Fear management on lead

Jack Ubaek wrote:Is your motivation to lead so that you have more routes accessible to you or do you earnestly want to start climbing in that style? could be worth reflecting on whats driving you if you really do love toproping that much. absolutely nothing wrong with never leading.

I have been climbing with friends who are really good I'm talking 5.13 good and I have been top roping their warm ups (5.10, 5.11), but I want to start climbing on my own more, which means I will generally need to lead climb everything

M Bageant wrote:I just try to remember that falling is not the problem, hitting the ground/ledges/stuff is. Do some practice falls and get yourself an instinct to push away from the wall when you fall. After that....get a good belayer and gear you trust, and go for it! Concentrate on making the moves and focusing on your body on the rock, not the space around you.

Pushing away from the wall? Maybe if there's a bulge directly underneath you that you need to clear and your belayer is aware that you're gonna try to clear it. A better way to say it is: "accept that you're gonna fall and don't try to grab shit on the way down (rope, rock , draws, etc) that might turn a normal fall into a crappy spinning fall."

In most situations actively pushing away from the wall just guarantees you will swing in that much harder.

Vertical Addiction wrote:I am looking for advice on how to manage fear on lead climbing

All the above advice is good.
Another approach is to work yourself into the state of mind in which you really really want to get up the route - so focused on the goal that you just don't think about falling, you think only about moving up, and you just don't give a damn whether you're moving smoothly or thrutching like a madman.

Take a huge bong rip or smoke a fatty spliff before you get on that route... That's good for fear management, however, cant guarantee it will get you up the route ;)

thank you all for your advice and kindness it helped a lot. I went to the gym today and took a lot of practice falls and by the end of the day I was projecting on lead

That's good progress. Keep in mind that a good lead head is a skill, not a milestone. You have to consistently challenge yourself and overcome your fear, or else you'll regress.

Seems like every sport climbing season, I start as a ninnering sissy when I get above a bolt, but by the end of every season I'm whipping happily and climbing at the grade I want to be climbing. The mental edge won't dull with disuse, but it will rust.

Vertical Addiction wrote:thank you all for your advice and kindness it helped a lot. I went to the gym today and took a lot of practice falls and by the end of the day I was projecting on lead

Everything is not so simple when you take it outside and on gear. In the gym you have bolts every 4 ft and rarely pass your ankle or traverse. I am still struggling with fear factor, although would like to share what helped me. Lead climb more, a lot more! Just keep leading. Stop toproping altogether even if it means downgrading.

There is no fear once one feels in control. If one does not feel in control ( strength,technical know-how, weather ) then one is ill prepared for the job at hand

Schaps wrote:There is no fear once one feels in control. If one does not feel in control ( strength,technical know-how, weather ) then one is ill prepared for the job at hand

You will never be completely in control especially when learning something new. It is ok to not be in control at all times. What works for me is doing it on my terms and taking risks how I see fit and how I feel about that particular climb on that particular day. I may be in control at the beginning, then in a complete panic in the middle , then in control again (hopefully) by the summit. Practice and exposure to different situations while pacing yourself is the key.

A number of years ago I took a ground fall which left me healing in a wheelchair for two months. I was back out on the sharp end about two weeks after I returned to walking. One of the initial times I led after that I was absolutley terrified of falling; shaking, whimpering, panicked screams rising in my throat, the whole bit. This was on a route that I had climbed before and had had no problems with however it was at the top of my ability at the time. It was a clean route with little damage potential from a fall from my position. So I really had no business being that terrified. Eventuallly I calmed myself down and made it to the top without falling. For a year or two after that I only led routes that were well within my ability.
During this time I rebuilt my confidence, got a ton of experience placing gear, and learned how back down if I got scared. Eventually I started pushing my grade with harder and harder routes.

Put your ego on the shelf(don't worry about how hard the route is, or what your friends think about your ability level) grab the rack and go lead a few hundred 5.3's to 5.7's or whatever level is well within your ability.
Learn how to place gear well and efficiently. Learn how to down climb. Practice breathing to calm yourself down and to stay relaxed on lead. Take a few falls if you have to, but don't worry these will come with time.
Most importantly, have fun.