UKC

Can anyone recommend a coach that might be able to help me improve my bouldering outside? I'm based in Leeds, so it's all about Gritstone for me.

I think I want someone who can identify my weaknesses and help lead me to achievable solutions, bearing in mind that I'm nearer 50 years old than I'd like to be!

I think I want to avoid some young whipper snapper, who weighs the same as an 8 year old girl, telling me to train on a campus board 4 times a day and wants me to switching to diet of 10 chia seeds each day. I'm assuming all young whipper snappers recover more quickly than I do and can probably stand up straight first thing in a morning

In reply to afx22:

I'd be tempted to use John Kettle slightly north of you in Kendall. He's been through serious injury, boulders in the 8s and has a great eye for spotting the mistakes you make. He doesn't tell you what you do wrong, in so much as leads you into a correct analysis of your own climbing.

Well worth the time it cost me to travel up to see him.

In reply to afx22:

Andy Swann, perhaps. He's got a nice way of coaching, very experienced - and best of all he's no whippersnapper. Doesn't mean he's not strong though...

Strength wise if you're at or above V4/5 the single best thing you can do is fingerboard.

In reply to MischaHY:


Or maybe use a woody. The 30 degree board at The Depot in Pudsey is great all round strength training. Plus it's more fun.

In reply to afx22:

Andy Swann. https://www.climbforlife.me/ Great bloke, great climber. He really does know his job and is based in Yorkshire

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I find a perverse pleasure in fingerboarding. Perhaps it's the previous gains that are motivating.

I must say though, training on a woody is also excellent.

In reply to MischaHY:

I would never call it pleasure, but it's far from the worst. Mainly find it boring. It's very pure training, no real fun to be had. I reckon it's worth getting a timer app. I've use the Beastmaker one. Dragged me through a lot more sets than self-motivation alone would. Like you say, results can be motivating too, and people who've never used one will likely get quick results.


Didn't John Gaskins and Malcolm Smith mainly/exclusively train on a woody?

In reply to afx22:

Another vote for Andy Swann, top guy.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I suspect they did a fair bit on rock as well

In all seriousness, variation is definitely key. I've done way more max hang style training than repeater style - recently got the beastmaker app and it kicked my arse, despite being able to do all the individual hangs in their 'crimptastic hard', as soon as it came to linking it into repeaters I was barely getting through the 7A workout. Never knew it was so fitness based! Clearly what I need, though!

In reply to MischaHY:


I think the 7A is really hard, and not related to Font grading (or any grading), even though it uses the same system.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I've heard as much! It's the amount of reps that got me, my ancap is crap at the moment and it really showed. Still, it's evidently what I need!

In reply to afx22:

Thanks to everyone that recommended Andy Swann. I’d heard good things previously, from a good friend,, so that all sounds like a winning plan.

Regarding the fingerboarding - that’s something I already do (although I usually just go climbing instead). I don’t think finger strength is where I can make the biggest gains. It’s getting hold of the holds in the first place that I find difficult. Of course I could be wrong