Balance Technique with Fight

I am a climber who loves technique and beautiful climbing. My warmups are fully focused on footwork, flow, breathing, and the art of climbing. This is all good stuff, but I have found that sometimes my desire for beautiful climbing becomes less of a desire and more of a fixation.

The reality of a hard climb is that it will be a struggle. It will be a fight. And struggle is not always pretty. When I am half way up a difficult climb trying to focus on flow and pretty movement, I am simply limiting myself. Thus, I am making a conscious effort to focus less on the beauty of my climbing and more on the efficacy and efficiency of my movement. (Flow and pretty movement can certainly boost efficiency on the wall, however, centering all attention on flow and pretty movement can distract the climber and waste energy.) By switching my focus in this way, I maintain my high standards for climbing well, but do not become fixated on minor errors or aesthetic considerations.




Location: Alexandria, VA, USA

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