UKC

After looking at some film footage of Adam Ondra, i have noticed alot of comments on his screams when going for hard moves, and some people not understanding why he does it, what do you think to him screaming.

In reply to wilton warrior:

simply, whatever works...

if yelling puts him at the top of his game, or anyone's, and he thinks it helps him, or it motivates him, then why not. Like Seles in tennis, may have annoyed the **** out of spectators, but she delivered.

In reply to wilton warrior: I'm not sure, I just scream like a little girl when I fall off, not when I'm actually climbing. Maybe I'll give it a shot

In reply to JD84: haha :0)) you go for it, when running the martial arts classes we use the kia, to help focus and power, and when the class is 40+ it can be hair raising, good atmosphere i love it... you know at this point someones going for it, or got the hand stuck )

In reply to wilton warrior: Works for me when I'm having a shite.

In reply to wilton warrior: i think that if you can still scream you are not trying hard enough but..shouting helps engage the core muscles

In reply to wilton warrior:

The 'powerscream' is a well established technique in many sports; tennis, weightlifting, climbing. Although I think the term might be a climbers invention.

I guess it focusses the mind and body in some sort of primeval way. That comment about engaging core sounds plausible. I tend to do it sport climbing at my limit - it just comes out.

Oh, and Sharma is way better than Ondra at it.

youtube.com/watch?v=UlcQ3mxlNfs&

In reply to wilton warrior:

I do it when I'm doing a move at my limit and am scared of falling/failing (only on routes rather than bouldering though it seems), it helps me block the fear from my head and get on with climbing.

In reply to jonny2vests: Not watched this for a while nice one.

In reply to wayno265:

The mental image i've blocked but the comment really funny :0)))

In reply to wilton warrior: I don't exactly scream but I make a fairly loud noise in the back of my throat when i'm trying really hard. Its involuntary but feels quite nice.

In reply to wilton warrior: It embarrasses me, even just watching a f^cking video clip. OK, if you're a world-class climber who am I to say what sort of idiotic noises you should make (in front of the camera), but when people do it at Horseshoe Quarry I just want the ground to swallow THEM up.

In reply to wilton warrior:
I puff air out as I'm making a hard move, sometimes out of my mouth and sometimes out of my bottom.

In reply to bustermartin: You don't think if it's trying to happen by itself it takes more effort to hold it in? Effort that could be better spent on climbing...

In reply to Jon Stewart:


It's trying! Give it time...

jk

In reply to jonny2vests:


I can't watch Chris Sharma climb with the sound on.

If I'm thinking of the same footage of Ondra the OP is referring to, it was screams of frustration rather than "power screams" wasn't it? I've never thought of Ondra as a vocal climber.

Rob

In reply to Jon Stewart:

With all due respect, surely, us mere punters have more right to powerscreams than do the world class climbers. At the end of the day, our upper limit is a lower lower than theirs, and it's only a noise that people usually make, involuntarily, when climbing at their upper limit.

One of my climbing partners comments that when I'm grunting, he knows that I'm actually pushing myself and trying hard. It's not something I plan to do, it just comes out when I go for a move at the upper end of my limit!

In reply to staceyjg:

>With all due respect, surely, us mere punters have more right to powerscreams than do the world class climbers. At the end of the day, our upper limit is a lower lower than theirs, and it's only a noise that people usually make, involuntarily, when climbing at their upper limit.

Just because their limit is higher than ours doesn't mean they spend less time climbing at it than we do... How many vids of Sharma powerscreaming have you seen when he was cruising up a 7a?

In reply to wilton warrior: Is he a secret brother of the Williams sisters?

In reply to jonny2vests:
Climbing at my limit has a similar effect on me, although the sounds come from a slightly differant area....

In reply to jonny2vests:

Not in swimming, golf, snooker or angling though. There's often some shouty bickering in the rallying though

In reply to wilton warrior:

youtube.com/watch?v=LdbKjPUDJVY&

A nice clip of some power screams by ondra.

In reply to wilton warrior:
I do them once in a while, but it usually means I've not quite worked out the right technique to do the move without bags of strength. I usually feel a bit silly when I later try it again with the right technique and it's easy.

In reply to royal:

I see alot of the older guys down the wall who have been at it for 30+yrs that cruise up hard stuff and never make a noise, this was one of the reasons i was thinking does it come down to experience, the more you have the less the powerscream needed.

In reply to wilton warrior:

power moan -- vimeo.com/19205901

what happens when a vs climber goes E2, I actually die a little inside every time I watch this.

disclaimer
the camera angle makes it look less steep (horizons not vertical) and weird video compression has shrunk the vertical resolution (everything is short and fat).

In reply to royal: Likewise i might let one out the first time i do a particularly hard move, but as a refine the movement and pare down the required effort i end up doing it silently.

In reply to wilton warrior:

The power scream is merely a distraction technique in sports such as tennis (remember John Mac Enroe?) and is cheating.

In my opinion the use of this "technique" in sport climbing is to get good film footage for the sponsors

In the good old days (yes call me a silly old fart if you wish) the ideal was to be as silent as you can and at one with the rock (If you are going to die, do it quietly like a man!). Mr S Maclure for example only emits the odd grunt in extremis. Again in my opinion it all started with Jibe doing his "Chaaa" routine on his then state of the art 8cs

And finally is this "technique" ever used in hard serious trad where maybe it may be of more help?

Please discuss

With kind regards

The GA

In reply to wilton warrior: i try not to but sometimes when your at your limit and concentrating hard its sometimes just slips out :o/ im not too loud

In reply to Grimpeur ancien:

For some a scream helps to block out disctractions and unleash aggression to pull hard in extremis.

It's also a way of forcing you to breathe out on hard moves.

If it works for you then its all the justification that's required. It works for me.

In some martial arts that they work on perfecting their cry.

In reply to wilton warrior:

sometimes a small noise or little scream comes out as I desperatly reach for a hold and manage to get it, but this is usually when I'm really going for it on what for me would be hard trad or hard bouldering.

Conversely I've been perfecting the power squeek, a noise I seem to make when I've run it out above my gear. A noise akin to crying for help without so many words... all that comes out is a desperate squeek!

In reply to Grimpeur ancien:

The video of Dave Macleod on To Hell And Back is revealing on the subject of power screaming.

IIRC he gets to a point where he is already committed to the crux (potentially a death fall, can't reverse) but needs to stop and shake out on a hold for 2-3 minutes before the crux moves. What goes through your mind in those 2-3 minutes I have no idea but Dave Mac found the key was a bloodcurding scream which apparently cleared his head really well but is utterly chilling to watch.

Great insight into the mindgames required for dangerous trad at that level.

In reply to wilton warrior: Power screaming indoors acceptable?

In reply to wilton warrior:

certainly helped clear my head with a broken snowshoe during the week.

i wont repeat the language used.

In reply to goldmember: Power screaming indoors acceptable?


Not on every move ! Also depends on the facility. Some are more conservative than others. I would feel less self-conscious doing it at the Foundry than the Edge. Same applies for taking your top off.

In reply to goldmember:


I just tried it, didn't go down too well in the college library

In reply to Fidmark:

I hope these so called top climbers don't do this shouting and screaming at popular crags, disturbing the peace and all that. Worse than a uni club hogging flying buttress IMO.
whatever happened to the real men just uttering quiet phrases like 'come on arms do yer stuff''?

In reply to jonny2vests:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2JImmmPn0U&feature=related

In reply to john morrissey: OMG!! i just passed out (screaming) with laughter, nice find :0))