The first step to climbing 5.14
A few weeks ago I went climbing with a new partner who surprised me. At age 21, he has been climbing for just four years, but his climbing skill and accomplishments would suggest at least a decade of experience. He’s redpointed multiple 5.14s, and earlier this season he sent nearly all of El Cap’s Freerider ground up on his first attempt.
After a nice day climbing together at a local crag in New Mexico, I couldn’t help but wonder: What allowed this kid to get so good at climbing so fast?!
I know many great climbers who have been climbing and training consistently for a decade with many fewer accomplishments to show for it. They’re skilled, safe and committed climbers, but they struggle to push past 5.13- and are challenged by Yosemite 5.11. How can we explain my new friend’s rapid rise to 5.14 in just four years? Is it just natural talent? Genetics? Youth? Attitude? Effort?
Climbing ability is related to all of these factors, but the two we can each control are attitude and effort. This got me thinking about how climbing experience is not all the same. You and I could both climb for four years, but the quality of our climbing and our focus during all of this practice could mean we see very different results.
It seems obvious that the quality of practice matters, but as climbers we often ask like we don’t know this. We expect that just going climbing will lead to progression. We easily buy into a false assumption that experience correlates directly to ability. The good and bad news is that it doesn’t. How you practice matters a lot more than most people realize.
If you’re at a performance plateau, want to climb at an elite level, or just want to get better at climbing, the first step is to incorporate purposeful practice.
“If improving at climbing is your priority, you need to incorporate purposeful and deliberate practice regularly.” (Photo by Nick & Bekah Andrew)
Climbing on purpose
Purposeful practice refers to a special type of practice that is deliberate and systematic. While regular practice might include mindless repetitions, purposeful practice requires focused attention and the specific goal of improving performance.
You’ve probably heard about “deliberate practice,” a term coined by psychologist K. Anders Ericsson, which has risen in popularity since the 1990s. I’m using “purposeful practice” in this article intentionally, because in the original literature “deliberate practice” refers to practice guided by an experienced teacher. Unless you’ve got a coach who gives you regular feedback on your climbing practice and performance, purposeful practice is a good approach to aim for.
Ericsson and colleagues define the types of practice like this:
Naive practice: “practice involving merely engaging in domain-relevant activities, such as playing games with friends and others in tennis, golf, and soccer.” Naive practice is going climbing with your friends for fun, with no specific goals or intention for improvement. This is what most of us do on a normal day at the gym or crag.
Purposeful practice: “individualized practice activities which the trainee engages in to improve their performance but without the benefit of a teacher with extensive knowledge of effective methods for practice.” Purposeful practice is climbing with the goal to improve, which for most people involves specific exercise structured as a training plan. This is also the approach we take when projecting limit routes or boulders, although it’s just one (often overutilized!) way of incorporating purposeful practice.
Deliberate practice: “individualized solitary practice as directed by a qualified teacher.” Deliberate practice involves working with a coach who helps you define goals and target training to specific weaknesses. Unless you were on a youth climbing team, you’re unlikely to have engaged in this type of practice very often.
I believe most climbers bounce between purposeful and naive practice. We go to the gym or crag with the vague intention of “getting better,” but with no real plan. We’re there half for the social experience, half to challenge ourselves and enjoy being engaged in the activity. Some of us dip our toes into training, but often with limited knowledge or intention to target specific weaknesses identified by a qualified coach or objective assessment. For a while, this approach will lead to gradual improvements in performance and skill but it doesn’t lead to climbing 5.14.
If improving at climbing is your priority, you need to incorporate purposeful and deliberate practice regularly. You can read whole books on deliberate practice and peak performance - do it! - and there are now so many great training resources out there for climbers - use them! - but I want to offer a simpler starting point.
The first step: have a plan
The key word in “purposeful practice” is “purpose.” Purpose means you have a reason for what you’re doing. It means you have a plan.
A plan is “an intention or decision about what one is going to do.” This sounds simple, but how often do you show up at the crag with a clear intention for what you’re going to climb and how you’re going to climb it?
Climbing at a high level doesn’t happen by accident. It happens with careful planning, clear goals, and lots of feedback. It happens because you set intentions for your climbing at all levels. You know you’re taking an intentional approach to climbing when you have clear answers to these questions:
What is important to me about climbing? What role does it play in my life?
What are my lifelong climbing goals?
What are my climbing goals for this season?
What is my plan for accomplishing my season and long-term goals?
What is my current training focus - this month or training cycle?
When, why, and with whom am I going climbing this week?
What is my intention for this climb or this training session?
If this sounds like a lot, it is. Highly skilled and accomplished climbers put a huge amount of time and energy into answering these questions, often with support from coaches and similarly motivated climbing partners. But if this isn’t yet you, know that small doses of purposeful practice can have a big impact on any climber’s skill development.
“Purposeful practice is climbing with the goal to improve, which for most people involves specific exercise structured as a training plan.” (Photo by Nick & Bekah Andrew)
A simple approach to purposeful practice in climbing
If you’re new to this more deliberate approach to climbing I encourage you to start small and take it step by step. The simplest way to start is to answer the easiest question, over and over again:
“What is my purpose for this climb or this training session?”
Make your purpose explicit and clear by writing it down in a journal before going climbing. Include your intention (general aim), your plan (what specifically you will do), and your method (the approach you’re taking to ensure your plan matches your intention). Here are a few examples:
Intention: improve my slab climbing ability
Plan: top rope three low-angle routes at a granite cliff
Method: intentional breathing and heavy feet - exhale and weight my feet for the first 10 moves of each pitch
Intention: learn the crux moves on a new hard project
Plan: after a thorough warm up, try the route two or three times spending most time on the crux
Method: exploration, feedback, and repetition - first attempt try the crux sequence multiple ways with the goal of working it out on my own; solicit feedback from others to learn a workable sequence or refine; repeat correct sequence at least three times
Intention: improve my confidence lead climbing
Plan: lead lots of easy routes that don’t challenge me physically
Method: volume/exposure - lead routes at least 6 grades below my typical onsight limit, focusing on breathing, climbing smoothly, and having fun!
You’ll notice that there’s nothing special about this approach. It’s just one of many ways you could state a purpose or develop a plan for your climbing day. But it’s simple by design.
You will have to do more than state a daily purpose to climb 5.14, and it may take you more to climb your first 5.12. The key to improvement is to shift your approach from naive practice - just going climbing - to something more purposeful and deliberate.
At a time when climbers are oversaturated with training information, I encourage you to start simple. Before diving into the sea of training for climbing methods, before worrying about which hangboard protocol you’re using, before hiring a coach - engrain daily purposeful practice as a foundation.
