UKC

The short version: is it better to climb easy stuff well, or harder stuff?

The long version: In the last couple of months my climbing technique has got worse. It boils down to the fact that I've been climbing easier stuff and not pushing myself (and the reason for that is that I started leading, and practiced leading easier stuff rather than pushing myself on top rope).

Given the above, it's not surprising that my best grade has got worse (I used to be pushing 6b indoors, now it's down to 6a). What surprised me is that I've noticed my climbing has become sloppy, and I am trying to beast through harder sections rather than use better technique. I want to get my technique back again!

On that basis, what should I be doing at the indoor wall? Should I be climbing easy stuff and really concentrating on doing it well - logic tells me this should be so, but climbing easier stuff was what made me get worse in the first place. Should I be doing both - easier stuff cleanly, mixed with hard stuff? Should I alternate between easy and hard stuff or start easy and get harder or vice versa?

Basically, what have other people found works for them?

Thanks.

In reply to climbwhenready:

The first thing is to make sure that whatever you do, don't get injured and just have fun, enjoy your climbing and don't get too caught up constantly wanting to improve - it won't always happen.

To be more helpful though, you should try a mixture of bouldering, for power and technique and then routes for stamina and route technique.

My climbing involves lots of bouldering in the winter, with short periods (1 week) of routes that I can onsight fairly easily to keep some route fitness.

In the spring I start to do more routes and less bouldering. That will consist of perhaps 2 climbing sessions (outdoors weather permitting) where I will do lots of routes onsight and quick redpoints i.e. fell of on the onsight and get it first redpoint. I will then have a couple of sessions where i work a harder route over 2 or 3 days and then redpoint it.

By then, hopefully, the better weather arrives and it is, for me, mainly routes.

That seems to work for me, but is not very scientific or goal oriented. I just kind of go with the flow and how I feel at a particular time. My technique is not going to improve significantly any more and it is all down to fitness, endurance, head and holding off the ravages of an ever increasingly older body as I shuffle ceaselessly towards the end of this mortal coil.

Rich.

In reply to Richard White:

Good post above.

Have you got worse all round? I'd assume that your lead climbing is now better than it was before?

If I was you'd I'd spend the beginning of every session focusing on the techniques that you want to improve, in a relaxed way on routes or problems that are easy for you.

I'd spend some sessions doing bouldering, or otherwise climbing stuff that is too hard for you to do at the moment. If practised thoughtfully, that will improve your strength and technique.

And I'd do other sessions climbing stuff that is within your limit, doing it well. I'd ditch all the toproping, but that's just because I did too much of it early in my climbing career and it didn't help my climbing at all. For me, climbing is about being able to do the moves on the lead with the pressure of the fall. Although being able to do the moves in the first place helps - hence, get bouldering.

In reply to climbwhenready:

I'm a big fan of mixing it up, if you're feeling strong, push it and test yourself. If you’re tired or simply because you don't want to 'push it' climb easier stuff, but climb it well. By that, I mean, really focus on every movement, foot placement, grip and body position. By really concentrating on these things on easier stuff you will find it comes more naturally on the harder stuff and you can really hone your technique on relatively easy ground.

Well, I feel it works for me anyway.

People keep telling me to get bouldering. Maybe I should I do enjoy routes a lot more, hence I have not done a whole load of bouldering.

Rocksteady: my lead climbing has got better, because until February I had not led - so it went from zero to something!

Thanks everyone, I guess I should concentrate on every move on bouldering problems or easier routes, while mixing it up with harder routes. Roughly what I thought

In reply to climbwhenready:

hows your mental strength (fear) ?

whilst on toprope you don't mind spending time focusing on footwork never worrying about the clip.

whilst leading do you find yourself always looking how high above your last clip you are. this might be why your holding on for dear life to get to the next clip.

if so practise lead falls and when leading, climb as if your on top rope

In reply to Ban1:

I always boulder hard stuff every week for a couple of hours, I found that trying hard routes really helped, and for some strange reason ( this may sound bizzare) but I kept watching climbing falls on youtube and well I just live and breathe climbing and my confidence when leading boosted massively! But there are loads of things to help if your mental strength is weak.

In reply to climbwhenready: I think for most people, technique goes down the pan when they get stressed. Until you can relax on lead, you'll struggle to get your form back.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Yeah, I think I need to do that. Practice practice practice, I guess. I'm better when I'm a few clips up, because I'm only moderately scared of falling, and very scared of hitting the ground

In reply to climbwhenready:

Falling is fun, decking hurts. Massive mental block about the second but improved by doing some falling and was then able to concentrate more on techers, cliping in when right and not when I could stretch to the clip.

Mix it up, climb with purpose. When climbing lower grades I like to think myself shorter so no reaching or high steps, feel it has improved me a little.

Just keep at it and enjoy yourself, indoors grades go out the window on rock anyway!

In reply to climbwhenready:

It does sound like getting comfortable on lead is going to help you more than anything else - and the only way to do that is mileage. If you are concerned that you aren't climbing as hard as you were then mix it up with some harder top-roping or bouldering (or find yourself a project to redpoint?).

I absolutely sympathise with feeling more comfortable a couple of clips up - I never really settle into a climb until I have clipped the second clip. Again mileage is key - and getting used to not clipping until the clip is at waist height so you don't have to pull up reams of slack helps too

I struggle with this more outdoors to the point that all my leads at HVS or above have been on higher pitches of multipitch routes - I have never led harder than VS on a single-pitch!

In reply to climbwhenready: Getting comfortable taking falls, when safe to do so, can help you progress, or so I've been led to believe. I've almost never been comfortable falling, and I've managed to improved each year, so it's not essential. I've just gotten better at climbing in a more predictable manner. Most of my unplanned falls, or maybe all, are when my foot has slipped, so focusing on removing that from my climbing has given me the confidence to improve. I probably sport climb a grade or so below where I could, but I'm not really bothered.

In reply to climbwhenready:

In my experience you need to do both. In order to push your grade you need to get on stuff that challenges you. You'll never climb higher grades if you don't try.In order to train endurance and concentrate on footwork etc. you need to be putting in the miles on easier routes.

Have sessions that concentrate on one or t'other rather than doing the same thing over again.