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

to distractions on the ground. If this occurs, simply redirect your focus to the predetermined task—in this case, the handholds. It is this process of becoming aware of your lost focus and returning it to the critical task that you are after. Sharpened awareness of lost focus is tantamount to gaining control of focus.
    Repeat this exercise regularly but change the focus (onto, say, foot placements or weight shifts) each time. Work on increasing the length of time you can maintain a singular focus—this helps build mental endurance. As you become more skilled, convert this singular focus drill into a dynamic focus drill where your focus constantly shifts to the most critical task at any moment. The goal is be able to shift your focus quickly among the various tasks involved in doing a route, like the flickering beams of a laser light show.
    With practice, the process of directing and redirecting focus will become largely subconscious. On the rare occasions when your focus does wander away from the task of climbing, your well-trained mind will instantly recognize this loss and redirect the focus onto the climb. In this way, becoming constantly engaged and automatic on the climb helps in achieving the highly desired flow state.

     

Pinpointing Your Focus for a Climb
     
    This exercise will gather your focus into a single “beam” and quiet your mind as you get ready to cast off up a climb. Perform it after you’ve gone through your preclimb ritual and been put on belay.
    Stand at the base of the climb, assume an extended posture (shoulders back), close your eyes, and place the fingertips of your dominant hand against the rock face. Your fingertips should be touching the wall lightly (not gripping a hold), and your hand and arm should be completely relaxed. Now take three deep belly breaths, inhaling through your nose to a count of five and exhaling through your mouth to a count of ten. Let a wave of relaxation wash across your body, and then narrow your focus to the tips of your fingers touching the rock. Concentrate singly on the sensation of your fingertips touching the rock—you should begin to feel the thermal energy moving from your fingers to the rock (on rare occasions when the rock is hotter than your body, you will feel thermal energy conducting into your fingertips). Maintain a relaxed, singular focus on the energy exchange between your fingertips and the rock for anywhere from thirty seconds to a minute or two. If your focus ever wanders, simply redirect it to your fingertips. Soon your mind will become completely still: All your attention is pin-pointed on the tips of your fingers. On reaching this state, open your eyes and begin climbing.

Using Preclimb Rituals to Create Focus
     
    Preclimb rituals are a powerful way to narrow your focus in the hours and minutes leading up to an ascent. Like a pilot’s preflight checklist, a climber’s preclimb ritual should consist of every single activity, big or small, that is necessary to ensure a safe, successful journey. For example, my typical preclimb ritual begins with scoping the route to determine the best path and, hopefully, figure out the key moves and rest positions. Next, I perform a few minutes (or more) of mental rehearsal and visualization as I try to feel the moves and preprogram in the sequence. Upon gaining a sense of comfort and knowing about the route, I put on my shoes and tie in to the rope. I complete my preclimb ritual by taking a few slow, deep breaths, straightening my posture, and cracking a smile in anticipation of the great fun that awaits me. This entire ritual typically takes between five and fifteen minutes (depending on the difficulty and length of the climb), and it leaves me in an ideal state to make my best effort.
    Develop your own unique rituals based on what makes you feel most prepared and psyched for a route. Think back to some of your best past performances to gain some clues as to what to include. What did you think and do in preparing for that climb? What did you eat or drink, how did you warm up, and how long did you rest between climbs? Awareness of all the factors—little and big—that lead up to your best performances is a key to being able to reproduce similar results in the future.
    Tips for Creating Focus
     
    1. Train focus by using the Singular Focus Drill (page 45) while leading climbing in the gym or toproping outside.
    2. Develop detailed preclimb ritual that includes warming up, scoping the route,