Hi Mountain Project Community-

I'm new to the sport, climbing regularly at an indoor gym for just under a year. I started lead climbing at the gym and am hoping to get outdoors soon. I'm finding that I have a mental block when lead climbing which I attribute to a fear of falling. My climbing partner says he can tell I'm much more hesitant when lead climbing. Do any of you have tips on how to conquer those fears of falling and does anyone have mental tricks that you do while you're climbing to not let the fear affect your performance?

Thanks for advice in advance!

-Chris

a video i bought says to take lead falls in the gym, lots of em. start small and get bigger as you get more comfortable with falling. i haven't gotten around to that yet, so i just hyper-ventilate and go for it, trembling legs and all. isn't it great to face your fears! i'm thinking yoga or meditation might help too... haven't gotten around to that yet either... have fun man!

http://www.mountainproject.com/v/training_forum/learning_how>>>>>

Pick up a copy of rock warriors way by Arno Iilgner ( I think I botched the name, sorry). I have made big mental gaines with it, and am now reading it for the second time!

Thank you all for the quick replies...I'll look into this book Rock Warrior's Way and read the forum link that Mike directed me to.

watch the movie E11 with Dave Mclead. He is taking 50+ ft wippers on stoppers. watching him see those falls assured me that no matter what i climb outside I will be ok as long as i have gear.

Training for Climbing by Eric Horst is a nice book too.

The bottom line, IMO, just get out and climb a ton of runouts. The gym is a great place to push your limits, but not so much for runouts, which are at the heart of the mental challenge you are facing. You have to be comfy cruising way above your last clip; for me that comes from knowing the line is well within my range. Look at the average SoAZ .7 or .8 - maybe the second clip is less than a body length above the first (which is probably a stout bouldery clip or stick clip at that) but the third clip is more than likely a good 15 feet up from there. So you want to know what you are getting into (read the guidebook), and do about ten thousand feet of easy to moderate runouts over the next couple years, until it's second nature. You'll probably find that you will get your zen master action dialed in on those runouts pretty quick - especially if you double up and reverse the draws on the last clip, a little peace of mind trick I like to employ from time to time. Most of the easier runouts are going to be laidback, so you're not going to fall (right?). If the line is harder/steeper, your next clip will probably be closer, the runout shorter, and the fall less of a danger (but not always). If you are doing easy trad, well... the runout is dependent on your placement options. You go back to the old school rule - don't fucking fall.

I know this response is a bit of a runout... just keep within your range outside, and save the real grade pushing for the gym until your mental block is an easy V0-.

And do a shit load of downclimbing!

Hey Chris -

I'm in about the same situation as you - been climbing almost a year and am starting to lead climb. Here are some tips I've found helpful...

Inside:
-Climb the route first on toprope/auto-belay, then lead it (the same day or a week later)
-If you're top roping - tie in with a lead rope anyway and clip as you go to get used to finding good stances and work on clipping technique! This has been my biggest problem - clipping quickly and efficiently...I've toproped a few 12-'s in the gym but I get super-pumped after only 10+'s because I fumble the rope when I clip. Someone even suggested doing 50 clips before bed at night if you have QD's and a rope...
-If you get freaked out, downclimb one move and hold on for a few seconds before you bail - after a while I got to the point where I realized I *could* hang on a lot longer than I thought I could. I got to know when I was just bailing because I felt a bit tired/my head wasn't right or if I was bailing because I really couldn't make the next move...

Outside (limited experience):
-Work the grades - start at 5.7 and do it perfectly *then* move up a grade!
-Have your belayer say a lot of 'I got you's' etc
-Most of the same advice as inside - climb it once on toprope then lead it, etc...
-And yes, watch other people take big-ass falls on tiny gear!

Ask yourself how you'd feel about that move if it were 3 feet off the deck. If you wouldn't worry about making it from 3 feet, you shouldn't have any reason to worry about it 300 feet up. A 5.8 move is a 5.8 move regardless of the height off the deck...

Look at and think about what's in front of you, not what's below.

Or you could do what I've done: free solo progressively harder routes. Leading 5.10 feels pretty mellow after free soloing 5.7.

Just keep working at it. If it was easy it would be called "walking":)

Fall practice is probably good for getting over an irrational fear of a clean fall on bomber gear, if that's your problem, which is what it sounds like by your description.

