Sandbagged: Are You Kidding Yourself?
It's the new buzzword that's been around forever: sandbagged.
"That 10c is definitely more like 11b!"
"That CAN'T be 12a... I NEVER fall off of 12a!"
"This is WAY harder than the other two 13a's I've done, so it MUST be 13d! At least!"
Or more precisely...
"BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!"
Funny, I never hear, "Damn, that 10d kicked my ass. I guess I've got some things to learn," or, "That 13a felt pretty hard to me, I guess I should actually work on slopers for a while."
Nope. Instead, we blame the grades. The numbers. The proposed suggestions of vague measurement.
You're kidding yourself. Worse, you're stunting your growth. Holding yourself back. Even worse than that, if your friends believe your bullshit, you're holding them back as well…
WANT MORE? READ THE REST IN: The Hard Truth: Simple Ways to Become a Better Climber
Skaters do one important thing much better than climbers: they chase mastery instead of success.
It's exactly the same amount of challenging for you no matter what number anyone attaches to it.
How often do you give 100%? REALLY give 100%? I make my living coaching climbers, and I seldom see a climber try their hardest. Myself included.
While in the gym, for the most part, boulderers are closer than sport climbers to training the correct way.
It's easy to get discouraged by how quickly the pros seem to put down the hardest projects.
I get it. Talking is easier than doing. What it isn't, however, is nearly as satisfying.
Nate snapped the banana in half. Clean break, right through the middle. Like a ninja.
You can almost always find a reason to continue training the short-sighted way.
There is NO single workout that any group of people can follow to get the optimum results for each of them.
Newbs, rejoice! You get a whole post. A short one, but your very own set of training wheels.
So how do you get better faster? There's a simple answer. You don't.
After much deliberation over a list of about 25, I've decided on the 5 ways I see experienced climbers derail their progression.
I hear them coming from every corner of the gym… excuses.
The fact is, you WILL NEVER get to within earshot of your potential if you don't have a complete skill set.
Our egos are ruthless. I've seen climbers stop a workout early because they didn't want to "look bad".
Fact is, seeing the "chains" as the sole representation of success is holding you back.
A climber since 1994, Kris was a traddie for 12 years before he discovered the gymnastic movement inherent in sport climbing and bouldering. Through dedicated training and practice, he eventually built to ascents of 5.14 and V11.
Kris started Power Company Climbing in 2006 as a place to share training info with his friends, and still specializes in working with full time "regular" folks. He's always available for coaching sessions and training workshops.
Redpointing is an ultimate success built on the backs of many failures.