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

grace and fluidity, and maximize economy of motion and energy use. As masters of differential relaxation, they can move smooth and fast like a Porsche but still get the high “miles-pergallon” of a Honda.
    Skill in differential relaxation comes with increased sensitivity to various degrees of relaxation and tension—something you will learn quickly through daily use. Practice by releasing tension in unused muscles while in the midst of common everyday activities like driving your car, sitting at your desk, working around home, or even lying down for a quick nap. Scan your body for pockets of tension or any contracting muscles that aren’t critical for the task at hand. For me, it’s typically tension in the shoulders, a clenched jaw (if I’m concentrating intensely), or unnecessary fidgeting by my feet.
    On the rock, strive for acute awareness of tension increases so you can nip it in the bud before it results in a drop-off in performance. It’s my practice to perform these “quality assurance checks” at all rest positions. Sometimes I recognize things like general tightness in my shoulders, unnecessary tension in my legs, or a little more contraction of my arm and forearm muscles than is needed to stick the grip or body position. Differential relaxation allows me to correct these problems almost instantly—although I find centering and the ANSWER Sequence to be beneficial in these situations as well.

     

The ANSWER Sequence
     
    Perform the ANSWER Sequence before and during each climb and in everyday situations where you need to control tension, anxiety, and focus. Initially this six-step procedure will take a few minutes to perform. With practice you’ll be able to go through the sequence in about ten seconds—perfect for use at marginal rest positions where getting centered could make the difference between success and failure.
A - AWARENESS
     
    1. Awareness of rising tension, anxiety, or negative thoughts.
    Acute awareness of unfavorable mental and physical changes is fundamental to optimal performance. It takes a conscious effort to turn your thoughts away from the outer world toward your inner world. Peak performers habitually make these tension checks every few minutes, so they can nix any negative changes before they snowball out of control. Make this your goal.
N - NORMALIZE
     
    2. Normalize breathing.
    In climbing, your breathing should be as relaxed (basically involuntary or unconscious) and regular as it would be while on a fast walk. Unfortunately, many climbers breathe unevenly during hard sequences, thus creating tension and degrading performance. Your goal is smooth, even, normal breathing throughout the climb.
S - SCAN
     
    3. Scan for specific areas of muscular tension.
    In this step you perform a tension check. Scan all your muscles in a quick sweep to locate pockets of tightness. Commonly tight areas are the forearms (are you overgripping?), shoulders, upper back, chest, abdominals, and calves. The best way to relax a specific muscle is to consciously contract that muscle for a few seconds, then relax it and visualize the tension draining from it like air from a balloon (the differential relaxation technique).
W - WAVE
     
    4. Wave of relaxation.
    Upon completing the tension check above, take a single deep breath and feel a wave of relaxation wash from your head to your toes.
E - ERASE
     
    5. Erase thoughts of past events (or the possible future) and focus on the present.
    This step involves freeing your mind from the ball-and-chain of undesirable past events. There is no benefit to pondering the last failed attempt or the heinous sequence you just barely fought through. Let go of the past and do not ponder the future—thoughts of the past and future are enemies of excellence in the present. Refocus on and engage the present moment.
R - RESET
     
    6. Reset posture and flash a smile.
    It’s amazing how much positive energy you can generate simply by resetting your posture and flashing a smile. This final step of the ANSWER Sequence will leave you in a peak performance state and ready to climb into the zone. Trust your skills, have fun, and let the outcome take care of itself.

Getting Centered
     
    Centering is a simple, effective means of maintaining (or regaining) complete control of your mind and body as you head up on a difficult climb or into competition. When you’re centered, you feel balanced, relaxed, and confident. Conversely, being out of center is characterized by