In this short talk from TED, a veteran rock climber Matthew Childs shares nine pointers for rock climbing:
A few of those rules are quite well known and you can learn about them from other climbing gurus. For example:
Rules #2: Hesitation is bad
Yes, but patience is good what Lynn Hill explains in her Pro Tips: Patience
Rules #5: Know how to rest
Especially, when your imagination becomes an unnecessary source of anxiety - Johnny Dawes is a master sui generis!
Rules #7: Opposites are good
Plenty of related inspiration can be sourced from Johnny Dawes, again:
People are trying what they think they should try as opposed to what they enjoy.
Dave MacLeod also provokes some serious (re)thinking of any kind of goal-driven activity in his book 9 out of 10 climbers make the same mistakes.
Rules #8: Strength =/= success
This is generally truth, though. No strength, no potential for proper kinetic energy. Sometimes there is no other way than to pull hard, real hard.
Rules #9: Know how to let go
This one is directly related or affected by the very common anxiety, the fear of falling. There is no shortcut possible that would help to overcome the fear. You have to practice falls and master the cat righting reflex. Practice makes perfect.
…in climbing, in life.
