What is stopping me from climbing 8a tomorrow?
Recently I saw one of my best friends and during our walk, our conversation (obviously) drifted towards climbing and at some point it even touched the thing I'm doing here. His feedback meant a lot!
We started talking about climbing goals and what do we want to achieve, and then he asked me this great question - What is the thing stopping you from climbing 8a tomorrow? Not in 3 or 5 years, but tomorrow?
Without even thinking, my answer was - more outdoor climbing. Then we started discussion about my answer, and I felt that I couldn't properly put things into words. Soon, we continued on, talking about various other things, but both the question and my answer lingered on.
This lingering continued after we parted and it got me thinking - Is the thing stopping me from climbing 8a tomorrow that simple? I wanted to get a deeper look into it. Dissect it and have more nuanced answer. To find out if I'm missing the thing I think I'm missing, or I'm missing something that I think I'm not missing. If that makes sense.
My perspective
From my point of view, one of the best ways to progress in climbing is by climbing outdoors. Trying hard routes, falling, learning, reflecting, retrying, and so on. In a never ending circle. However, only climbing outdoors without any of the things I mentioned above doesn't really make sense, does it?
This is what I meant when I answered - to have more outdoor climbing sessions, where I actually try harder routes, routes that are either my current maximum, or above it. But, trying is only one aspect. The other, more important one, is actually getting something from those tries besides the pump and the overall feeling of being too weak for the route and depressed with life, in general. This something can be summed up in one sentence - learning from every try.
This is best achieved by asking yourself some questions. Where did I fail and why? Was I too pumped, too scared, too unfocused, too (add your reason)...? What can I and will I do in the next try? How can I prepare in the best way in the current situation so my next try can be better?
Looking through curiosity lenses
Answering questions I raised earlier is often easier said than done. Often times we end up feeling down and passive after the unsuccessful try, rather than proactive and motivated for the next turn. This is the feeling we want to battle against, or rather - turn around on its head! It could be related to relying on our willpower to do the things for us instead of something else.
There is a video from Dave MacLeod where he discusses how willpower should not be used as a driving force, rather, it should be the product. For him, the driving force is curiosity, the willpower just comes along the way. For his insight, check the video below.
Dave MacLeod
This is exactly what I've been trying to fix in my approach to climbing!
Naturally, I'm a quite curious person, and it seemed that I was curious about all the things except the climbing itself. The rare part of my life that by default sparks curiosity.
In the beginning, as almost all of us starting rock climbing, I was curious about it - can I do this, can I climb that, oh, this move seems interesting, I wonder if I can modify it a bit and do it this way...? Then, at some point, I lost this beginners mindset and went with the flow of the default responses and reasons I fail - not strong enough... I should focus more on my fingers... my technique is shite... Instead of looking at the problem and solve it now, I was postponing that problem-solving to me in the future, when I get to that stronger level. Spoiler alert - that me in the future never came.
What did I change? In one sentence - I slowed down with my reaction afterwards. After each attempt on the route, even though I express my feelings louder immediately after the failure, I then take a step back and see what did I do wrong, what did I miss, where can I improve. If possible, I try the part where I failed, modify, try different body position, foot placement... Then, I rest, and during this period I focus on the moves, try to figure out nuances between the hand and foot placements, and what would probably be better or what might not work as expected.
Even though I'm so far from perfect, slowly, I can see some improvement - when I'm climbing alone, I think more about how I looked on the climb, and when I'm with someone, I try to actively ask for feedback. If the person cares for it, I can share my feedback with them - what I saw and what they might find useful. I haven't started filming my tries on routes, though. Maybe I'll experiment with that in the future. But there's a certain amount of phone storage we all have, as well as a certain amount of patience for all of those filming themselves in the crowded bouldering gyms...
Some questions you might (or might not) have...
If climbing outdoors is the best way one can progress in climbing - why do I focus on training this much? Wouldn't be easier that I just climb outside more? The answer to the latter question is - yes, it would, from the perspective of progressing. But then again, being able to climb outside more, comes with a price, price I'm still not willing to pay. The answer to the former question is connected to the latter - I train more because I can't climb more outside.
Would I stop training if I am able to climb more outside? I would definitely decrease the amount of sessions or modify them a bit. But I would still train, maybe not so much my fingers, but other aspects of my physical strength, for sure.
Closing words
Climbing is hard. If it wasn't, there wouldn't be so many of us. So - what is stopping me from climbing 8a tomorrow? More outdoor climbing, where I get to try really hard, and learn from each and every try! Both from a failure and a success.
At the current stage in my life, more outdoor climbing is not a real thing to add. Our daughter is too small for me to leave her a day per week, especially on weekends where we have more time together. Yes, I miss outdoor climbing, but again, rocks will always be there.
What can I do in the meantime? I can continue training, reflecting, analysing my moves, being curious, being focused on problem-solving, and working on improving what I lack. For example, I'll add more endurance sessions to the overall training structure, work on my breathing during climbing, and not rush into the crux moves that I previously solved.
Will I be able to climb 8a? Who knows. But I want to find out. It's not that important whether I succeed or fail. It's more important that I try, and learn from all of these tries!