Short-Term Projects
When projecting, consider both “short-term” and “long-term” projects. Problems you feel you can complete quickly (“short-term” projects) tend to teach different things than problems that take more time to send. But both are important if you want to progress as efficiently and effectively as possible.
The word “quickly” is obviously a bit of a moving target here, as what seems quick to a brand-new climber will frequently differ from that of a more seasoned one. As a good rule of thumb, though, a short-term project might take a new climber one or two sessions and an experienced climber as many as four or five. The principle behind a short-term project is the same for both, however.
The idea is to choose a climb that requires a limited amount of puzzle-solving and rehearsal to dial in for the send. The goal is to balance skill development—figuring out how to do the moves efficiently—with variety, allowing you to build a wider range of skills by completing projects relatively rapidly.
Long-Term Projects
A long-term project, by contrast, is one that you believe will take you a month or so to complete or eight to twelve sessions, depending on how often you can work on it.
Long-term projects serve a slightly different purpose than short-term ones. Both help develop and reinforce new skills, as well as develop your strength and power. Short-term projects, however, tend to focus on moves, or short sequences of moves, that are relatively easy to figure out–say within a handful of tries—and are straightforward to string together into a send.
As an example, when I choose a short-term project, I typically look for climbs that I believe I can send in two or three sessions or, typically, between eight and fifteen tries. My usual pattern is to work on the project for one session, taking that time to master any individual moves or short sequences that present difficulty. Then, during the following sessions, I aim to complete it.
On the other hand, a long-term project typically focuses on a higher level of difficulty, often centering on a small number of moves that you cannot do- or at least do reliably- even when you isolate them from the rest of the climb. In my case, I tend to choose climbs that have at least one move I cannot currently do (either because I can’t quite figure it out or it requires abilities I don’t quite have yet), but they are moves that I can “conceive” of doing.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
The point of a long-term project is two-fold: first, it should take you out of your comfort zone, at least a bit. In the best case, such projects should require that you improve on a weakness or two in order to get the send. This is why I choose projects that have a move or sequence that I can’t initially do but seem within the realm of possibility, given a couple of sessions of trying. Typically, this criterion alone ensures that the climb includes at least one weakness.
Focus on Efficiency
The second purpose of a long-term project is to require as much efficiency as possible to get the send. When trying mores at or near the limits of your ability, the only way to string them together into a completed climb is to climb them with as little wasted energy as possible–which is pretty much the definition of good technique in climbing.
A good long-term project will, therefore, have at least two key features: first, a move, or short sequence of two to four moves (often called the “crux”), that is at your limit and typically requires a few sessions to figure out how to do reliably; second, the entire climb will be difficult enough that, even once you can do the crux, you still must figure out how to do the moves with the least amount of wasted energy in order to complete it.
In conclusion, incorporating both short- and long-term projects into your climbing helps to balance the psychological desire for success with the need to build the repertoire of skills necessary to advance through the grades. Chosen thoughtfully, short-term projects, by their very nature, help deliver a steady stream of small successes, allowing you to refine and improve skills you’ve already acquired, as well as master a few new ones at lower difficulties.
Long-term projects focus you on new skills that may require you to perform at your very best just to have a shot at success, but pay off with serious satisfaction once you’ve finally sent. While both of these approaches, by themselves, will significantly benefit your climbing, the combination of the two will greatly speed you on your way through the grades.
Failure as a Teacher
Don’t Give Up! Failure teaches more than success. One of the things I love most about climbing is how individualized and self-paced it truly is.
We live in a world that frequently over-emphasizes the need and value of hyper-competitiveness, leading many of us to spend way too much time looking over our shoulders and comparing our abilities to everyone else. At the same time, we also have to contend with the (erroneous) point of view that failure is, in general, bad.
But the fact is, no one is born good at anything. And anyone who has ever achieved personal excellence has done so on the back of many, many failures.
Most experienced climbers understand this, at least intellectually. Those who most reliably and consistently climb near their limits understand intuitively that falling–a lot–is a necessary part of making meaningful progress. They also spend most of their time and mental energy on achieving their personal goals–i.e. their projects–rather than wasting either on comparing their progress to those around them.
Learning is Fun
When you project, I highly recommend you accept and internalize the following two principles:
First, falling isn’t failure; it’s learning, and learning is fun!
Every time you fall, there’s a reason. Figuring out that reason–a foot slipping because you didn’t weight it enough, you grabbed the wrong hold, you leaned the wrong way, etc.–gives you information necessary to refine your approach and improve on the next try. Falling and learning from your falls is not just the best way; it’s the only way climbers can increase their ability. It really is that simple.
Concentrate on ‘Your’ Progress
Second, and equally important, remember that no one other than you really care how hard you climb. So, stop looking over your shoulder and concentrate on your projects!
In this era of social media and instant news, it is easy to get caught up in the daily ritual of comparing ourselves to other people. But, at its core, climbing isn’t you against another person; it’s you against the climb. I train all my athletes that way, even when they want to compete at the highest level. We don’t focus on how to” beat” this competitor or that one. Rather, our time is spent choosing, working, and completing projects that are, in the end, as difficult as possible for the individual athlete.
In this way, we ensure that our athletes are as strong as they can be without resorting to the stressful distractions that come from constantly worrying over how much better or worse someone else is.
So, when working your projects, remember that falling–and learning from your falls–is the best way to improve. What’s more, your personal success in climbing is determined by what you send, not what someone else does. If you focus on your projects rather than “the competition,” you will climb harder and faster, and you’ll be happier for it!
All material is reprinted with the permission of the author. Copyright 2022 David H. Rowland. All rights reserved.
