No Choice

"I had no choice, I just couldn't get out of bed."

"I had no choice, it was the best program I could get into."

"I had no choice, he told me to do it..."

Really?

It's probably more accurate to say, "the short-term benefit/satisfaction/risk avoidance was a lot higher than anything else, so I chose to do what I did."

Remarkable work often comes from making choices when everyone else feels as though there is no choice. Difficult choices involve painful sacrifices, advance planning or just plain guts.

Saying you have no choice cuts off all options, absolves responsibility and is the dream killer.

-Seth Godin

thoughts from arco 2011

i write this as if i was actually in trentino. but then, thanks to the amazing technology of our times, it makes me forget the fact that Italy is over 10,000 miles away...what with the streaming videos and real-time information that we got! i know i may sound lame, but the technology blows me away.

other than the freaking wonder of the internet, staying tuned to the world championships awakened my dormant emotions to the breathtaking beauty of competitive climbing. (if you don't fancy superlatives, i suggest you stop reading this entry now because there will be more to come). what other sport do you know where competitors are friends and share strategies and tips on how to get to the top? what other sport do you know where athletes with different body types have equal chances of winning? what other sport do you know where you can fail to get to the finish line, but still you go home satisfied?

i know these statements may come off totally biased, and without scientific data to back them up. they may also simply be self-serving and distorted conclusions of a climbing addict such as myself. but i can't help but be proud of the grounded nature of wall-, er, sport climbing.

case in point: watch any observation period of a climbing competition. i also saw it again in arco. when the competitors are reading their routes, they would read in huddles and compare notes. competitors share tactics with each other! yes, one ulterior motive for sharing is also to receive tips in return, but the fact that there is that kind of interaction between competitors shows just how friendly the competition is. admittedly, too, i see this happen more commonly with female competitors, but men definitely practice it too. and even in the lead qualifications of arco, it was my first time to see a lead climbing competiton where competitors were allowed to watch others tackle the routes, which further highlights how the competiton is about finding your own way to the top. it's about finding the way that is best suited for your body, for your strengths, for your style, and most importantly, executing it -- and not about "beating" another person.

as for the results, i couldn't be any more happier that angela eiter and ramonet received the top awards in the lead category. yes, i am biased, because these are two athletes who i've personally seen with my own eyes (may papicture-picture pa). they (we) were much younger then, when i saw them. they were not yet as popular. but over the years they've pushed the standards of the sport, becoming world #1's and climbing celebrities in their own right. but what is also amazing is their body types. angela is so skinny!!!  46kg (101.41lbs) and 154cm (5'1") in height, according to this website. then ramon juliane pigblanque, who stands only 159cm (5'3") -- surely much lower than your average European male, and the shortest of all the lead finalists! and yet, there they were, showing us that it's not about how big or small you are. and, over the years, you would see that climbing's top athletes would vary in body profile. (it would be nice to conduct or read research about this some time). really gives you a boost, knowing that it truly can be anyone's game.

lastly, it was very moving for me to watch angela eiter's lead finals climb because i saw her fight her way to the top. true, she didn't finish the route, which is always the objective of each climb. but what made me emotional was seeing her reaction when she fell. she wasn't frustrated or angry. she was disappointed, yes, but she was smiling. Smiling. and my guess is, she was smiling because she was satisfied that she fought up there; that she made it past a section of the climb that seemed un-passable at first, but she was able to conquer with great strength and willpower -- and even move some more!; that even if she didn't reach the top, at least she knew she gave it a good go, and was able to display what years and years of experience has brought her. 

and that's one of the best things about climbing. even if you don't win, or you don't get external recognition, you can still exit a competition feeling totally psyched about your performance, for as long as you gave it all you've got. 

and winning? it becomes a cherry on top.

Make more mistakes

A repost from Tom Asacker's blog.

Every meaningful success I've ever been involved with has come through a messy, unpredictable process. It usually begins with curiosity, moves quickly to data and information accumulation, then right into trying things and . . . failing (I've made a lot of mistakes).

The good news is that this process invariably creates the actual knowledge required to try again, albeit more intelligently (assuming, of course, that you don't overreact or give up).

Creative people understand this curious dilemma. They accept that failure is the only way to gain the intelligence and wisdom that's needed to move their work forward.

George Bernard Shaw wrote, "A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing."

Mistakes are not a sign of indifference; they're evidence of a deeply caring individual. Please make more.

