Mind Control Techniques - How to up your Headgame

see: Arno Ilgner

You could try the "clip-drop" technique here:. Seems a bit silly, and your gym might not like it (try showing them the article?), but it's actually kind of fun.

Yesterday I climbed in the South Platte and used a lot of the aforementioned techniques. I ended up climbing well and took several whippers on a hard-for-me trad onsight. Very satisfying to step over that line, once you are over it. My head was in a good space. Thanks again for all the tips!

John Badila wrote:You could try the "clip-drop" technique here:. Seems a bit silly, and your gym might not like it (try showing them the article?), but it's actually kind of fun.

This is worthless and a waste of time. The fear of falling outdoors rarely has to do with falling in a completely safe location on bolts. Most anyone who has been leading any amount of time would not gain anything from that.

The times you get nervous outside leading is when you are on sport with the possibility of a fall into a ledge or some kinda feature that isn't a safe flat wall.

Falling on trad is different because not every placement is always going to be 100% bomber nut that has no chance of failure without some major rock breakage. And than you have to add all the ledge / feature stuff that would make a sport fall scary.

I say embrace the fear. Instead of thinking about how you can get rid of it, think of it as the very wall you are climbing over. The head games are a huge component of what climbing is, and large part of the appeal. If it's all about getting pumped and straining your body without fearing for your life, go do Crossfit.

I find that drinking helps. Two strong IPAs in the morning is about right.

eli poss wrote:although I can't say I have many scary trad routes under my belt, something that really helped me was downclimbing to a stance, focusing on breathing, and telling myself I'm not going to fall. also, in my head I repeat to myself, "When in doubt, run it out". That usually gets me into a state of mind where I just climb through it until I get to a good stance to get more gear in.

I'm glad that works for you, but I would caution you that is not a good long-term game plan, because eventually you will fall.

I suggest you and the OP read "The Rock Warriors Way"

Am I the only one here who didn't find Rock Warrior's Way to be helpful? I read both (RWW and Espresso Lessons) and found them both to be way too "out there" for practical purposes.

The things I've found most useful for getting a better head-game are bouldering, and breathing techniques. Bouldering helped me translate knowing that I can pull a .10/.11/.12 (etc) move above gear or bolts if I can pull V2/V3/V4 etc. Breathing helped me refocus, find a way to rest then recharge.

I think mentally, onsighting at/near my limit is the most psychologically challenging. Climbing things where I will probably fall is less stressful to me.
I probably climb best in that zone midway between my onsight and redpoint limits.

I also always climb better on multi-pitch routes than cragging. The mindset of "we are going up, period. I have to get to the top of this pitch" has a lot to do with it. Cragging, you can always bail.

Aid climbing will help.
Practice falls will help.
Sport climbing above your onsight limit will help.
Free soloing will help.
Mileage on lead will help.
Being observant of your breathing will help.
Having solid, bold, supportive partners will help.
New age woo-woo mental trickery isn't likely to help, IMO.

So I think it's less about "techniques", like meditation, or reading books, than specific activities/practices like the above.

Moritz B. wrote:Yesterday I climbed in the South Platte and used a lot of the aforementioned techniques. I ended up climbing well and took several whippers on a hard-for-me trad onsight. Very satisfying to step over that line, once you are over it. My head was in a good space. Thanks again for all the tips!

Which techniques were helpful to you? It sounds like you were climbing the hard/safe scenario JCM was talking about, is that right? Congrats on the growth! Days like that are about the best thing in climbing in my opinion.

My take: I'd agree with JCM, that the mindset and approach changes between easy/dangerous and hard/safe. I would even expand it to say you could flip those mindsets multiple times on the same pitch. Headpointing for example, as you move in and out of no-fall zones.

Will S wrote:Practice falls will help.

I disagree with this. I went through a phase where I took a lot of practice falls, trying to strengthen my mind but it really only reinforced my dislike of falling. After taking a 20' practice whipper I decided falling wasn't fun and that I just wouldn't let myself fall. I don't think it hurt my progress, though, but just didn't help.

