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

course is unable to hit a solid shot from the novel lies of the fairway and rough. These examples show that, beyond the first few successful trials of a new skill, blocked practice is for blockheads! Upon achieving initial success at a new skill, you must graduate to variable and random practice.
VARIABLE PRACTICE
     
    As explained above, learning a new skill in a specific way is just the first step in the learning process. The ultimate goal is instant and proficient use of the skill in any new situation you come upon. The tried and proven way to do this is with variable practice.
    Suppose you’ve just learned the drop-knee move on a vertical indoor wall with large, positive holds. To incorporate variable practice you would now change the “route” conditions slightly and attempt the same drop-knee move again. After a few reps in this new setting, you’d again modify the route by changing the hold spacing and wall angle to further expand use of the skill—then continue this progression to the point that you could perform the drop-knee move in a variety of random settings. Such “variable practice” will refine schema-rules to direct effective execution of the drop-knee motor program over a wide range of conditions (angle, hold size, rock type, and frictional properties) that you may encounter in the future.
FATIGUED SKILL PRACTICE
     
    Earlier I mentioned that you can increase your command of a skill by practicing it while in a fatigued state. In fact, beyond the initial successful trials of a skill, practice should be performed with variable conditions and levels of fatigue and never again “blocked.” This may increase your rate of failure at doing certain moves—but remember, performance isn’t your goal, practice is! The benefits of this practice, no matter how poor it feels, will become evident in the future. Besides, this concept actually makes good sense. If you want the ability to stick a deadpoint in the midst of a dicey lead climb while pumped, you’d better log some deadpoints in various states of fatigue during practice.
    Here’s the best approach. Use the first thirty minutes of your workout (while fresh) to train new skills, then move on to chalking up some mileage on a variety of routes. After an hour or so, or when you’re moderately fatigued, attempt several reps of recently acquired moves and sequences. As fatigue increases, finish up with some reps of sequences or boulder problems you have more completely mastered.
    In the context of a two-hour climbing gym workout, this rule emphasizes the benefit of squeezing in a greater volume of climbing “practice” ascents over doing just a few “performance” ascents with extensive rest in between. The long rests and performance climbing may make you look better, but the greater volume of practice will make you climb better!
RANDOM SKILL PRACTICE
     
    The ability to on-sight a sequence of novel moves on “foreign” rock is the ultimate goal of your skill practice time. Toward this end, the best workout approach is a randomized free-for-all of skill types. This highly effective method is widely used in other sports and should not be overlooked by climbers as optimal training for the unknown.
    There are two approaches to random training of climbing skills. First, on an indoor wall, attempt to link a sequence of very different bouldering moves. Contrive an unusual sequence of moves that will call a wide range of skills into use, and make several attempts at sending it. Alternatively, team up with your most deranged friend for a round of the Stick Game (described later in this chapter). Take turns pointing (with a broomstick) each other through an unusual sequence of widely varied skills and movements. Don’t get too wrapped up in performance outcomes—if you link a random series of moves, then you are a winner in terms of developing superior climbing skill.
    Another powerful method of random skill training is to climb a series of widely differing routes in rapid succession. A commercial gym with many different wall angles, a few cracks, and a roof or two is ideal. Team with a partner and toprope ten to fifteen routes of different character over the course of an hour or so. The first route may be a vertical face, the next a slab, the third a finger crack, the fourth an overhanging pumpfest, the fifth a handcrack, the sixth a roof route, and so on. This rapid recall of a wide range of motor and cognitive skills is like taking