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The head game(mental aspect of climbing)

Jtorres · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 115

The lead mindset was and wasn't a choice for me.

Used to scare the hell out of me when I knew there was a section I couldn't fall at without taking a nasty whipper. I used to take a lot. I ask my buddy to take one day and he ignores the hell out of me. Perplexed and more than a little pissed since I'm looking straight at him I cranked past the crux to a good rest-then I fell.

After a few words I thanked him. I understood it's all mind set. If you tell yourself you can't and you'll fall, you will. Falling is a part of climbing. If you're not falling you will never really know what you are capable of. After that climb I started sending mid 11's regularly. A huge jump from where I was.

Now when I fall I'm stoked bc I know I am getting better (and I didn't die). No takes -just bigger falls and more fun. My buddy jokes now that I run everything out.

Only falling will prepare you for what it takes. S.Price has it right- get comfortable with that place and fear will give way to confidence.

20 kN · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 1,346
mike526 wrote:Just started getting into trad climbing earlier this year, and am enjoying it. So far only done a few 5.4 and 5.5 at devils lake and have felt somewhat comfortable on them. Yesterday went to a sport climbing area i have been to once before and was looking forward to trying some harder climbs. Instead i found myself having a hard time on just my warm up and resorted to top roping all the harder climbs I had hoped to sport lead. Should i have just sucked it up and tried leading them taking a whipper if it comes if its a safe fall. Also does anyone find that leading in the gym helps with the mental aspect of leading outside at all. wondering how you all deal with this, feel this is a big part of whats holding me back. instead of just leading it i talk myself out of it sometimes.
When I was new to leading, I would constantly try to figure out ways to improve my lead head. I read The Warrior's Way, I practiced the exercises, I did all kinds of stuff. Now that I am fully comfortable leading, I have learned that the solution to this extremely common problem is a lot more simpler than many make it out to be. You just need to lead more. Do it all the time and eventually you will loose your fear. See, many humans are naturally afraid of the unknown. So make the unknown known. How do you think the top climbers are able to take 100' whippers? They surely dident start out like that. They worked their way up taking increasingly larger falls over time until they got to the point that taking 100' falls was pretty much standard stuff. That is the same way people are able to free solo hard routes. Many start with R rated routes, move onto X, and then when it comes time to solo, they have already been there, so it is not as scarey.

So what can you do? Well, lead - a lot. Always volunteer to take the sharp end (but dont be foolish, dont push your ability on gear at first). Do that and eventually you will loose your fear, I promise. Remember, the objective is to experience as many different types of scenarios on lead as you can. The more experience you have, the less likely you will run into "the unknown".
Bill M · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 317

WTF takes a 100 ft whipper more than once? Like most things in life, practice, practice, practice pays off.

Jody Jacobs · · NE, GA · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 210

I suppose practice falling has its place in learning to lead. But I don't think it has much value when you're looking at a potential 30+ footer to the ground or a big ledge. In that situation, no amount of falling practice or "man up" talk is of much practical value. Personally, I have to be able to figure out if my probability of success at that moment outweighs the apparent risk and know where and when I can downclimb if I figured wrong.

Rajiv Ayyangar · · San Francisco, CA · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 220
RadDawg wrote:I suppose practice falling has its place in learning to lead. But I don't think it has much value when you're looking at a potential 30+ footer to the ground or a big ledge. In that situation, no amount of falling practice or "man up" talk is of much practical value. Personally, I have to be able to figure out if my probability of success at that moment outweighs the apparent risk and know where and when I can downclimb if I figured wrong.
Falls with a consequence (potential or certain injury) are a whole different world from safe falls (even long ones). I have also found that practicing the latter doesn't help the former. I might be comfortable with regular 30+footers while working an overhanging sport route, and yet a no-fall section on a 5.8 can freak me out.

In fact, I think becoming more comfortable with safe falls has made me even less comfortable with consequential falls. Perhaps because I don't climb under threat of injury as much as when I was starting out on easier (and less safe) sport climbs. Perhaps this is also because in hard redpointing you try to use the bare minimum effort to hold on, surfing closer to the edge of friction.

Does anyone else have increasing difficulty "flipping the switch" to no-fall climbing?
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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