SteveZ wrote: Which techniques were helpful to you? It sounds like you were climbing the hard/safe scenario JCM was talking about, is that right? Congrats on the growth! Days like that are about the best thing in climbing in my opinion. My take: I'd agree with JCM, that the mindset and approach changes between easy/dangerous and hard/safe. I would even expand it to say you could flip those mindsets multiple times on the same pitch. Headpointing for example, as you move in and out of no-fall zones.

Mostly to make the commitment to "not take" before I left the ground. I also told my belayer that I won´t take. I´ve also had a good day, my mind seemed rested.

if you say take or watch me you buy beer that day

Moritz B. wrote:Some people have better headgame than others.

What is your motivation for climbing?

gription wrote: What is your motivation for climbing?

Accomplishing tasks that I initially wouldn't have deemed possible for me.
Progressing to new levels while experiencing friendship, nature and adventures.
Pretty average I would say, but this really drives me!

Moritz B. wrote: Accomplishment ... Progressing to new levels while experiencing friendship, nature and adventures.

So if you examine these "motivators" one of them could be restated as a goal

Moritz B. wrote:Progressing to new levels

in fact if you distill it down a bit further it would be much more powerful. i.e. I want to climb 5.13. Then if this becomes the prime motivator for climbing you can think about it and focus on it. Hold this goal in your mind and throw other thought away. By the time you finish tying your knot there really should be no dialogue in your head. You should be focused on the move in front of you.

Sport climbing and following/toproping/pinkpointing harder climbs = climbing harder.

Great thread. The OP said: "my inner voice is already starting to warn me: "one piece will blow ... one piece will blow".

This is a good thing! If the gear sucks, and you might fall, it's appropriate to be scared. You really shouldn't climb above bad gear, and try to simply "get through it". I mean, you can, certainly you might HAVE TO, but jeez...... Talk about risky

So what one calls "bad headgame" might be a safety mechanism keeping you from death.

Jon Zucco wrote:Trust your system to hold you.

Jon Zucco wrote:Of course warn your belayer first.

Everyone is different, but for me these two tips don't mix well. Of coarse if you are starting to take practice falls this is a good idea for starters, but my mind games have had a lot to do with the belaying part of the system. If you're always warning your belayer you're going to fall, you're not really trusting this part of the system. I've had to move past this stage of warning and take deliberate falls without warning, because these are the falls I usually take while climbing. At my limit on sustained routes I don't want to be yelling watch me all the time, I just want to climb.

Of coarse I wouldn't do this with anyone. When climbing with new people I'd rather say "take" and/or pull gear, but with my girlfriend and a few others that know me I can go full on and go for it without the need to spend as much as a thought to my belayer.

My favorite kind of practice fall is a falling on a doubtful trad placement but with several bomber placements directly beneath. It has helped a little in trusting beyond that last piece of gear.

Anyhow, I still can't fall on trad without being a little scared, I'm not past that and not sure I want to be either. But at least now I'm not paralyzed with fear of falling on a bomber nut at waist height with a bomber cam at feet height, which I was before. I've moved beyond practice falls and incorporate falling into my climbing by climbing over my limits on selected routes (not routes that are known for having less protection). I have to keep it up too, or it fades away.

So, when your at your stance below your crux and your brain starts focusing on the soso piece, shift your focus to the good piece. Tell yourself about how you got a great piece in and it is bomber. Look at it and make sure it is bomber. Concentrate on knowing it's a good piece and you could fall above it and be safe. This mindset should be in the fore front of your thoughts when at the stance. Then rest and allow yourself to focus on the moves while knowing you have a good piece and are safe. Try to see the next stance for gear above the crux and make a strategy to get there and maybe even what pieces might go there. Have them ready and focus on resting and your stance more that the gear after you fire the crux Hope this helps