more productively elsewhere.
    Introspection and curiosity are key attributes you must foster because, at least at the first superficial glance, your real-life experiences with failure on a climb will almost always appear to result from a lack of strength. But what about all the underlying causes that may have led to premature fatigue—poor footwork, bad body positioning, overgripping of holds, climbing too slowly, scattered focus, a missed rest, unreasonable fears, or a lack of energy due to poor diet or dehydration? As you can see, the other two-thirds of the climbing performance puzzle (technical and mental) determine how effectively you use the physical strength and energy reserves you possess. Consequently, it’s my belief that the average climber wastes 50 percent (or more!) of his strength and energy due to flawed technique, inefficient movement, and poor mental control. This is analogous to having a 30-miles-per-gallon car that only gets 15 miles per gallon as the result of a horrible tune-up and a heavy foot. Therefore, the average climber can obtain a huge windfall of relative strength gains—and dramatically improve performance—by training up technique, quality of movement, and mental control.
    The moral of the story, then, is that the best training program for climbing must include lots of climbing and constant self-evaluation. Spending three or four days a week on the rock (or an artificial wall) deliberately practicing skills and refining your climber’s mind-set is far more beneficial than spending those days strength training in the gym. This is not to say that you can simply climb a lot and ignore all the other facets of performance. The best climbers clearly focus on putting the complete puzzle together, and this undoubtedly includes a targeted strength-training program. Still, if you can do ten fingertip pull-ups, you are probably strong enough to climb most 5.12a routes! So search vigilantly for the true but often underlying causes of failure on routes. That’s the ultimate secret to optimizing your training program and establishing new personal bests on the rock.

Objective Evaluation
     
    The best way to identify your weaknesses is to ask yourself a series of detailed questions. To identify physical and technical weaknesses, ask yourself targeted questions like: Do I fail on a route because I’m too weak or do I overgrip and hang out too long in the midst of hard moves? Does my footwork deteriorate in the moves prior to where I fall? Do I climb too slowly through crux moves and consequently come up short on routes? Do I lack the flexibility to step onto a crucial hold or do I miss a better, easier foot placement? Am I really too short for this move or have I failed to find the body position that makes it possible for someone my height?
    Some questions for identifying mental errors are: Do I fail to see the sequence or do I fail to try something new when the obvious doesn’t work? Do I try too hard or give up too easily? Am I controlling my internal self-talk or is the critic within doing a hatchet job on me? Do I monitor and control my body tension or does my perceived pressure of the situation run the show? Do I sabotage myself before leaving the ground by doubting my ability and pondering past failures?
    In addition to investigating yourself, consider enlisting a coach to provide an even more objective view of your performance or, at the least, have a friend shoot some video of you on the rock. These detached perspectives are especially useful in identifying obvious flaws in technique, tactics, and your overall economy of effort. For example, feet skidding or popping off footholds signals lack of attention to footwork, while constant stretching for holds seemingly just out of reach is a sign you’re missing critical intermediate holds or using less effective body positions. In more general terms, evaluate whether your movement looks relaxed and fluid or appears tight, mechanical, and hesitant. These outside perspectives can be a real eye-opener, and you’ll probably be surprised at what you find. Still, some fundamental mistakes and weaknesses are so subtle that they are not easily observed by others or by viewing yourself on video. This is where a detailed self-assessment test comes in handy.

Taking the Self-Assessment Test
     
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