But it is common to be a bit more timid on a trad lead, and for good reason. Rational fear is healthy. In my opinion, learning to tell the difference between irrational fear (fear of clean fall on good gear) and rational fear (fear of falling on marginal gear or possible injury from fall) is the truly important thing. This takes some experience because you have to learn how to tell what is good gear, in good rock, and exactly what constitutes a dangerous fall situation (how good are you at estimating if rope stretch will cause you to impact a ledge, for instance?). Once you can identify rational fear, then you have to learn to mitigate it. Fall practice won't help you with this. You have to have a lot of experience reading rock and knowing your own personal strengths and weaknesses. For instance, if the crux style suits your strengths (flake traverse on poor gear, but you have super strong fingers), then you can mitigate some of the risk by knowing the probability of a fall is greatly reduced. But if you blow out on overhung roofs easily, and the crux is a roof, then you need to mitigate another way, i.e. can you climb up and place a high piece above the crux before you pull it, or can you climb up and test a sequence, then downclimb to a rest before committing fully.

Advanced risk assessment and mitigation take a lot of experience. By all means, practice falling to get rid of the demons of irrational fear, but then take it slow on dealing with rational fear. Never bully yourself. Respect your fear and go slow.

Thank you for the very solid advice everyone! I will start putting these suggestions into practice!

-Chris

I really don't see how fall practice is good for leading. You shouldn't be falling, period. I think all the toproping that new climbers do is what cripples them for leading. They get used to the safety net of constant tension.

I'd agree with Tim's comment. It took me a while to get comfortable climbing without having a tight rope above me. One idea would be to get your belayer to give you a 'soft' belay - but still keep you tight enuff to avoid injury.

I agree with several people who have already replied:

Old Dude, you are right on with your advice about fall practice as a means to understanding the danger in specific lead-climbing situations. I've found this to be very helpful myself. If you're climbing trad, then fall practice will also help you learn to trust the gear and how to make good placements. Taking falls will also help you learn not to be afraid of falling as much. This will help you focus while you're leading. You can assess the actual danger, and make better decisions, without getting spooked.

The Rock Warrior's Way is an excellent book, especially for this topic. It has helped me tremendously in both understanding and stepping up the mental game of lead climbing. Read it, re-read it, sleep with it under your pillow.

Downclimbing is an important tool you should learn and use. As you learn to downclimb more, you will begin to understand that climbing is more about going from rest point to rest point, and not from crux to crux.

If I were you, the biggest practical thing I would focus on is getting a ton of lead miles on routes that are 2-3 grades below where you project. If .10a is a regular challenge for you, in the gym or outdoors, then lead a bunch of 5.8s and 5.7s. This will allow you to focus on mastering the mental aspects of leading without having to pay as much attention to the moves themselves. You will find yourself becoming more and more confident as you cruise past the last protection point.

Attach a draw to your wall above your bed or the couch. Get a 15-ft length of rope. Practice clipping the bolt while you watch TV, or before you go to bed, whatever. Just do it a lot, with both hands, with the draw facing both directions, until you get really comfortable clipping. To the point where you don't even think about it. This will help your head game a lot more than you think. Nothing worse than being 15 feet runout, with the draw attached, 5 feet of slack in your hand, with typewriter legs, and having to fumble to get the rope in.

If you would benefit a lot from your belayer vocally supporting you, let him know.

Avoid overgripping the rock when you're nervous. This is natural, but it will pump you out quickly, and it's the opposite of what you want. You'll be surprised how much it will help you relax when you tell yourself to loosen up your grip a little, and you're just fine.

Remember to breathe well, especially when the climbing gets tough. This will also help you relax, and you will climb better. You'll feel better and make better decisions.

Lead as much as possible. However, if you find yourself toproping a route, tell your belayer to give you a little slack while you're climbing. Avoid being in a situation where you're being pulled up the rock, so to speak, by the belayer - lead climbing isn't like this, and it will only impede your growth as a lead climber.

Don't fall and start a few grades below what you "think" you can lead in a gym......
The bad things about gym is that they are notorious for overgrading routes. You will be pullin down on 5.10 in the gym and go outside and scare the crap out of your self on a 5.8

Gyms are good for building strength, but you have to be out doors on the real stone on real grades to get anywhere....

Gyms are a necessary evil....

