I’ve now been climbing consistently for a few years; in fact my job is to teach people how to start climbing.  I truly love the sport, from how it pushes you personally to how much of a community there is around it.

But I’ve also really struggled with my motivation to climb when I’ve not seen any improvements in my climbing. Yes, I hit the dreaded 6C plateau and stayed there for two years! And at times it made me question why I even bothered with the sport.

But towards the end of 2019 I finally pushed past that boundary, sending two 7A’s in sunny Spain before the year was over, all by changing my approach to climbing. Here’s how…

Be Honest With Yourself!

Sure, I was climbing and training regularly, but I wasn’t actually pushing myself. I’d climb routes I knew I’d manage, avoiding anything I wasn’t sure on. I’d make excuses for myself and then hang on a fingerboard, thinking if I did some training I’d be owed the improvements.

I JUST HAD TO PUT THE WORK IN!

Increasing the intensity and regularity of my sessions made me focus a lot on technique and built up my strength much more than any of the alternative training distractions.

Stop Caring What Other People Think.

I’d avoid climbing routes I wasn’t sure of because I was worried what people would think of my climbing. One of the downsides of working in a climbing centre is you know most of the people at the centre when you’re training, so you almost always have an audience. But this attitude was self-inflicted too, I’d be so critical of myself for my performance on a route.

I had a couple of sessions belaying some very strong climbers who were training for some serious projects. As the sessions went on they’d get tired and start falling off routes they’d have climbed easily beforehand.

I thought if I just told myself everyone watching me climb might think I’m at the end of my session, they’d understand that I’m just running on empty, even if I’m actually at the peak of my session.

This chance in mentality helped take the performance pressure off, allowing me to try harder climbs without worrying what people would think if I didn’t manage them.

Fall Often and Not Always on Purpose

With fall practice and victory whips being a regular part of my gym sessions, I felt I was quite happy taking falls. But I was actually only happy falling when I knew I was going to fall, and the thought of a surprise whip kept me from pushing myself.

Part of climbing routes you’re probably going to fall on is accepting you’ll fall sometimes. Its part of it! I pushed through this by getting onto harder routes and letting go every time I felt a little scared, allowing myself to know I’d pretty much always be ok with any whip in any situation.

Work Routes!

Although the onsight is still the big thing, working a route ends up being much more rewarding.  I’d always worry about my belayer getting bored while I’d sit on the rope during a crux. What I realised quite quickly climbing with other people who were working routes is that if I’d be spending ages belaying them, they’d do the same for me.

The sense of achievement when different sections of a route get linked together feels much greater than flashing a route. You remember each move a lot clearer, and therefore remember the accomplishment a bit stronger too.

Basically, if you want to make improvements you have to put the work in. Try harder stuff even if you fall off it. See what makes a route hard my trying it. Swap your finger training and core sessions for more climbing; it’ll result in more applicable strength.

Mainly, don’t worry about the grade; it’s just a number. Just enjoy pulling hard, moving smoothly, and pushing your body! Climbing is just an excuse for adults to play, so make sure it’s fun!