There are many preconceptions around climbing coaching. Sports coaching has been around for a very long time – probably as old as the athletes themselves, dating back to ancient Greece – but is very new to rock climbing.
Instruction is slightly different and has been around for quite a while. This is a popular route into the sport for many people to “learn the ropes” and stay safe.
So what are the benefits of hiring a coach? And why are small companies like Prowess ideal for the right client?
Why Coaching
- A bespoke course to match your level with no strict syllabus to follow. No box ticking and no set routine to go through, coaching follows an assessment of what you need to work on and then a plan being put in place to get where you need to go.
- Focus on what you want and need to work on to improve and achieve your goals. With small groups or individual sessions, coaching means you can isolate and focus specifically on the details that you need to work on.
- Reactionary sessions to you. If your session is not going to plan or another weakness suddenly appears, the flexibility of coaching compared to typical instruction allows for me to quickly change tact and work on the necessary to keep learning.
- No time frame to work to. People learn at different rates and coaching affords those who progress quickly or those that need more time to get to grips with climbing the chance to learn at their own speed.
- Cutting edge research and theory on performance and improvement. The coaching approach means we can incorporate – and quite often help to develop – the latest, cutting edge research and theory into climbing movement and use it to help you improve your own performance. For example, a client with Prowess both helped to develop and benefit from new theory on route reading.
Why Independent Providers like Prowess
- Times to suit you, evenings and weekends when you’re available. There are no set time slots, with small companies you can often book time slots to suit your availability (within reason, obviously) and aren’t beholden to time slots on a schedule from a climbing wall.
- Personalised reports after every session to help show you what you’ve learned, what to work on and what we’ll do next. Individual and members of small groups will receive a personalised report after every session to bracket your learning and give you something to refer back to. This isn’t possible with typical groups booked through a climbing wall.
- Out of session correspondence. It is common for me to talk to clients out of sessions, to discuss how things are going and how your improvement is developing. This is usually through either Facebook or WhatsApp.
- Develop a relationship with your coach. Booking with a wall or large company can find you with a different instructor each session (it might even be me, freelancing for the walls!). Working with an independent coach means you can develop a professional relationship over a period of time.
To see some of the options available with Prowess, please click here
To book your coaching session with Prowess, get in touch now.
Benefits of the Typical Route
All of this is not designed to criticise the existing system that has been in place for over a century. Coaching offers an alternative but sometimes, the age old ways are the best. Here are some of the benefits of booking a session with a climbing wall or other large outdoor provider:
- You know just what you’re gonna get. With something like NICAS/NIBAS, you can see exactly what you’ll be working on and how long it will continue for.
- The Social aspect. Sociability is important for many participants and climbing walls often see the same people coming back week after week, meaning you can make friends climbing with the same people.
- Click and go. Many of us like to look at something and click the option that suits us best. With pre-prescribed lessons, you can select the product that you like the sound of, book quick and you’re good to go. Ideal if you don’t know what you don’t know.
Other Recommended Companies
There are thousands of excellent providers of climbing courses around the country, with either coaching or instruction. Here are some recommended companies in the North Wales area:
- Plas y Brenin. The National Outdoor Centre runs every type of course from Get Started to assessments for British Mountain Guides.
- Indy Climbing Wall. My wall of choice, the Indy is a fantastically sociable climbing wall who run intro courses and performance coaching.
- Beacon Climbing Centre. The Beacon is a popular facility in Caernarfon which has great tall walls for excellent lead climbing, as well as an array of bouldering and a competition speed climbing replica for trying your hand at the same route as available in the Olympics.
For other providers in your local area, please feel free to contact me