When do you take the time to record yourself climbing or rely on your internal camera? Sometimes when we watch ourselves climb, it becomes hard to be objective or know what to focus on.

Simplify Your Journey

Discover more, then enroll to receive a personalized roadmap showing your current position and potential focus areas. Explore the stages of Skill Evaluation to gain valuable insights and view a sample of the report.

You’re on your sport project and you finally make it through the lower difficulties  but there’s still a redpoint crux. The panic sets in. You can feel your body fighting for control. Managing the continuing difficulties and pushing through the redpoint crux requires regulating arousal levels, which can be practiced.

Ignoring a slightly misplaced foot, pushing past a nagging fear of gear failure, or ramping up the intensity to latch a small hold all require mental awareness. Follow these guidelines to maximize your own performance.

What Is Your Climbing Dream?

Free climbing The Nose (VI 5.14a) on Yosemite’s El Capitan, redpointing Just Do It (5.14c) at Smith Rock, or flashing Diaphanous Sea (V11) in Hueco Tanks sound like aspirational goals for most climber’s careers. For some, they’re goals for the year. For others, they’re seasonal goals. For a minority, they’re goals for the day.

Often times climbers focus solely on strength. They want the latest hangboard protocol or they obsess over improving their performance on the campus board. As a coach, I get why they do. If you can start doing more weight, go further on the rungs, hang smaller edges, the gains are obvious. When practicing, the level of success becomes less well defined but it will result in better improvement over the long run. Practicing can be improved by following these simple steps.