Climbing coach recommendations?

Hi all!

Looking to build confidence in climbing indoor and outdoor (sport). Anyone have any recommendations on climbing instructures in the Denver area?

Thanks!

Bianca Laurendine wrote:

Hi all!

Looking to build confidence in climbing indoor and outdoor (sport). Anyone have any recommendations on climbing instructures in the Denver area?

Thanks!

Try contacting with https://www.thespotgym.com/denver They offer climbing classes for all ages and abilities, fitness equipment, youth programs, community events 

Shane Morgan wrote:

Try contacting with https://www.thespotgym.com/denver They offer climbing classes for all ages and abilities, fitness equipment, youth programs, community events 

I have a membership at Movement. They have instructors there but more so looking to see if anyone has a coach they could recommend to me. 

Justin Sjong.

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=justin+sjong&atb=v347-1&ia=web

To piggy back, I'm looking for a coach to bring me from a 5.12+/5.13- climber to a 5.13/+ climber in the denver area. I assume Justin is probably the right person for that?

Justen is great. But you might also want to consider ROAP coaching (Robin O’Leary and Alex Puccio), Alex Stiger (from Training Beta podcast), Matt Jones (from Tension climbing?)

I think they are all local to Denver/Boulder.

If you can manage it, maybe consider a session with a couple of them before committing long term with one.
Not every coach is right for every client

ClimbStrong. Best in the business. Out of Lander, but they do weekly FaceTime checkins and available daily if that’s what you want and need. I speak from experience as I live out of state and used Alex Bridgewater for a year and he got me leading things that I hadn’t led in years. More fit and confident than ever. Worth a shot to be sure. 

I think it depends on what you’re looking work on (e.g., fear of falling, fear of failure, more mileage, identifying/working on weaknesses, etc.). For what it’s worth, here are my thoughts on what’s worked for me. I think Brent Smith (instructor at Movement Englewood) is an awesome movement/technique coach (he has noticed things in my climbing, even after I thought my technique was pretty good). If it’s getting mileage outside, maybe look at the Ladies Climbing Coalition (gym and outdoor climbing meetups) or the women only nights at Movement- I find that mileage (inside and out) with a supportive and consistent partner/group is key to me feeling more confident. If it’s a fear of falling/fear of failure, I highly recommend a warriors way clinic (I took the outdoor one with Sevve Stember) paired with Chelsea Rude’s Fear to Courage clinic. Both really helped me create a framework for the psychological part of my climbing.  Anyway, hopefully some of that resonates with you, but feel free to message with me, too! 

rock climbing wrote:

Justin is great, but what you want is a climbing partner that you really trust. Preferably that knows more than you and that can teach you.
Coaches and guides are temporary fix unless you are rich and can hire them every time you go outside. Sooner a later you will freak out and if you don’t trust your partner it will be a lot worse.

Total nonsense.  

It's wonderful to see my name being recommended.  I did step away from coaching for 5 years ("for a real job") but have been back at it for almost 1 year.  As Mark Dixon mentioned there are many great coaches in the area.  It's wise to do some research on the various coaches because they typically have an area of specialty.  That does not mean they do not have the skills to cover topics beyond their niche focus.  Here is my coaching website to explore if you are interested https://www.climbing-sensei.com but I start all private coaching session with a Skills Evaluation.  You will walk away with verbal and written feedback from the session.  From there you will have clear guidance on where to direct your focus from my perspective and you might choose to self coach or set up regular sessions.  If you determine that I'm a good fit you can book a session using this LINK.  On another note, I have been coaching full-time for 25 years and it's exciting to see the market be way more competitive.  This has required all of us coaches to up our skills and provide more to the athlete.  Cheers!

Connor Dobson wrote:

To piggy back, I'm looking for a coach to bring me from a 5.12+/5.13- climber to a 5.13/+ climber in the denver area. I assume Justin is probably the right person for that?

I might be able to help you and a quick phone call would provide more understanding.  Feel free to email me at justensjong@gmail.com to set up a call.

Justen Sjong wrote:

I might be able to help you and a quick phone call would provide more understanding.  Feel free to email me at justensjong@gmail.com to set up a call.

Sent you an email!

