Training Versus Performing

The weird thing about climbing, unlike other sports such as tennis or golf, is that people seldom separate training from performance. Golf enthusiasts head out to a driving or putting range and practice driving and putting, distinct from their weekly game of golf. Climbers, however, are almost always performing and not training. Even when climbing in the local indoor gym, most climbers are performing - that is, trying to climb a route - not training.

According to Dave MacLeod, the big four essentials for climbers are movement technique, finger strength, finger endurance, and body mass. Many climbing coaches would add - as would I - core strength to this list. If movement technique is a big determinant of climbing ability it follows that working drills to improve movement technique should be part of any climbers training regimen. But, if most of us are driven to perform most of the time, when do those movement drills get done? Never, is the most common answer.

It is tough to separate training and performing, as, for most of us, those precious days when we get outside on the rock we want to perform and climb at our highest grade, not spend time doing drills on easier climbs. I've started looking at all my days spent climbing at my local crags as training days. The performance days I am saving for when I go off on a rock climbing road trip.

There are loads of places on the internet and in various training books to find solid movement drills. Some of the drills I've been working are: climbing up and down the route, working straight arm placements, and momentum drills. 

Great day out climbing yesterday...