How Do You Get Better at Climbing—Faster
I’ve been a coach for over thirty years, and one of the most frequent questions I get from climbers of all abilities is:
“How do I get stronger?”
After training hundreds of climbers of all abilities—from first-timers to Olympic athletes—I’ve discovered that this isn’t the real question they’re asking. Or rather, it’s not the most burning question. That question is:
“How do I get better at climbing—faster?”
Like many other athletes, climbers often presume the best way to do this is simply to train. They want structured workouts and all the jargon—sets, reps, intensities—that go along with it.
Of course, all of those things have a place in helping you improve. It is a rare individual who won’t see benefits from some targeted strength, power, or endurance training. Climbing itself is a great workout for building just those things.
But what many climbers—new and experienced alike—often overlook is that strength or endurance is typically not the limiting factor to becoming a better climber; rather, it’s your skills. And, if your climbing skills aren’t where they need to be, your workouts will be, at best, less effective—and at worst, could lead to injury.
There are a number of ways a climber can improve their skills. You could take a class or clinic on climbing technique from your local climbing gym or guide service; or you could book a private session with a qualified instructor or coach; or, you could even watch a bunch of online tutorials, or read a book on climbing technique.
One of the simplest, and fastest, ways to jumpstart your skills is to pick a “project” and work on it. And the best part is you don’t need any special training or help to get started.
In this series of articles focused on projecting, I will guide you through the process of choosing and working on a project, and provide you with a few key tips and tricks to get the most out of your time on the wall.
But, first…
What is Projecting?
Simply put, a project is a climbing puzzle you have not yet solved. “Projecting” is the process of solving that puzzle and completing that climb.
At its core, climbing is about solving puzzles—little ones, big ones, simple ones, complex ones, easy ones, and, of course, hard ones. I love puzzles, and I really love solving them. Call me a dopamine addict, if you will. But the physical nature of climbing puzzles (or problems, as we call them in bouldering) adds another level of engagement to the nearly limitless collection of different climbs out there.
To a new climber, all this variety may seem a bit daunting. I mean, where do you start? Wouldn’t it be great if there were a simple way to build your skills and your strength at the same time, all while having fun and getting a few dopamine shots at the same time? I’ll let you in on a secret—there is.
It’s projecting.
Why Do Climbers Project?
Climbers project because there really is no better, faster, more effective way of learning new skills. The reason is that climbing is different from many other sports in that even the best climbers must constantly learn and master new skills in order to climb harder routes. This isn’t true in many other sports. Take swimming, for example.
After coaching swimming for over a decade, I can tell you that teaching people how to swim well can get boring fast. The reason is that, after nearly a century of research, there’s pretty much one way to swim each stroke as effectively as possible. Once you know how to do it, that’s it. There’s nothing more to learn. Getting better after that becomes simply a matter of strength and endurance.
In climbing, however, every new problem requires learning new skills—sometimes small refinements to the ones you have, sometimes ones you’ve never even considered before. While strength and endurance play their part, they will never be enough unless you improve your skills to match. Thirty years of watching body-builders, who could crush a coconut with their bare hands, flail and fall on routes my ten-year-old athletes warm up on is proof of that.
Projecting teaches you new skills while simultaneously building strength, power, and endurance. It does all of this while placing your brain in puzzle mode, challenging you to figure out the best way to do a move, the secrets and tricks—the ‘a-ha!’ moments—that unlock a sequence of moves to get you to the finish. I can’t think of any other sport that makes training this interesting or fun.
Projecting is For Everyone
Best of all, projecting works for anyone regardless of skill level. Solving each new problem develops new skills while building on those you have already developed. This helps you climb more efficiently, effectively and intelligently. And those skills are the most important building block for improving your climbing.
Now that we have covered the “why” of projecting, our next article in this series discusses how to get started. See you next week!
All material is reprinted with the permission of the author. Copyright 2022 David H. Rowland. All rights reserved.
