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arno
climber
La Vergne, TN
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Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 13, 2008 - 02:03pm PT
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Craig was pumped and needed to make a decision quickly. His last protection was a bolt ten feet down and to his right. He couldn’t see the crack for his next protection placement, but he knew it was just over the bulge above him. He knew about the crack because he had previously climbed this route, Zoo View, on Moores Wall in North Carolina. In fact, he had not had any difficulty climbing it, but he was having difficulty now. The climbing to this point didn’t quite seem the same as he remembered. Last time he recalled stepping down and traversing left, but now the holds were unfamiliar. Craig could feel his strength waning, but since he was absolutely sure the crack would be above the bulge, he committed. He climbed deliberately on the small holds over the bulge, but the crack wasn’t there; it was ten feet to his right. He had traversed too far left. He was on a precarious perch running out of strength, when his hand slipped and he fell. Craig fell and swung into an arête hitting his pelvis, back, and head. Fortunately he was wearing a helmet and didn’t break anything, escaping the incident only badly bruised.
It would seem as if Craig was being mentally tough by staying focused on the goal and not letting fear or the pump distract him; yet, that mental toughness resulted in a terrible fall and barely escaping a serious injury. When we think of being mentally tough we envision someone whose mind has power over one’s body. It’s a mind over matter approach. We envision the climber staying committed to the goal without giving in to the desire to quit.
This mind-over-matter approach caused Craig’s mind to perceive the situation as he wished it to be, not as it actually was. With a mind-over-matter approach you rely on what your mind knows from past experience. This can be helpful to a degree in doing risk assessment, but it can interfere with perceiving the situation as it is now. This is what happened to Craig. He had climbed Zoo View before. He engaged Zoo View the second time with mental perceptions that he was “absolutely sure where the route went” and that “it wouldn’t be difficult.” Both of these perceptions were wrong. He was getting feedback from the situation (the route and his body) telling him that he was off route and too pumped for committing to a no-fall section. His mind, however, still attached to the old perceptions, ignored this feedback and tried to distort the situation to fit its perceptions. He then engaged an inappropriate risk and fell.
Mental flexibility, conversely, allows you to stay receptive to the feedback you get from a situation. The fact that a situation is stressful indicates that learning needs to take place. Learning converts stress into comfort. In order to do this conversion you need to take in the stress, accept it, and process yourself through it. Doing this requires flexibility, not toughness. You don’t distort the situation to fit your mind’s perception of it, but rather let go of your mind’s perception to see the situation as it is now. You do this in a matter-over-mind, not a mind-over-matter, approach. By engaging your body (matter) and keeping attention on the tasks your body is doing to climb, you allow your mind to accept and process the stress. What is required is to keep attention on the current task. Attention shouldn’t be on thinking about the climbing. This will lead to reinforcing the existing mental construct and enhance toughness not flexibility. Attention should simply be immersed in what your body is doing to climb.
Risk Assessment
Mental toughness can lead to taking inappropriate risks because the end goal can interfere with assessing the situation effectively. Mental flexibility allows you to take appropriate risks. When you are stopped at a stance, assess the situation, and then make a decision that will lead to taking an appropriate risk.
Climbing has “no-fall” and “yes-fall” risks. You determine appropriateness differently for each of these. In no-fall risks you weigh the strength, skill, and confidence you have left, compared to what is left to climb, in order to pass through the difficulties and not fall. You usually climb more slowly, stay on routes below your technical ability, and you do listen to your mind when it determines you can’t or shouldn’t continue.
In yes-fall risks you weigh the fall consequence you face—length of fall, obstacles, etc.—against your actual experience taking such falls. You climb more quickly, get on routes at or above your technical ability, and you don’t listen to your mind when it says you can’t continue.
A primary part of mental flexibility is determining what type of risk you are in and then engaging accordingly. Many climbs have both yes- and no-fall zones. You could be on a runout trad climb, like Zoo View, that you’d label no-fall but has yes-fall zones close to solid pro. Or, you could be on a sport climb that you tend to think of as yes-fall but has sections where a fall could cause injury, like climbing to the first or second bolt or where the bolts are farther apart. Being mentally flexible means you do assessment several times on a climb and then engage accordingly. Mental toughness doesn’t have the flexibility to adapt to these distinctions.