I've worked with Kris Hampton and his team at Power Company Climbing (if you wanna get a sense of his style, this episode on the Struggle is really good: https://open.spotify.com/episode/77oZ3QKf0qq2QNC06NcIfd?si=5567fe5762c1487a), and I'm just starting to work with Alex Stiger ( trainingbeta.com/alex) who works with Neely at Training Beta and beyond. She's based in the Front Range too so may be good.

Bianca Laurendine wrote:

Hi all!

Looking to build confidence in climbing indoor and outdoor (sport). Anyone have any recommendations on climbing instructures in the Denver area?

Thanks!

To echo what some others have said, as someone who used to be really scared and had bad lead head with climbing, you may benefit a lot from finding a partner you trust and getting mileage. Specifically if it a lead head/fear of falling issue, taking a bunch of falls is really the only way long term I have seen work. It can help to try to find someone in the same scenario to try to work on it together.

I think guides and instructors are great for making sure that your systems are legit and make sure you are safe. I think it's totally worth it to get some instruction but you will also have to find a partner/group you trust and get the miles in. I have coached multiple friends through confidence issues by just building sequential, repetitive goals to build confidence. 

This has ranged from working on letting go when scared, to making upwards progress when scared and then letting go, to taking real falls on purpose and then working on just climbing till you fall without backing off. I set a goal 2 years ago for a partner of taking 100 whips with the bolt at their knees or below for the year to get over their feer. I think they made it to somewhere in the 50s and then had no need to count anymore. 

That being said, gyms typically have safe falls but easy sport climbs may not, you should always try to evaluate if it's actually safe, and ask around trusted people if you aren't sure. 

Sorry for the unsolicited advice, but I just know how much more fun climbing is when you are confident and not scared to tie in (like I was). All the best :) 

If you are climbing at a beginner level, your best coach is just getting in as much mileage as possible. This would be even better if you were able to find a solid partner that can commit to the same schedule and even better if they have a little more skill and experience to share with you. I find that climbing with stronger climbers and befriending people with more experience to share is such a valuable asset to your growth. This goes for anyone at any skill level. Personally, I think building confidence is majorly a result of having people around you that make you feel safe in your abilities and safe when you work to push beyond those limits.

 My advice would be this: put yourself out there in your gym. Watch climbers who perform at a higher level, take mental notes, ask questions and just continue to put in the work. The confidence will ebb and flow. The confidence you could gain on the gym walls may not translate outdoors simultaneously. It just takes more exposure to the differences and understanding that outdoor climbing is a whole different skillset, but sticking to it is key. Embrace the fear, redirect it to perseverance and it will pay off.  This is a promise.

I'd go to g1 in Broomfield. Vasya, one of their caches, used to climb in NH many years ago and he was amazing with the whole youth team and one of the nicest people I've ever encountered. Also the strongest climber by a country mile. 

rock climbing wrote:

Come on John, she is looking for confidence building. You should know that starts with being confident that someone will hold that rope and not die when falling.

She is a 5.7 climber she will get as much help from her knowledgeable partner as from a coach. If she was climbing 11 or 12s she would get a lot more from a coach that trains climbers at the elite level. 

Confidence in climbing has many facets, only one of which is confidence in your belayer.  She asked for a coach or instructor but you assumed she needed confidence in her belayer, and you recommended something she didn't ask for.  Do you know her?  Or are you just reading her mind over the internet?   And are YOU volunteering to be her "knowledgeable partner"?   Finding an advanced partner who is willing to climb with a beginning climber and teach them is MUCH harder to find than an instructor or coach.  Especially when you are a novice and can't really tell if this "knowledgeable partner" knows his ass from a shotgun barrel.  

And BTW, you can be pretty damn sure a professional instructor/coach is going to "hold that rope" so you don't die when falling.  Can you say that about some "knowledgeable partner" you just met?  

Schedule with Justen Sjong if you want to build confidence and learn HOW to climb.  Worlds beyond just a knowledgeable partner.

https://www.climbing-sensei.com/

Bianca Laurendine wrote:

I have a membership at Movement. They have instructors there but more so looking to see if anyone has a coach they could recommend to me. 

I took the peak performance training camp for three months, they have a rec and competitive league. This was a game changer for me. Carlyn C, Nate S, Nick were all really great coaches. 

I also hear great things about Lattice training, although virtual it creates a program with check ins.