|
Socialchaos
Mar 22, 2009, 11:32 PM
Post #1 of 26
(8549 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 9, 2009
Posts: 14
|
I've done inside and outside climbing but my biggest problem is confidence when i'm outdoors. i can use the smallest foot holds in the gym but when i get outdoors i just can't commit to anything that i could in the gym. Besides balls and just keep trying at it any way someone could help me with this?
Sidenote: Since i only boulder is why it is in this section if any questions about that arises.
|
|
|
|
|
swoopee
Mar 22, 2009, 11:48 PM
Post #2 of 26
(8534 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 17, 2008
Posts: 560
|
Well, you obviously know the answer already. Grow some balls and keep climbing.  Seriously, footwork is everything. You've just gotta learn to trust them, and the only way to really do that is to climb, and watch where and how you place your feet. Also, I am fairly certain that we just had this discussion in one forum or another.
|
|
|
|
|
Socialchaos
Mar 23, 2009, 12:03 AM
Post #3 of 26
(8522 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 9, 2009
Posts: 14
|
yea i figured it was somewhere else but wasn't for sure if anyone else had any suggestions specifically when dealing with bouldering on how to overcome this.
|
|
|
|
|
kriso9tails
Mar 23, 2009, 12:07 AM
Post #4 of 26
(8517 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 1, 2001
Posts: 7772
|
It's just something you get used to for the most part. It's a bad thing if it completely goes away, -- fear does serve a purpose after all -- but if you have a spotter you trust you just have to suck it up and have a little faith.
Or you could practice meditation or something. I dunno. I don't tend to feel it all that much when bouldering, but I also don't really think about it. If I can comfortably flash what I'm on then falling isn't much of an issue. If I have to push to send, I'm focusing most of my thoughts on the next sequence.
|
|
|
|
|
Socialchaos
Mar 23, 2009, 12:11 AM
Post #5 of 26
(8515 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 9, 2009
Posts: 14
|
Well the biggest problem for me is i'm a rather large climber compared to some i'm 6' 1" and i weigh 230+ not fat just heavy built. Although that still doesn't change the basics of how to get over this little problem.
|
|
|
|
|
kriso9tails
Mar 23, 2009, 12:41 AM
Post #6 of 26
(8492 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 1, 2001
Posts: 7772
|
Not 100% sure where your size plays a factor, unless your spotter is a very small person. Then again, I don't really see the need for spotters in many, if not most situations (though it's nice to know that there's someone to back you up a bit should you need it).
Well, maybe think of it this way; if it wasn't intimidating, it wouldn't really be all that exciting. Don't worry too much about breaking a leg or anything since you already have a built in spare.
|
|
|
|
|
bill413
Mar 23, 2009, 1:28 AM
Post #7 of 26
(8460 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 19, 2004
Posts: 5674
|
One of the big readjustments I go through between the gym and outdoors is NO TAPE!
No, this may be less of an issue for bouldering (where the holds are liberally marked with chalk), but it's still a difference.
Remember, when you're outdoors, all features are on, and you have to choose your own holds. In the gym, the holds are codified. It's a bit of a different skill.
Enjoy.
|
|
|
|
|
paclimber12
Mar 23, 2009, 1:36 AM
Post #8 of 26
(8454 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 5, 2005
Posts: 123
|
learn to trust your feet and climb outside as much as possible!
|
|
|
|
|
pycantric
Mar 23, 2009, 1:54 PM
Post #9 of 26
(8386 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 8, 2008
Posts: 2
|
I started with indoor climbing and i had the the same problem with finding the holds. In the gym you see it know how it is from the ground but on real rock holds are not that obvious..The best way to overcome is climb as much as you can outdoors some time after you start to figure out the route from the ground...
|
|
|
|
|
Climbhigh1123
May 15, 2009, 1:48 PM
Post #10 of 26
(7971 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 2, 2008
Posts: 37
|
Try taking and just climbing outside as much as you can, and taking a friend with you to spot you really can help you keep a level head while your climbing. I personally find myself to be more comfortable outside climbing. watch your foot placement, and most of all, have fun climbing outside!
|
|
|
|
|
billl7
May 15, 2009, 2:29 PM
Post #11 of 26
(7937 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 13, 2005
Posts: 1890
|
If you have the option, maybe work mainly on easier bouldering problems outside. Send after send will build confidence. Transition slowly into harder problems. At the end of the day, go back to things you can send a few times.
I'm not a boulderer. But I do find the above arrangements of difficulty to help with confidence inside or outside.
Bill
|
|
|
|
|
shimanilami
May 15, 2009, 2:48 PM
Post #12 of 26
(7918 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 24, 2006
Posts: 2043
|
Quit bouldering and start climbing?
|
|
|
|
|
kennoyce
May 15, 2009, 3:12 PM
Post #13 of 26
(7902 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 6, 2001
Posts: 1338
|
In reply to: Quit bouldering and start climbing?
Best advice I've ever heard.
|
|
|
|
|
xtrmecat
May 15, 2009, 3:35 PM
Post #14 of 26
(7886 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 1, 2004
Posts: 548
|
Footwork is key for us bigger folks. I am/was 272 at six foot. now under 250 but still the footwork is key. Mileage is the biggest help, as others stated. One drill I have done with great results, is while indoors over the winter, everything I climb is bouldering, easier stuff, but with the feet on no holds, just natural features on the wall.
Of course this is dependent to what kind of wall you have to work with. When I say easier, I mean problems two grades below my onsight level, but only using feet on wallsmears, wacos, oppositional stands, etc. No holds, wall cracks, or anything too solid.
This did several things for me. My speed improved, thus did my skill for conservation of strength in the upper torso. Core strength went up big time, almost always in tension to keep those darn feet on. And mostly it taught me to place the foot, efficiently, find the placement, set it down right, and get on it without moving it, and flow through to the next placement.
