Separating Training from Play

Sean Mccoll ranks as one of my favourite competition boulderers because he climbs smart (I know this from reading his blog). He is able to compete evenly against competitors much taller than him, or have greater spans that him, primarily because of excellent route reading skills and momentum-based movements. However, I am not writing this blog post because I want to discuss how well he climbs; rather, I found something he said which was strikingly similar to what I wrote about some time ago.

I believe that how well a person climbs is a function of his climbing philosophy. How well a person climbs in competitions though, is a function of his training methodology. In an interview with La Sportiva, Sean Mccoll said something about training which sounded strikingly similar to what I've mused about before: separating training from play. I like to think that I'm a person who adapts to the situation and tries his best to work with what is given to him. I am an university student working hard to secure a good degree (this entails doing well for projects and exams, doing internships during vacation periods, reading and learning from academic papers - ranked in order of importance), as well trying to climb hard (not mentioning other commitments). Because time is limited, when I get down to the gym it's all business. I'm convinced that structured, clinical and no-nonsense training is the way forward for time-starved people like myself. Anyways, YMMV.

I highlighted the phrases within the interview which are congruent with my views. Even though he's from Canada and I'm from Singapore and we didn't discuss our views, we arrived at quite the same conclusion. There is a similar phenomenon in biology called convergent evolution - two unrelated species independently evolve similar traits to cope with specific evolutionary challenges. The relevant paragraph is extracted and put up here for your reading pleasure (or displeasure).

What would you suggest for aspiring comp climbers to help improve their performance?

The best thing for aspiring comp climbers is to get in a really good routine. The hardest part about training is that not a lot of people like to do it alone. Pick a good core group of climbers that you’re going to train with and set up times that you’re going to meet. It’s basically what every Junior Climbing Team does at each respective climbing gym. I find it’s necessary to climb at least 3 days a week. While I’m in school, I’ll be going 2 days during the week for 3 hours and a training session on Sunday night for 4 hours. It’s also good to stay at training for at last 2.5 hours. Also, when you’re at training, it’s not the time to stand around and socialize with your friends. Sometimes when I’m at my gym, people think I’m kind of rude because I don’t stand around and talk. The bottom line is, I’m going to the climbing gym to train. I can still talk to people in between problems and during rest periods but when the time comes again, I’ll be getting back onto the wall. The best thing for climbers is to have consistency. You can’t train for 2 weeks and then take a week off, it doesn’t work that way. You have to be focused and determined. During the competition, you also can’t look at the rest of the field. In reality, it doesn’t matter if they climb 5.11 or 5.15, you just want to climb your best. If you fall off a route because you truly slipped or missed a hold, then that’s just a mistake. If you fall off a route because you were so pumped you couldn’t hold on, then you should be happy no matter what your final result is.

climbing quote

So much wisdom distilled into this paragraph of words.. I must constantly chide myself to not forget.. to never forget..

Ultimately climbing is an experience-oriented activity, not achievement-oriented. It’s not how hard or high you climb, but how much you get out of climbing. While getting to the summit may be the goal, it’s the journey, experience, and self-discovery that hold the greatest value.
- Eric Horst

taken from http://www.sportiva.com/live/page.php?id=57&at=25

A Career in Coaching?

A female friend commented that I've the makings of a good (rockclimbing) coach. Lamenting about how I can't even get my own climbing right, how then can I muster the gall to coach others? To this she countered that the best coaches aren't necessarily the best climbers. Stopping short of sounding like I'm afflicted with a bad case of confidence crisis, I put forth the argument that one must first achieve some level of competence before even considering helping others. What level of competence required is subject to interpretation and debate.

at SIM boulder comp with NUS novice girls in my capacity as a trainer (i've since relinquished the position)

Having contemplated this issue before, I had a ready answer. Almost mechanically, I replied that because climbing is an experience sport, it is requisite for one to be a good climber first before he can be a good coach. How else can you share that experience (be it climbing hard outdoors or competing at the highest level) in words/actions?

Good advice, when given concisely, is beneficial to the receiver. But poor advice, no matter how well-intentioned the giver, does more harm than good. However, being caught between the two courses of action may also lead to debilitating paralysis (I often find myself in this position). I don't know which is the right thing to do, but I do know that it takes a lot of wisdom to discern the difference, and even more wisdom to act on it.

Having said that, I agree that top climbers do not necessarily make top coaches. Some top climbers are reclusive and don't like to share, or simply can't convey their ideas in a persuasive/convincing/inspirational manner.

Let's turn to the mental skullduggery of philosophers to make sense of this whole dilemma (or become even more confused!):
(a) It is sufficient, but not necessary, to be a good climber before you can be a good rockclimbing coach.
(b) It is sufficient, and also necessary, to be a good climber before you can be a good rockclimbing coach.
(c) Being a good climber is sufficient for being a good rockclimbing coach.
(d) Being a good climber is necessary for being a good rockclimbing coach.
What is the correct answer?

Personally, I like coaching on an adhoc basis, but I'm unsure about making it my long term career. I have a friend who insists on not making his passion his job, for fear of it killing his passion. I've yet to find a definitive answer for myself, but there is time still. Would I want to test myself in the corporate world? Does the 'Those who can't do, teach' statement have any basis in fact?

So many questions.. so few answers.. I don't know many things, but I take comfort in the fact that one thing I know for sure: I'm still a silly little boy, groping around in the darkness, trying to make sense of the world we live in.