I always wanted to try climbing. Mostly because, as a kid, I watched Anne Hathaway's character, Princess Mia Thermopolis, scale a climbing wall in The Princess Diaries and my 10 year old self fancied it to be rather badass. How's that for street cred? A Julie Andrews movie got me into climbing.
The point is, we come to climbing for our own unique reasons, so it's natural we stick with it for different reasons as well.
When I first tried climbing, I loved it. I took a course much like The Complete Climber, which included bouldering, top rope belaying, and lead climbing. It was a lot of fun. Once the course finished, however, I didn't go climbing nearly as much as I had intended. The skills (and back muscles) I had developed dwindled and I only visited the gym now and then.
After years of dabbling and remaining in a perpetual state of beginnerdom, a good friend encouraged me to regularly join her on the wall. I quickly realized that, like most parts of life, you get back what you put in.
Here are 7 ways to actually improve as a climber, to slowly get better with each practice, and go beyond beginner. (Ps. If you're brand new to climbing, we've compiled a helpful list for you too).
Commit the time. If you're reading this on your computer, open up your calendar, pick a couple days that work for you, and schedule in a climb or two. Ideally, you should be going more than once a week, but choose a frequency that is manageable for you. The first step to improving as a climber is putting in the time. Take those intentions and turn them into actions!
Get competitive with your climbing buddy. Having interviewed a handful of climbers now, one commonality that comes up in every interview is how motivating a good climbing partner can be. A good climbing partner is accountable and trustworthy, but they should also be someone who encourages you to get a little competitive - competitive with them and competitive with yourself.
Master the basics. Straight arms, back-stepping, flagging and smearing, heel hooks, and accurate footwork. These are concepts and manoeuvres we know. Being able to demonstrate these practices is one thing, but implementing them and executing them with ease every time is another. Many new climbers understand techniques hypothetically, but haven't quite mastered them in practice. Forgoing this step can cause climbers to develop poor habits, instead of a solid foundation and strong climbing posture. Taking a class is a helpful way to engrain techniques, but you can also find lots of tutorials online.
Train your brain. Developing awareness for your body takes practice, so start early! This means being conscious of your movement (see the last point). It also means learning to read a problem or route and assess the best way to approach it. Before getting on the wall, spend a few minutes visualizing how you plan on sending your line. As a beginner, it's easy to brush off the importance of this step, but it's a necessary part of understanding your problem - not to mention conserving your energy. Figure out what you have to do from the ground, rather than you're exhausted and tangled, half way up.
Focus on the perfect ascent. It can be tempting to treat the gym like a giant checklist. Once you get to the top, you're done with it! That mentality won't drive improvement as fast as you think it will. Rather, create routines that include similar climbs, multiple times a week. Don't move on from a problem until you can climb it with ease and accuracy. Even then, consider easier routes as warm-ups. Structure your sessions like you would any other workout: with a warm up, routes or problems of increasing difficulties, then a few cool down climbs. This will eventually build strength and endurance.
Consider cross training. Building your strength and over all fitness in other arenas will likely improve your climbing. It's as simple as that! Light weights and simple cardio - think swimming and running - are great compliments to climbing. Just be cognisant of potentially over working certain muscle groups and listen to your body. Talk to a physiotherapist, a trainer, or your doctor for additional insights.
Develop your own style. Most climbers develop a style that works to their strengths. Maybe you're 4 foot 9 with strong legs. The way you climb could (and likely will) be different than someone who is 6 feet tall and prefers to use their upper body. You might also discover you have a tendency towards certain moves. For some climbers, climbing fast and very dynamically feels natural and efficient. Others prefer a slower, more static climb with greater control. Try new techniques, while honing the basics from Step 3, and find what feels best for you. This is your practice, so be sure to enjoy it in a way that is meaningful for you!
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