Purpose:
To encourage you to listen carefully to how you are feeling BEFORE your climbing session in order to be able to adjust your session goals in the future
Where: reception/front door
This drill MUST be done BEFORE you start climbing. It is designed to be done as you enter the wall/gym, hence the name
When: at the door
You see the furthest possible point to the left of the graph? Yeah, do the drill then
The Drill:
As you enter the climbing wall (perhaps prompted by something visual, like the reception desk, or a sound like a check in bing) take a pause and consider the following:
- How am I feeling today? Overall. What sort of a mood am I in?
- How are my energy levels today? Am I pumped out and ready to go or do I feel a bit listless?
- How am I moving today? Do I feel smooth or does everything feel a bit clunky and disjointed?
- What life stresses have I got going on right now? Is there anything bugging me?
- Is there a climb I’m itching to get on? What am I psyched for?
REMEMBER: there are no wrong answers to any of these questions. At this stage, we are not trying to correct anything or alter our behaviour. All we are trying to do here is tune in to how we are feeling
VARIANT: it is possible to quantify each of these questions by giving your answers a score out of ten
VARIANT: you may consider writing down your score if it helps you
The Outcome: How do you know when it’s working?
Over time, you should find that you are tailoring each session – and the goals of each session – to match your situation on the day, rather than by pre-determined expectations. You should then find that you are having more success, both short and long term