On-sight and Redpointing - lessons learnt.

Since my last post i have been trying ( and failing ) to on-sight 7a. I have only tried 3 and got 2 of them 2nd go. The 3rd ( Arabesque ) i only had chance for one try on. I've been having a good hard think about my approach and what is wrong and right with it.

I am never going to on-sight a 7a unless i get on them so that's for the good. But should i be trying the 3* classics before i am ready ? Ah well too late now as i've buggered up 3 of them.

I haven't been giving myself the best chance at them though. I've not spent the time route reading, visualising, or built my base. I was surprised to find out i've not filled out enough 6c and 6c+ on-sights. Something to go at there then.

The biggest problem i still have is being scared of falling. Even when i practiced falling at the wal,l until i was happy enough to take huge lobs, i was still scared to try 100% at on-sights. On Danza Agresiva the other week i ended up taking an accidental practice fall. It was a controlled fall and in the place where i am most likely to fall when i go back for the RP. It wasn't planned but when i got there i knew it was for the best. Now i will feel more comfortable on the RP. Practising a fall is very different to falling 'out of control' un-expectedly. I guess more practise falls are needed until i can convince my brain it's OK to fall on on-sight.

For red-pointing i just need more focus. I have warmed up too much and over cooked it, not warmed up enough, warmed up and then got too cold again but tried anyway, changed my plan on a redpoint burn etc etc etc. I still have a lot to learn about this game but things are improving with experience.

I've been very lazy and tired over the last month or so. Not much climbing and certainly nothing to blog about. I got some good mileage in when Pete and Kate came over but after that i felt strangely lethargic. I am now finally part way through a good training week and seem to have some psyche back after being ill for a few days. I have not been on the scales as i don't need them to tell me i am fat.

I've been back to El Torcalito to get pumped on the traverses there and have made a 40 move 6c/6c+ ish traverse. It has one decent hands on rest in it where i hang off an awesome little mini tufa pinch for a minute max and one easy section that i skip through asap. There is a but of a cruxy start and a definite crux after the rest. I have managed to repeat it 3 times with 3 mins rest in a session after warming up and bouldering about. It's not the most specific but it's the best i can do at the moment. Filming myself on it has shown i have gone very static again so i am concentrating on dynamism at the moment.

Mario is coming over for Xmas and i've got my (our?) eye(s) on some 7a+'s and that elusive 7a on-sight.

Bring it on !