How I've Upped My Mental Game

This is going to be an extension from my previous post. I mentioned the anxiety and fear I have, but I didn't say anything about the tactics I've learned to deal with it...

To recap from last week, I like to stick to easy routes that I know I can do or routes that I've accepted I'll fall on (like a hard project). I've already told myself that it's ok to fail because it's too hard for me anyway or I know I won't fall because it's too easy. 

But, when sending a hard project is close, anxiety creeps in. "It'll be a real failure this time because I'm capable of it!" When I started projecting I always thought that the determining factor of sending or not would be my strength or endurance, but my mental game has affected me much more. I'm terrified to tie in, much less climb!

For some climbers, the most mentally challenging part of climbing is the fear of falling and trusting their gear. For others like me, it's the fear of the failure associated with falling. As I've progressed through climbing, mountain biking, and many other facets of my life, I've learned several tatics to deal with these fears:

1) Breathe (In The Air): You need air to live and perform of course, but breathing is also great way to focus. We often hold our breath through hard moves, so I found that (with practice and time) reminding myself to make my exhales loud enough to hear can make breathing habit. It can calm you down when you're scared or fatigued! I like to visualize breathing out my worries or pump with each exhale...

2) Take a moment to compose yourself before starting your attempt. A routine can help signal your body to prepare to perform. I start by breathing loudly, asking my belayer to encourage me to shake out or relax, and then chalking up. Once I'm ready to step on, I smile. It reminds me to enjoy myself and savor moments like these.

video: Hot Aches Productions

3) "Focus on performance, not the goal." The Wideboyz repitive chant of this mantra (1:45 of the video) helped them climb the hardest offwidth in the world! This one takes practice. When I tried to apply it, I would focus too much on focusing! But I found the balance between relaxing enough to hold off pump and the tension needed to execute. Stay away from doubts by thinking about twisting your hips in, focusing on your feett, or any other piece of beta/technique that'll help you climb at your best.

4) Keep perspective. As a religious person, I grew up hearing people say, "Think about it from an eternal point of view." I didn't realize how this advice could apply greatly not only to my religious life, but climbing as well. If it doesn't happen today, or even ever, that's ok. Life will go on if you don't send.

5) Learn from failure. Rather than be bummed out about botching a move or overgripping out of fear, assess what went wrong and fix it. 

6) Rushing yourself leads to mistakes. Take the extra moment to compose. Prepare by putting yourself in situations where time is not an issue. If you can't, stay deliberate, even if you just want "to get it over with." Talk to your belayer if time is an issue.

Avoid being in a rush, but listen to Rush all you want! They're awesome!

7) Convert anxiety to excitement. Yes, it can be nerve wracking to not know if you are going to send or not, but it can also be really exciting!

Note: In my experience, I found applying one tactic at a time was best for me because I could easily overwhelm myself. Learning all of them at the same time wouldn't get me the full benefit of each strategy, just subpar amounts of each and distraction mid-performance. But everyone's different, so experiment and see what works for you.

It's very easy to get carried away trying to focus and apply these tactics. It is draining to be attentive all the time, so don't beat yourself up. Some of the best climbing moments I've had were mid-redpoint when my focus broke and I remembered I wasn't the only thing in the world. On my first project, I recall reaching the rest and becoming aware of the water rushing in the canyon and a butterfly fluttering below. While I  do my best to not get distracted, it's not the end of the world if you do. Once I was recovered I went back into climbing mode, and took it to the anchor! 

8) Mistakes or broken focus mid-route don't define if you'll send! Put them behind you, and remember to learn from them. I've managed several routes after being gripped out of my mind!

While these tactics are specifically written to apply to climbing, they can be used in all sort of sports and even facets of life! Everything from the jumps I do on my mountain bike to my relationships have benefited from the mental stratiges I've learned from climbing up a rock!