Alive and still blogging!

I know it's been awhile, but yes I am still alive and still do intend to keep blogging.  I've been hesitant to post shorter articles because I really need to finish up the trip report on Scotland.  It is forthcoming.  It was an amazing time.  I will leave it at that for now.

Moving on...

A bouldering observation leads to a great teachable moment...for all of us.

I noticed something the other night while bouldering at the gym.  In the midst of an excellent inverted-pyramid workout (2 V2s, 3 V3s, 4 V4s - 4 V4s, 3 V3s, 2 V2s - gym ratings) I came across a really cool V4 with a tough dyno.  I actually worked through the dyno sequence first and stuck it on the first try...to my great surprise.  For me, it's a complete dyno with all points of contact off the wall for a split second.  I have to completely launch myself up and right towards the hold and stick it.  It requires complete commitment to the move and familiarity with performing dynos.

After completing the dyno portion I stepped back to rest and analyze the lower portion of the problem and think about how it would fit together with the upper portion.  As I was doing this, another climber came over and jumped on the problem.  I had already pretty much worked it out in my head but I was curious to see his approach.  He worked through the lower moves off the ground but moved somewhat awkwardly to the large jug for both hands (point 1).  The right foothold was obvious but he was missing the left...fellow climbers pointed this out and he got his left foot situated (point 2).  It was only then that he started looking around for the next hold (point 3).  Upon realizing he had to do a huge dyno, his body language told me what was coming next: a half-hearted attempt at the hold and a quick landing on the crash-pad.

I noted three points in the above story.  The first point concerns the awkward movements to the large jug.  It was a traversing movement to the right; body position was key to making this smooth.  The awkward transition wasted precious energy to stabilize the body and push through in "herky-jerky" movements instead of a couple fluid motions.

The second point was that he completely missed a foothold.  He didn't even see it...didn't even know it was there (this is part of a larger point I'll explain in a sec).  Again, wasting precious time and energy.

Finally, the third point: he looks about for the last hold and is completely deflated upon realizing he has a large dyno to stick in order to complete the problem.  Instead of welcoming the challenge and figuring out how to overcome it, he lets it overwhelm him.

Overall, the climber was defeated by lack of planning, observation and analysis.  It's not that he wasn't physically capable of doing it and it's not that he didn't start the problem with the intent of wanting to finish it.  It's that he was utterly unfamiliar with any of the territory from move to move...not just physically but mentally.  He hadn't stopped to really analyze the options and possibilities; to physically point to each hold he could see and could tell would be useful and then think about how to best use them.  He knew he couldn't do the moves, at least in part because he no longer had the strength to make a good effort.

I continue to promote bouldering to my friends as a great way (for some, the best way) to learn how to read rock...but you must put in the time and effort and do it right.  You get out what you put in.  So if you just go pull on plastic and follow the colored holds you will climb and you will get stronger...but you won't really get smarter.  That's where bouldering can really help your climbing game.  To climb harder and longer you have to climb smarter.

What do I mean by that?  The faster you can read the rock and interpret the moves you need to make, the quicker and more efficiently you will climb, placing gear with speed and then moving back to climbing efficiently.  Integrating bouldering into your routine will help but only if you structure your workout and focus on every problem as a set piece.

As an avid (predominantly) trad climber, bouldering allows me to practice movements and quickly work through sequences, repeating them over and over and over until they are drilled into my head so much that movements will just happen.  Sometimes my body seemingly takes over as if I subconsciously know how to do a sequence saying, "yup...I've been here before".

To maximize this practice, approach every problem, no matter how easy it might appear, as a set piece or long sequence of moves.

• Take your time to just look over the holds and the wall.  Are the holds the only things you can use?  What about the wall itself?  Gym climbers sometimes get so focused on the pretty colored holds that they forget about the wall (i.e. the rock face) itself.  Most gyms have textured walls...use them!
• Pick the problem apart.  Break it down into smaller chunks.
• Point to each hold and call it out to yourself, making a mental note of how you think it fits into the overall solution.
• Think about how each "chunk" links into the next one.
• Go climbing.  Breathe into each motion and commit 100%.

Again, do this for every problem.  Work out the likely solution before you start!  Even if you are repeating a problem you did two days ago.  The more you do it, the faster it will work.  And it will translate to the rest of your climbing as long as you continue to use it there.  So that means after you rope up for a climb - indoors or outdoors - stop.  Before you start climbing, observe everything you can.  Don't just blindly charge up the rock, hoping that the holds will appear when and where you'd like them.  Read the rock as far up as you can see.  Think about the movements in exactly the same way you do when bouldering.  Commit to climbing and put your plan into action.  Once you start climbing, the process continues, just in a longer session.  If you're trad or sport climbing you should be pausing after every bolt or placement to observe the path ahead, shake out for a second, maybe get some chalk (blow the excess off your hands!) and think about the moves ahead.

Over time, you will see improvement.  You will quite likely start to see climbs as linked bouldering sequences in many respects.  And at times, you'll look up and say, "hey, this is just a V2 boulder problem...200 ft off the ground.  I've got this!" :-)

Climb smarter and you will climb harder.