More Dave MacLeod Links

I am headed to the New River Gorge for a few days, so I don't have time for a full post. I did want to share these articles before I left though. I have talked to a few of you (team kids) about these articles and I think you will really like them. There is some good stuff here that is worth coming back to every once and a while as a reminder.

I'll be sure to write up a trip report when I get back.

DISTRACTED FROM THE TASK AT HAND
TECHNIQUE LEARNING - NOTICING THINGS
TRAINING THE ABILITY TO TRY
THROUGH THE WHOLE MOVE

Mahogany Everything

I have had some extra time recently, so I have been crafting some new training tools that I will be using over the next few months.

Hangboard:

I have always prefered to do my hangboard workouts on the campus rungs instead of on an actual hangboard. The texture of resin or urethane hangboards wrecks my skin and interferes with the quality of my training. All the fancy features of the commercial hangboards are essentially worthless. Who needs all those pockets? If you want to train 3, 2, or 1 finger, then just use those fingers...Anyway, the rungs are mahogany. I know. Pretty classy. I feel like I should be doing my workouts in a red velvet smoking jacket while smoking a pipe. Alas, velvet is too sweaty, and smoking is bad for the lungs...Seriously though, the mahogany is so comfortable and gets nice and tacky with chalk. I am super biased, but I'm going to go ahead and say that this is the best board I have ever trained on. Word.



Pinch Blocks:

Yup...also mahogany. That is how I roll on these streets (it's hard out on the farm). Three sizes so far: Small=@2.1in; Medium=@2.8in; L=@3.5in. I might make an XSmall (@1.4in), but who knows. I haven't ever trained pinch strength, outside of just climbing on pinches. Mainly because I find pinches on a hangboard to be uncomfortable, and more of a compression workout. I have seen videos of others using wooden blocks like these, so I figure I'll try it out and see how it goes.

System Holds:

I am probably most excited about these (of course they're mahogany). After testing a few different shapes I don't think I ever want to train on plastic again. Okay, that's a little extreme. There are certainly things that plastic can do much better than wood (complex shapes for example), but these wooden holds are pretty rad. Again, the mahogany doesn't wreck the skin and gets nice and tacky with chalk. The decrease in friction also requires you to grip HARD to stay on these things, which I like. Another thing I like...being able to make whatever shapes I want (within the limitations of the wood's structural integrity). I can also make sure that they are perfectly mirrored so I can train both hands equally. I can even make  shapes to mimic certain holds on my projects outside, then slowly sand down the shape so it gets harder and harder to hold. A neat and hopefully effective way to adjust training intensity.


I'll keep you posted as I make new things and assess whether  any of this nonsense actually works.

DAVE

THE VIDEO

Watch this. It is a great video of Dave MacLeod talking about pushing your limits. Plus there is awesome footage of him climbing New Baseline (V14) and Mystic Stylez (V15).





Check out his blog and buy his book "9 out of 10 Climbers", it's amazing. At some point I'll type up a review of the book to better convince you, but for now you'll just have to believe me.

http://www.davemacleod.blogspot.com/

Mini Phase Wrap-up

After a 4 week mini-phase of strength/power training with Andrew, The two of us have noticed some huge differences. Good things and bad things. First of all...so strong! On our first evening back to regular "fun" climbing, both Andrew and I noticed big increases in overall grip strength and upper body power. On the downside, we also noticed a significant DECREASE in overall climbing technique. For myself I really noticed a lack of full body awareness in relation to my core. Especially on moves with a more "3 dimensional" quality. Which makes sense considering I have been training almost exclusively on a single plane system board. Fortunately, as the evening session went on, we both felt our movement skills returning. I am sure that will continue as we break away from the system board for a while.

I am most excited by the fact that I could even start training again. It has been almost a year now since I injured my finger(s) and it feels good to be able to try hard again. I'm still not 100% which is why the training phase was only 4 weeks (as opposed to 6-8weeks). Hopefully as my fingers continue to improve I will be able to train my fingers more specifically.

At some point I will post the workouts Andrew and I did. Stay tuned.

Be Like Kirby...

...because Kirby is like everybody.

Kirby. He (or she?) is a pretty weird character. Worthless on his own, Kirby must eat someone to gain their powers to do battle. Cartoon cannibalism. Nice. This isn't a new concept though. There were (and still are) cannibalistic societies out there that believed consuming the heart or other bodyparts of your enemy would help you steal their power and become stronger. Remember that one scene in Red Dawn where they make that one kid drink the deer blood? Same thing.

One paragraph in and we're still on the topic of cannibalism. Maybe I've had too much coffee?