I noticed huge improvements the next spring when I went outdoors. Others said it also, climb, not boulder when outdoors. More mileage doing this.
And the last thing you may want to hear is lose some weight, as no one of our height is at their prime over 200 lbs, and if you think that is normal, it is not. Go to the gym, and go grab two 20 lb. barbells, and hold them at bellybutton height. after 30 seconds you will get an idea of how much extra energy you use to just exist in the world of most other climbers. Lose the excess and your level will increase, with a little effort, big time. Also our shoes will last way longer.
One point I made with my little wall partner, a 12+ climber, was what it was like to jug with the extra weight. While training two winters ago, I whipped his butt on every jug race up a free or against the wall rope. He put it off to my technique, and I said he was out of shape in the areas I was strong. We went and got our weight difference in iron plates, tied em on, and he barely got off the deck. It made him mad, so he really went for the top of a 35 foot rope, and it took all he had to get there, in around three minutes, totally worked.
Ok the point now. Consider your extra weight, to be training weight. You will have great pull in the muscles holding you in, and pulling you up, Now imagine you having this same strength, without those two barbells pulling down on you, and walla. instant hardman. Well maybe not that good, but you get the point.
Hope this helps, it has made tremendous strides in attaining my goals. If your not that serious about it, then sorry to have wasted three minutes of your life. If curious, then keep asking, bust ass, and send.
Bob
|
|
|
|
|
dschultz
May 15, 2009, 5:11 PM
Post #15 of 26
(7829 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 19, 2005
Posts: 40
|
Just my $0.02. There is a low angle slab boulder problem in Phoenix (Beardsley Boulder Pile) called "The Whale's Back". Smearing and balance is all you have. Great practice and fun on weighting and trusting your feet and the rubber your paying those big bucks for. You might want to look for a problem like that. At 6'2" 200+ I also feel at times the feet are going to blow, yet that has rarely happened. As everyone else has pointed out, climb outdoors and on a variety of rock and you'll learn to trust those feet and place them more confidently. Food for thought: Next time your on a route and feel comfortable, take a breath, drop your heels a bit, and relax your grip. You might notice that you are really not weighting your feet much but overgripping a lot - for me a gym sin I have often fell victim to (especially when I climb sporadically outside).
dschultz
|
|
|
|
|
the_climber
May 15, 2009, 5:29 PM
Post #16 of 26
(7815 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 9, 2003
Posts: 6142
|
kennoyce wrote: In reply to: Quit bouldering and start climbing? Best advice I've ever heard.
Oh NOES! Wh3r3 D1d t3h t4P3 g0?!
|
|
|
|
|
uni_jim
May 15, 2009, 6:01 PM
Post #17 of 26
(7789 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 27, 2008
Posts: 429
|
silly goose, the tape goes on your hands now!
|
|
|
|
|
markcarlson
May 15, 2009, 6:40 PM
Post #18 of 26
(7770 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 14, 2009
Posts: 123
|
Another difference between the gym and real boulders is that you may be getting a lot more dirt / mud / dust on your shoes outdoors. If your crash pad has a foot-cleaning area, use that. You can wipe your feet on your pants, a cloth (or your socks), or a rug to get them clean.
Whether or not this helps psychologically, your shoes will actually perform better if the soles are clean. Consider bringing a scrap of carpet out bouldering (unless someone has a better idea,) to use to start all of your problems. This way, you aren't cleaning your shoes, then putting them back on the dirt before you start the problem.
If you're bouldering in cold weather, you will find your shoes and the rock will act differently than in warmer weather. Different rock types act differently as well.
I hope you've been able to get some more mileage by now. You can just do traverses (not on any problems) low down to gain confidence and mileage without roping up. It's not quite the same, but it should help.
|
|
|
|
|
Chinchen
May 15, 2009, 8:44 PM
Post #19 of 26
(7742 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 11, 2009
Posts: 114
|
Bouldering indoors is not climbing. Bouldering outdoors IS. Take the money you spend on fake climbing and drive somewhere where you can actually climb.
|
|
|
|
|
cporter
May 15, 2009, 8:59 PM
Post #20 of 26
(7731 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 21, 2007
Posts: 31
|
I don't think you have a footwork problem you have a fear of falling problem which messes with your footwork ability. Practice falling, get over your fear and all the other pieces will come together.
|
|
|
|
|
the_climber
May 15, 2009, 9:19 PM
Post #21 of 26
(7726 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 9, 2003
Posts: 6142
|
Chinchen wrote: Bouldering indoors is not climbing. Bouldering outdoors IS...
Is still just pebble wrestling.
|
|
|
|
|
healyje
May 15, 2009, 9:26 PM
Post #22 of 26
(7721 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 22, 2004
Posts: 4204
|
Hmmm, now that's as new age a thread title as you could ever hope to come up with. Plastic vs. stone confidence - evolution is a funny business...
|
|
|
|
|
Chinchen
May 15, 2009, 11:30 PM
Post #23 of 26
(7693 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 11, 2009
Posts: 114
|
the_climber wrote: Chinchen wrote: Bouldering indoors is not climbing. Bouldering outdoors IS... Is still just pebble wrestling.
No way, I like to think of it as really short free solo-ing.
|
|
|
|
|
Rubicon
Jul 20, 2009, 1:41 AM
Post #25 of 26
(7293 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 6, 2008
Posts: 60
|
IMO it's really stupid and immature to argue over different facets of climbing. I like bouldering for its convenience and practicality but if I had a rope and a rack then I would rope up as well.
Stop preaching about what's cooler or more of a "climb" because it's all climbing and noone cares about your snobby/elitist opinion (which you don't deserve anyways cuz you aren't good enough to act like it).
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