Craig had climbed Zoo View before without much difficulty so it was within his technical difficulty. But the second time he was off route, not knowing it at the time, facing a no-fall situation in a state of fatigue. His mind, however, insisted that he was on route and ignored the feedback his body and the climb were giving him. His mind was tough and rigid, clinging to its false perceptions. After taking a Warrior’s Way course Craig learned how to be mentally flexible. He learned that the risk on Zoo View was no-fall and not appropriate to engage when the chance of falling was great. He also learned options he could have acted on based on the feedback he was getting from the situation. Doing this would keep him from being drawn in by the justifications of his mind. He could have down-climbed to his last stance to regroup and reassess. He could have rested at his current stance to regain strength. Doing this would have allowed him to see if he could collect enough strength to climb the no-fall section without falling. Or, he could have looked for more pro where he was, to convert the no-fall section into a yes-fall section. All of these flexible options would have been based on what was actually happening on the climb, not based on mental justifications about what should be happening. Matter (the body and the climb) directs the mind on how pumped you are, whether you face a no-fall or yes-fall section, and how to engaged based on the type of risk it is. Then the mind simply needs to stay flexible as the body engages appropriately. Climbing in a matter-over-mind approach allows you to keep attention fully on the task, based on the type of risk.
Mental toughness tends to force the mind’s current perceptions onto the climb—a mind-over-matter approach. Mental flexibility keeps the mind’s limiting perceptions from interfering with the feedback the body is currently experiencing—a matter-over-mind approach. Craig learned effective risk assessment for challenging climbs that he applied while taking the Warrior’s Way course. Most important, though, he learned the value of staying mentally flexible so he could process whatever happens on the climb to insure he engages appropriate to the risk and still performs at his best.
Go to www.warriorsway.com for more information.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
somewhere without avatars.........
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Nov 13, 2008 - 05:25pm PT
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That's it, guys? No responses???
Thanks for posting, Arno! Always a pleasure to read your stuff, as it is so informative!!! Thanks again!
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Redlands
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Nov 13, 2008 - 05:58pm PT
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Well Randy, grandma always said "if you don't have anything nice to say, keep your big mouth shut".
I'm tryin grandma.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Nov 13, 2008 - 06:08pm PT
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"A man's got to know his limitations." - Harry Callahan, Magnum Force (1973).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070355/quotes
I.e. have some idea of the accuracy of your memory, especially when repeating a route.
You can use "mental toughness" to suppress irrational fear, but it's not wise to use it to ignore realistic uncertainty.
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Prod
Trad climber
A place w/o Avitars apparently
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Nov 13, 2008 - 06:13pm PT
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Did my mom send you here?
Prod.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Nov 13, 2008 - 06:14pm PT
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"It's what a man knows about himself, that scares him," ibid.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Nov 13, 2008 - 06:31pm PT
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I always like Arno's material. A lot of the ideas in Warriors Way are so spot on.
I have trouble identifying with "Craigs" problem though for a few reasons. One of my strengths as a climber is routefinding, and I am rarely the type to gun for it when things are not looking good. I would not have made the same choice, which is probably wise since I most likely would not have been wearing a helmet either.
I do know a few climbers who would benefit from this advice though...
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Nov 13, 2008 - 07:01pm PT
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What rings a bell for me is that 'Craig' was repeating the route. I find that I am way more on my game when onsighting, which can make subsequent ascents sort of a self-sandbag: "I cruised it before [not exactly], so it should be pretty easy for me now." At which point the route hands me my ass on a platter.
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GDavis
Trad climber
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Nov 13, 2008 - 07:34pm PT
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Still the best public speaker I have ever heard.
Thanks again, Arno. You're a hero among mice.