Oh and don't let anyone "soft belay you" what a bunch of BS. Having a rope tight to you decreases the amount of stretch it would have which is a big factor in the safety of any fall you may take......

Not to mention if the person belaying you has LESS experience than you (almost always the case) they will wind up shorting you when you actually need rope to pull after you've placed gear....

Freakin morons....

Sounds like you are contradicting yourself a little here, Jim;

Lot's of great advice here. I would add that learning the fine art of selective tunnel vision is invaluable to calming your fears. If you are constantly looking between your feet at the ground 20-100 feet below you it will be difficult for you to control your innate fear of heights and falling. I find that staying focused on the rock 10 feet around you helps calm your mind and lets you concentrate on the movement.

Also when you are a beginner, your fear of leading is really a fear of the unknown. Will the system work...will I be OK if I fall. This is where taking controlled falls in a safe environment is very useful. Planned falls in the gym is also a great way to teach you (and your belayer) the fine art of dynamic belays, which will add even more confidence when you lead outside.

All I want from a belayer is for them to keep excess slack out of the system (just enough to permit me to move freely and clip when needed) and lock off the rope if I fall. That's it. All belays on a dynamnic rope are dynamic. You don't need to do anything.

If someone really knows what they are doing, and can read the rock well enough to know if adding length to my fall with a "soft catch" is safe, then I'm grateful. But really, just paying attention and ensuring that you actually do catch my fall is sufficient.

The ESL dude means well and does fine on toprope belay with an autolocker, but I was terrified watching him feed slack for my buddy. I fault myself for not catching it sooner (it was my partner he was belaying), but once a climber is off the deck, you don't have a lot of options but to follow through. I kept my hands on the brake line just in case, but if ol'boy had whippered, it would have been ugly. That brings up the responsibility issue, and I'll stop by saying that any climbers who don't take complete responsibility for themselves and their partner are the real "freakin morons".

then again sometimes it is better to just finish the lead nice and calm, without falling, then find out your belayer was belaying you with the wrong hand and completely endangering your well being. however fubared the belay is, it is still the leader's responsibility to make sure she's getting a good belay. climb with someone who you know. get intimate, they don't call 'em partners for nothing. if you really think your belayer is a moron, maybe you should be fishing around for better partners.

Going out to do long runouts, free soloing, or never falling at all! This is somehow good advice for a beginner climber? I'm not so sure any of those things are going to help overcome a fear of falling. And they certainly won't give you any insight into making a decision if the potential fall is safe or not. Not trying to be a jerk here, but coming from the gym to outside is a huge step and climbing safe would be my first priority.

My advice would be first to obtain a high level of knowledge on gear placements, anchors, rope work, belay techniques, etc...and risk assessment. For me knowing the fall potential, gear quality, etc...makes all the difference in being relaxed and comfortable with the possibility of falling. Which in turn means I can climb concentrated on the climbing and not the fall. You should be able at all times to analyze your situation, assess the risk, and know to either commit fully or back off.

Overhanging sport climbs, where the falls are clean and safe generally, have been the best thing for me to get comfortable with this thought process. Not falling ever? This seems like an antiquated idea that doesn't allow one to really push themselves to climb as hard as they can. Learning when you can fall safely means you can select routes where you can really go climb hard and go through all that analysis without hurting yourself. Also climbing hard on lead on a route where falls are not going to hurt you really teaches you the limits of your ability. That way when you are on your scary trad route you have such a better idea of how hard you can push it. If you never push to your limits you won't know where they are. However, start out on easy terrain for your first leads. It takes a while to get familiar with leading, the gear, ratings outside - the gym is great but as everyone says can lure you into thinking you are stronger than you are.

Ignore all this shit about having big balls and being bold...strong climbers, even most risky free soloists, got there by being intelligent, hard working climbers who built their skills over time and got to know their limits. Just because you can runout it out doesn't mean you are smart or safe for doing so. It just might give you a bigger head then you should have. Certainly if can give you a comfort level having been out far above pro before, but soloing a 5.7 isn't going to give me the knowledge to lead 5.11 trad.

Guys learning to do backflips on a motocross bike routinely learn in a foam bit nowadays. Or practice flips on a trampoline. They don't just go try 50' backflips until they land one.

I second everything said about having a good partner and one who knows how to belay. Hopefully they know more than you and can teach you something.