Warrior’s Way® Mental Training / Falling & Commitment Indoor Clinic
An indoor mental training course for rock climbing
John starts to move above the bolt, feeling sure he’s about to approach the crux of the route. The next bolt is only 1 meter away, but it feels further. He makes a few tentative moves, his last bolt now just a bit below his figure-8 knot, scared to go any higher. “Take!” he yells.
Most climbers experience this same feeling: move into the fall zone while leading indoors, become unsure/scared, and then yelling for the belayer to take. But you can safely and easily learn to lead above the bolts with confidence and not worry about the fall.
This 5-hour gym clinic on climbing mental training teaches you how to become comfortable falling and making moves before reaching a rest stance with the goal of ‘sending more routes and having more fun climbing. It will also enable you to apply these skills outdoors.
'I’ve always considered myself an intuitive climber but after one day with Warrior’s Way, I made a startling realization. In moments of hesitation, instead of listening to my body and going with the flow, I start to over-analyse and doubt myself. We worked through movement drills, breathing, and mental practices that helped harness my analytical energy and translate it into intuitive movement.' Nina Williams, pro-climber.
How it Works
You’ll do progressive falling practice, starting with impacting the wall on a top rope pushing in and out of the wall. Then your trainer teaches you how to take top rope falls, and then as you become comfortable, short to larger lead falls.
Hands-on practical sessions also include how to move efficiently and how to rest; drills to control your breathing; body/mind mental awareness exercises to keep control of fear and discomfort.
Towards the end of the clinic you apply everything on a goal route, either on lead or on top rope. During the early part of the clinic you worked on individual pieces – on the goal route you assemble the puzzle pieces on a redpoint or on-sight burn of a route that challenges you.
Like past students, you’ll finish the Fall & Commitment mental training gym clinic understanding how to relax while climbing, how to fall with appropriate posture, and how to think about your discomfort. All in the name of having the most fun climbing.
Learn How To:
- Fall safely
- Give a dynamic (cushioned) belay
- Break a climb into smaller risk events
- Assess risks effectively
- Distinguish between no- and yes-fall zones
- Engage no- and yes-fall zones appropriately
- Make appropriate risk decisions
- Improve body and mind awareness
- Rest effectively
- Improve breathing
- Create flow and momentum
- Deal with climbing stress
- Commit more deliberately
- Reduce fear
- Mental training resources
Pre-requisites:
- Able to top rope 5+ in a gym with no falls
- Climb indoors/outdoors at least 1-2 times per week
- At least 6 months of continuous climbing experience
This course has a specific sequence of topics but allows for the type and grade of climbing you wish to be on. The ratio is max 8 students to 1 trainer.