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cintune
climber
the Moon and Antarctica
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Nov 13, 2008 - 07:52pm PT
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Paul Martzen
Trad climber
Fresno
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Nov 13, 2008 - 09:39pm PT
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I have always appreciated in climbing the alternation in awareness from the microscopic to the macroscopic and back and forth. Especially when route finding we have to open up to the big picture around us, the overall position, ignoring perhaps the immediate moves around us to get a sense of the general direction or route. Then, once the general decision is made, we focus back in on the microscopic edges and tiny rugossities we stand on, the subtle differences in width or angle of crack that determine how we shape our hands and which direction we lean. We move a ways with intense focus, then we stop and open our awareness out again to reassess the big picture. Focus in, then open out. I can't do them at the same time. I have to alternate from the one state to the other.
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Paul Martzen
Trad climber
Fresno
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Nov 13, 2008 - 09:50pm PT
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Of course I have also always appreciated the great stories we get, when like the goat above we say,"Holy Shmoly F*^$%k!! What the @#$$% am I doing here??!!"
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Nov 14, 2008 - 01:54am PT
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Thanks Arno
This is some of the best on-topic, advanced How-to climbing posting we get. Advancing climbing is much more about refining the kind of awareness you are point than many of the plain technical gear pointers people post on Rc.com
It sort of staggers me that posts like this don't get more response nor discussion particularly since there is a crowd here that continually laments for more "on_topic" posting. EL Cap proctologist wouldn't have trouble making an argument against any other topic posted on supertopo so what about here? If somebody has a fault to find in Arno's presentation, I'd like to hear it.
Really, much of this is pretty self-evident for a wise person. You better know when you can afford to fall or not, and be able to assess how likely falling is going to be. Clear headedness is required for this
Peace
karl
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 14, 2008 - 02:20am PT
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Actually I really like the goat in cintune's post.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Nov 14, 2008 - 02:23am PT
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Me too.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Nov 14, 2008 - 02:32am PT
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I strive to be that goat...
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Scott Wayland
climber
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Nov 14, 2008 - 09:11am PT
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Good post, Arno. But this seems to me a semantic argument, a question of definition. You try to cast "mental toughness" in some sort of negative light, that it will lead us to make poor decisions. Perhaps that's not mental toughness you are talking about. Perhaps lack of awareness? Overconfidence? Rash decision making? A number of other more precise terms could be applied to the climber you envision. I've always associated mental toughness with those positive qualities you mention--and NOT with what led the climber to take his fall.
One might argue, for instance, that mental toughness leads us to keep our egos in check, to step back and reassess, not let blind enthusiasm get us into trouble. Mental toughness sees us through the most difficult times, keeps us slogging up the trail, hanging tough until the next rest, dealing with storms and difficult relationships at home. Mental toughness is the antithesis of mental weakness, therefore a good thing!
For all that, we absolutely DO need mental flexibility. You'll get no argument from me there.
Cheers,
Scott
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Nov 14, 2008 - 10:47am PT
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So pick different terms, Scott. The guy's just trying to differentiate between two outlooks. When you begin your career as a public climbing coach, you can turn your choices into household words. Right now, we have Arno's.
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TradIsGood
Chalkless climber
the Gunks end of the country
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Nov 14, 2008 - 11:23am PT
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Post hoc analysis of an ante hoc strategy.
You see this kind of analysis all the time.
Commonly called Monday Morning Quarterbacking.
Lame attempt avoiding paying for advertising.
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Jay Wood
Trad climber
Fairfax, CA
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Nov 14, 2008 - 11:55am PT
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Something like this was illustrated recently in the video clip of a guy sketching, and then falling (ripping gear, decking), from a crack- poor pro, rope behind leg, bad fall consequence, yet those on the ground were urging him on- "you got it, go for it!
Didn't come across as mental toughness exactly....
I can definitely relate to the situation of repeating a climb and thinking it will be easy this time, because I did it before, and it's not.
The example also relates to the oh so educational experience of being lost, when the mental process stands out against the background of the unknown.
A useful maxim: Don't believe everything you think"
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