Set Some Goals

Just another reason why I love climbing (in particular) and mastering a craft (in general). The article sounds sounds serious/geeky/boring/far-out, but it's so helpful to know.....

For non-climbers, it will be the first two paragraphs and  "Pitfalls on Goal-Setting" that will still be relate-able. :-)

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Goal-setting is the establishment of performance expectations and the planning of a process to attain them. It directs attention. The more specific the goal, the easier it is to focus on, and thus, achieve. The setting of goals is the method by which we motivate to train. It is extraordinarily difficult to go to the gym on a regular basis throughout the off-season without a picture in your head of the benefits to come. Most athletes set not only season goals, but they set goals daily. In fact, it happens on many different levels:

• Moment
• Event
• Day
• Short-term
• Long-term
• Lifetime

For example, you might have the short-term goal of leading a particular climb, but the goal for this climbing day is just to figure out which gear the climb takes and to learn the crux moves. The same short-term goal can lead to a greater, long-term goal, such as free climbing a big wall.

Setting goals is more than just thinking of some climbs you’d like to do. Studies show that goals that are written down are more than twice as likely to be achieved. A good place to start is to get a vision for the future – a lifetime set of goals. These will inevitably transform as time goes, but they will help shape your long-term goals.

After you have your vision for the future, follow just a few simple steps:

1. Set Long-Term Goals. Write down 2-3 climbs you’d like to do THIS SEASON. These need to be within the realm of achievability, but should also stretch your climbing slightly. These are going to be called performance goals. You can also set training goals and process goals. For maximum improvement, try to set goals that work your weaknesses. Training goals might involve improving the number of pull-ups you can do, increasing your total climbing volume, or another measurable factor of training. Process goals might include improving mental facets of your climbing, technical preparation, or a change in body composition. Again, make sure these things are measurable.
2. Set Short-Term Goals. Start with a goal you can likely achieve. Your whole season should not be built around doing just one project route. You should plan on ticking off 2-3 short-term goals per month on the way to completing your season goal. If your long term goals include climbing a 5.12c, increasing endurance by 15%, and losing 6 pounds, a short term goal for an early season month might look like this: (A) Climb minimum 20 pitches per week this month / (B) Redpoint 3 routes 5.11c or 5.11d / (C)  Drop bodyweight by 2 pounds
3. Create Goals for Each Workout or Day of Climbing. Performances improve with direction. Before you get to the crag, you should have a picture of what you are going to do, and it should be in line with your long-term goals. Each workout in the gym should follow the same rules. It’s nice to just hang out bouldering with your friends, but is it really helping you improve?
4. Check Your Progress. From time to time, you should review your progress toward your goals. Make adjustments as necessary: If you are very close to reaching your season goal halfway through the season, you might consider setting a more challenging goal. Likewise, if you are not completing your short-term goals, you need to assess why that is, and adjust your program.
5. Check the Goal off the List. When you have achieved a goal, move on to the next one using the same process. Make the goal more challenging, commit to working a little harder, and get down to business.

GOAL-SETTING GUIDELINES

• Multiple goals enhance performance. You should be working toward several goals concurrently. These should be prioritized.
• Make goals challenging, but realistic.
• Goals should be measurable and self-focused.
• Avoid setting goals that depend on factors out of your control.
• Goals must have time limits.
• Set positive rather than negative goals. Rather than “avoid failure” think “attain success”.
• Adjust goals, allowing for unknown variables and other facets of life.

SPECIFICS OF SETTING GOALS

Performance Goals

A. Events

• Specific climbs or competitions you are training for
• Write down the types of climbs you will be doing
• Challenges (i.e. 20 pitch day, onsighting day)

B. Performances

• Actual performance objectives, like onsighting 5 5.12s, redpointing a grade higher…
• Be realistic; keep within your possible performance parameters.
• Include short term goals

C. Physical Preparation

• List your physical strengths and weaknesses
• Prioritize the areas that need improvement
• For example, identify your top 3 weaknesses, and focus training on them

Process Goals

A. Psychological Preparation

• Strengths and weaknesses
• Work very hard on primary weakness, exploit your strengths. For example, work on controlling irrational fear, focus on positive attitude, and knowledge of talent.

b. Technical Preparation

• Ask for feedback from partners
• Pay attention to what causes failure in performance, It’s not always weak fingers!
• Pick specifics to work on: edging, keeping hips in, breathing, toeing in to pockets, finding rests…
• Plan to work on these things one at a time.

f. Tests and Standards

• Body weight
• Body composition

PITFALLS IN GOAL-SETTING

• Lack of goals. The very worst error in setting goals is not setting any at all. How can you perform if you have no parameters to test against?
• Long-term goals only. Many climbers set only one or a couple of long-term goals. These goals take so long to achieve that focus is most often lost along the way.
• Dreaming. Setting unachievable goals is completely uninspiring.
• Lack of commitment. If you aren’t committed to your goals, don’t waste your time setting them. A half-hearted effort is no effort at all.

http://climbstrong.wordpress.com/2009/12/24/set-some-goals/

ayon sa training program...

