Climbing is certainly not a game of inches, it’s a game of millimetres. We have possibly more possibilities and orientations available to us on rock climbs than perhaps any other sport. So with all of these possibilities available to us, how do we find the key that unlocks the door?

Forgetting beta is one of the most common yet avoidable mistakes that climbers make. It’s all too easy to have a sequence decided upon, refined and prepared only to miss a little piece of the puzzle, where it all falls apart.

I knew straight away from the first day I climbed on a piece of rock, that I would be a climber. The movement, the adventure, the physical challenge. But can you go too far? Is there a price to chasing performance that should not be paid? I’ll try and provide some opinion and give you some ideas for exploring your own relationship with climbing.  

How do we dodge the trap of comparison to others, and relentless chasing of the next number and interact with grades in a way that’s sustainable and motivating? 

Knowing when to stick or twist is one of the most difficult things to do in projecting, especially when it’s something you’re obsessed with.

It’s often expected that bouldering outside will have us stress free and without a care in the world. We’ll be out climbing and enjoying nature on our own and totally loving every minute of it. The reality is often quite different.

What can you do to stay motivated while trying something at your limit? How can you make the process as enjoyable as possible, and still give yourself the best chance to succeed? Let’s dig in.

Body Tension and the use of the core is quite simply the missing link in most people's physical game. Imagine having a strong upper body, mobile and robust legs, only to have a floppy mid section which never allows you to keep your feet on.

Fighting the weather and conditions is an uphill struggle in bouldering, and many times produces an experience that needn’t have been so involved and frustrating. So how do we try to work with nature a little more, and not fight it?

Mismanaging rest during an outdoor bouldering session is one of the most common mistakes I see climbers make. But why is this lack of rest so crippling? Let’s break it down, and look at different strategies for resting during a session. 

Understanding our true motivations to climb outside, is perhaps one of the hardest things to get to the root of. We’re often bamboozled by goals and objectives, which lead us away from really practicing climbing for the reasons we originally did.

One of the most frustrating, but also common technical problems on rock is undoubtedly having your foot slip off a hold. Let’s step into how we protect ourselves against this problem, and ensure as few critical foot slips as possible.

How can we actually train for rock climbing using modern gyms? I’ll give you some broad ideas and principles to follow, to keep you on the straight and narrow, and out of the rabbit hole of modern gym climbing.  

Bouldering outside differs in so many ways from modern gym  climbing, and the gap is only getting larger! With macros and enormous volumes taking centre stage, crimps and foot jibs on steeper walls fading away, and gym grades getting softer than a chocolate teapot, the transition to outdoor bouldering is only getting tougher. 

How we structure our sessions is hugely important in determining our success. The more we plan, perfect and reflect on our process, the more successful we become.

Walking away from a boulder is one of the hardest things to practice in bouldering. It feels like quitting, and nobody likes to quit. But in reality, it’s one of the biggest skills, and practicing it offers a huge number of benefits, as well as avoiding a bunch of very frustrating problems!

A look at a few key things we can do, to not only improve our chances of the flash, but then if we whiff on that, still have the presence of mind and psyche to finish the boulder!