Purpose:
To help you practice taking safe, controlled falls on a bouldering wall and to build confidence on the wall
Where: any route on which you feel nervous
Other than being on the boulder wall, this drill can be done anywhere. That said, it’s best not to be on a roof or an easy angled slab
When: during the Learning Window
It is VERY IMPORTANT that this drill is run on climbs that you do not find phsyically demanding! We will build up to this later but adding physical difficulty will add unnecessary pressure that may impinge on the drill’s effectiveness.
This drill does not rely on the routes or holds on the wall. The only condition is that you are able to climb without working very hard.
This can be done at the end of the session but BE CAUTIOUS as both physical and mental fatigue are both still fatigue. Being physically tired may result in the mental strain becoming a bit too much.
The Drill:
This drill requires some explanation first.
We can equate anxiety to the three colours of the traffic lights, like this:
- Green = no anxiety. Totally comfortable, not stressed, can stay there for ages without worry
- Red = major panic. Imagine being at the top of the wall and realising you’ve not clipped in, this is total panic stations, maximum anxiety. NEVER GO RED!!!
- Orange = nervous but can handle it. This is the sweet spot, where we start to feel a bit uneasy but enough that we don’t start to panic
I think of this as a conversation in my mind. Anxiety kicks in when a small voice says “this is scary”. If you are red, you will agree and not want to return again. If you are orange, you agree but are happy to come back. That is the crucial difference.
- On the floor, with space behind you, jump up and on impact, bend knees to absorb impact and fall back onto your bum and then you back. This is your standard bouldering fall
- Climb up a route, using only one colour, paying attention to your traffic lights
- Climb down any colour holds until you find the point where you start to go from
orange into green - Pause, take some deep breaths and then conduct a practice fall
- Again, NEVER GO RED!
IMPORTANT POINTS: these lines can be very subtle; including sometimes less than the size of a move. You may need to pull higher on the same holds to become orange but not complete a move to avoid becoming red.
Also note that these lines will be different on different climbs, different wall angles and even different days. Ensure you are taking each attempt on it’s own rather than judgementally comparing one climb to another in the short term.
Oh and I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this but DO NOT GO RED. If you do, you risk reinforcing the fear factor and making the situation worse. Far better to develop the ability to maintain control than become used to being out of control
The Outcome: How do you know when it’s working?
Over time, you should find that you develop the ability to fall off and land safely from a bouldering wall. This should become apparent from taking natural falls from boulder problems.
You should also find that your green-orange line rises up the wall.