...we have, more or less:

• 36 weeks of training to go
• with 6 days of training per week
• 3 to 4 days of which are spent doing climbing-specific exercises such as hangs, system boards, and intervals
• at a duration of 2 to 3 training hours per day
• oh, and did i say this is for 36 weeks straight....or about NINE WHOLE MONTHS

if i may ask the universe: how the heck will i manage to do this?!?!?!?!?!?!? <insert bewildered emoticon here>

Why Get Stronger When You Can Get Better?

Being good at rock climbing is all about learning proper technique and then ingraining it so it becomes second nature. In the long run, technique will take you much further than a strong back and a vice grip. Yet most climbers are hyper-focused on trying to “get stronger” … oftentimes at the expense of learning good tecehnique.

Emily Harrington, who has climbed multiple 5.14’s in various stages of personal fitness, recognizes the superlative of proper technique. Emily has been climbing for 13 years, putting in well over the requisite “10,000 hours” one supposedly needs to master any craft. As a result, she believes that no matter what shape she’s in, she will always be able to climb at a baseline of 5.12a throughout life.

“If you know how to move your body, you should be able to climb 5.12a,” Emily says, “no matter how ‘strong’ you are.”

This may seem surprising to the climbers out there for whom 5.12a is a lifetime goal, yet the point is not that 5.12 is “easy,” but rather that proper technique honed over many hours of practice is more enduring than one’s momentary form (strength and fitness). The problem is, it’s easier to get stronger than it is to get better. Anyone can go to the gym and rip off a bunch of reps or climb a bunch of boulder problems and feel as though they have accomplished something. Training with the goal of improving technique is more cerebral, requiring a certain degree of consciousness about what you’re doing. This is because good technique is all about ingraining movements, coordinating the upper and lower body and maintaining awareness of how much effort you’re expending to the point that it becomes second nature. Great climbers aren’t thinking about what they need to do—they just do the exact right thing. This is the art of free climbing.

Improvements in one’s technique are much less tangible—harder to measure or gauge. Thus, it can be difficult to know how to approach the gym with the goal of becoming a better free climber. Here are a few tips that you may find useful:

First, be good: Many beginner and intermediate climbers have approached me wanting to know how to get strong, but I’ve never heard anyone ask how to get good. The two are undoubtedly related. But instead of jumping on the hardest route or boulder problem you think you can do, focus on making perfect ascents of easier routes and problems. Try to be good before you try to be strong. How perfectly can you climb something?

Bad feet: Problems in the gym typically get harder as the hand holds become worse and farther apart, while usually the foot jibs remain pretty good. But if you have the ability to help set some problems wherever you climb indoors, I recommend setting decent hand holds and the worst, most polished, difficult-to-stand-on footholds you can find. You want them to be bad, but not so bad that you just force a campus move. You want the focus to be on using your feet properly—the first and most lastingly important step in becoming good. As a double benefit, nothing will get you stronger than climbing problems with bad feet.

Stand Up: You’ve undoubtedly heard the advice, “Keep your arms straight!” But, of course, if your arms were straight the whole time, you wouldn’t be able to flex them to pull yourself upward. When you’re hanging on holds, indeed, it’s a good idea to keep your arms straight. But the second part of this advice that's left out is how to begin initiating your upward movement. Typically, beginners will initiate the move with their arms: pulling themselves up, locking off like on a pull-up bar, with their feet way low. Instead, try to always initiate your upward movement with your legs. Keep your arms straight and lever yourself upward by pressing with your feet. Eventually, you'll have to flex your arms, but try to do so only after you’ve initiated the upward movement with the legs--even if it's just a little bit. Teach yourself what this feels like by climbing easy (5.6) routes in the gym. Hang from straight arms and try to drive yourself upward as far as you can by high-stepping your feet and using only your leg muscles to stand up on every hold.

For the rest of the tips, you can visit the full Rock and Ice article here :-) 

Happy 'better' climbing!