Here is what I'm getting at:

As climbers we can learn something from everyone. We can climb with others who are better than us, observed their movements and habits, and take what works for us in order to enhance our own performance. We can steal their powers. Like Kirby. Minus the cannibalism.

Maybe it isn't like this for everyone, but I feel like some of my biggest improvements in climbing have come from the close observation and interaction with people who I think are really great climbers. I'd like to highlight two of these climbers and how I have learned from them. Hopefully these examples will make my point clearer, and help you forget the first part of this post where I talked about eating people...

CHRIS LINDNER

Damn. This guy is good. Chris is by far the best climber I have ever seen. No question. The way this guy moves on rock is unparalleled. He has literally been climbing since infancy. Leading 5.10 trad at age 4, 5.13 sport at age 9, 5.14c at age 16.

I had the pleasure of climbing with chris for the few months he lived in Gunnison. During that time I learned some very crucial things about Commitment, Pacing, Muscle Memory, and Vision.

What stood out to me immediately the first time I saw Chris climb was the commitment with which he moved. Everytime he went for a handhold or placed his foot, it was like he knew with 100% certainty that the move he was doing was the right move, and that he was absolutely going to stick it. Imagine being able to move with the confidence and commitment of your 20th try on a route...on your flash burn. Yeah. It's like that. And he does it fast. The execution is impeccable, the epitome of efficiency. Every deadpoint is right on. Every hold is engaged in the perfect spot. Hips never sag. Feet never slip unexpectedly. The perfect balance of static and dynamic.

Ever since climbing with Chris I have been inspired to try to mimic this style.

Perhaps the most important thing I gleaned from Chris, was Vision. This guy can see a boulder problem anywhere! One day I took him out to some boulders I had been working on outside of town. After quickly flashing all my projects he cleaned off some AMAZING lines I had completely passed by because I thought they were impossible. Ever since then I have tried to never pass a boulder off as impossible. Some of my favorite first ascents have resulted from hiking to the same "impossible" boulder over and over again until it finally goes.

Aside from being an amazing climber, Chris is SUPER humble, generous, and friendly. A great guy who continues to inspire.


ROSS TYREE

Have you ever looked at a tiny rubber polished foothold and thought, "Wow, that looks like a great crimp!"? No? Well Ross has. And he'll also take that foothold/crimp, lock it off to his waist, hand-foot match it, and make another huge move.

I count myself lucky to be able to watch Ross climb on a regular basis. He is a machine. Whenever we set a new bouldering section at the gym I always try to set Ross a new project, because he keeps sending everything. We even have a box of holds in the back labeled "Ross Holds", baisically footholds that Ross cranks off of. There are a few things that Ross does that really stand out.

First of all (if you haven't gathered already), this guy can hold on to anything, if it is bolted on the wall it's fair game. He takes this mindset to the rock too, with amazing results.

Ross has a way of making everything work for him. He can create tension off of anything. Little patches of friction on the wall, microscopic bump holds, crazy toe scums...pure sorcery.

Ross desn't get bogged down by the way things "should be done". He finds the path of least resistance and goes with it.

Another thing. Ross goes home. He doesn't get stuck on a problem and obsess over it all evening until he is dog tired and worn out. He knows when to take a break and come back later. And he always comes back. And he always sends. Whenever he comes in to the gym to train, he is fresh and ready to go. We could all benefit from this kind of simultaneous stubbornness and self control.

And again, a SUPER humble guy and tons of fun to climb with. If you are ever at the gym and see this guy. Take a break and watch for a bit (be as creepy as possible). It is always impressive.




We are surrounded by people who can teach us things. All we have to do is pay attention and be open to different ideas.



Go Kirby some people!

(metaphorically...don't actually eat them)

The Rock Always Wins

This rock definitely wins.

I just ran accross this picture of a sizeable boulder I stumpled upon while exploring around Gunnison. It got me thinking about something I frequently forget about and subsequently re-remember over and over again...

The rock always wins. Whether you send it or not. You will die. It will still be there. Score one for the rock. Also. No matter how strong you get, there will always be a rock that you can't climb no matter how hard you try. Another point for the rock. You can smash up all the rock, then an asteroid (a big space rock) will come down and smash you. More points for the rock. Then there will be crazy volcanos and climate events that will exterminate all life on the planet, leaving nothing...but rock. The rock always wins.

Which begs the question: What idiot made the rules for rock-paper-scissors?

Storming The Castle

On a trip where a lot of much harder climbs were sent, this problem still sticks out as the best. A reminder that it isn't about the number. It's about what happens between the ground and the top.

Andrew Consroe on Storming The Castle. Stone Fort, TN