UKC

What do people do when they are having a bad day at the wall? those times where your finding routes and problems 2 grades lower then what you usually climb hard. your body is aching and you have nothing but frustration rolling round your head!?

In reply to gaz_jones:
Dick about, boulder for fun, try some easier/harder routes for the fun it, dog the f*ck out of them, as long as you enjoy yourself, do some exercise, maybe learn something, you have had an ok session.
imo.

In reply to gaz_jones:

Climb easy stuff. I did yesterday, went today as well and enjoyed it far more.

I might be unusual in this, but I do enjoy a well-set 4+, particularly when I just seem to be being too cack-handed to get on anything starting with a 6.

Neil

In reply to gaz_jones:
use the frustration to your advantage and train like a bad ass :P or if ,absolutely, nothing will go right make up your own route ,at least it wont have any of those annoying grades attached (either with 'add on' in bouldering wall or by making a route for your partner on the main wall)

In reply to gaz_jones:

When it happens out trad climbing I've learned to be very wary, to accept it, and either drop a couple of grades or give up and go and see a movie.

In reply to Neil Williams:



Where are you climbing, I don't think I've ever climbed a well set 4+! It's all ladders around here at that grade...

In response to the OP, I guess you just have to do whatever you need to in order to remove the frustration, I don't find it's ever particularly helpful to be foaming at the mouth when climbing. Probably get on some soft routes and maybe do laps for a bit of mileage, play a game like add-one or silent feet, or just go down the pub and have a beer, strike it off as a bad day and don't worry about it too much.

That said, I don't take my own advice in the slightest, I get really annoyed when I have a bad day and usually cut the session a bit short and then grumble about it until I have a decent session that lets me forget about the bad one!

In reply to gaz_jones:

I use evenings like that as fitness training. I go easy and climb down as well as up. If patient belayer, or auto belays, then I do laps. If you do 10 laps of a 4 without feet touching the ground then you will start to feel it!! Also do games like feet first (pick easy route and feet must touch each hold before your hands touch them) etc.

In reply to gaz_jones:

Thanks Guys.I ended up taking the grumble, cut session short and grumble when i got home apprach. I think it maybe downn to feeling very tired as all joints were aching and an early night and nights sleep with only one wake up through he night was had. maybe a days rest and see how it goes from there. Do people find they have worse training sessions if they are on their own?

In reply to Dandan:

Big Rock, Milton Keynes. There are ladders as well, but you do get some good stuff in the lower grades, which I'm told is quite a challenge for a routesetter who can climb pretty high grades.

Their own staff aren't bad at it (shame Gareth left, he was particularly good) but the guest setters from the Beacon and elsewhere always put up a few easy routes when they visit, and while they are full of massive jugs they tend to need a bit of thought, which means they are still enjoyable to climb.

Neil

In reply to girlymonkey:

Agree with this. I don't subscribe to the "all indoor climbing is just training" point of view - finally linking the tricky purple may not be as big a thing as doing a big trad route at your limit, but there's still a sense of achievement to be had from it. But it does help to remember that a "good" session can be one where you get some good exercise and pay attention to your technique as well as one where you get up the hardest stuff possible.

On the other hand, if you're just tired and battered then a rest could be a good thing.

In reply to Dandan:
I climb at The Peak in Stirling (amongst other places) and there was recently a great 4+ set by Girlymonkey who posted on this thread - they do exist!

In reply to gaz_jones:

Worrying about the grades makes the frustration worse.

I climb at big rock mk too and in the middle of one pretty crappy wall session I picked my shoes up from the other side of the room and went away to the mezzanine training area.

30 minutes of messing around with weights, core exercises and other non grade based activities cleared my mind. I then went back to the bouldering area and had a great session.

Worth a try.

In reply to Tru:

Do you reckon the bouldering has got way better since they started to rotate the colours and therefore the hold types? I do.

Neil

In reply to gaz_jones:

I used to have a lot of these but not so much these days. I just go with how I feel and have no grade expectations. Suggestions:

1. Do tonnes of easy stuff but focus on technique a lot

2. Make up your own routes/problems

3. Train endurance

4. General fitness/flexibility etc

5. Watch others

6. Specific training, practice particular moves, deadhangs etc

Actually from a mental point of view I think it's beneficial to have such session and manage to overcome the negativity.

The thing not to do is climb badly. No point, you will just pick up bad habits. Better climb much easier routes well and if you can't, just get off the wall and do something else...

In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Glad you like it

In reply to Neil Williams:

I climb (bouldering) at Big Rock MK too - only since the beginning of the year but I think the bouldering has gotten a lot better since. I like how they sometimes do 'themes' on different colours eg greens might have a big first move, blues a big last move etc, keeps things interesting.

To be honest having said that and relating to the discussion and what was said, I find grading being the biggest source of frustration but also, for non-improvement. I hardly even look at the grading chart these days and just try whatever problem I fancy - less frustration and more pleasant surprises as I often find out that problems that 'should' have been out of reach for me based on grade are actually doable, or at least I can have a proper go at them.

Lately I am enjoying the 'non-graded' colours the best (ie could be anything between VB-V9). I actually wish there were no grades whatsoever now, would have been even more fun!

In reply to Simos:

A couple of weeks ago they set a load of top rope routes on the back slab and took a couple of days grading them. Quite enjoyed having a go without knowing!

Neil

In reply to Neil Williams:

I think the hold type rotation has definitely improved the problem setting as they have more options to choose from.

The only problem with sharing the holds for all the grades is that there are not enough small holds for the harder grades. It makes for fun problems but not really good for outdoor training.

In reply to Tru:

True, though I suppose it depends on your motivation (I climb indoors as an enjoyable activity in itself rather than for training). Though new holds keep appearing, the most notable being the tiny but very rough and positive gritstone-with-a-slate-edge type ones.

Neil

In reply to gaz_jones:

I may well be kidding myself but I tend to think of 'high gravity' days at the wall as being especially good training on the basis that anything I do is stretching myself. While the grade may be lower as there is some concatenation of tiredness, low motivation, etc., which I am training though, I am overcoming it to a net gain. Not uncommonly the next time I go I will be rather better than I was before the tough day.

I suppose it's a bit like running. I'm hardly moving when I run up steep, rough terrain, especially after a day at work, but I am gaining a great deal of benefit from it - in comparison to downhill at weekends in which I am flying, but perhaps not getting so much benefit.

As I say I may be kidding myself, but if so it's a comforting fantasy!

ml

In reply to gaz_jones:


That's pub o'clock.

jk