No one participates in a sport because they hate it. That’s just crazy. Every athlete loves what they do and only wants to see themselves (and the sport as a whole) improve. Rock climbing is no different.
Except in rock climbing one’s love for the sport has a specific name: “psych” (or syke, or sike). Rock climbers follow their own psych; when you’re not psyched to climb there’s no point in climbing. But the goal is to always be psyched. Whether you’ve never touched the rock, or are a seasoned professional, I believe there’s a few steps one can take to never lose their rock climbing psych.
1. Challenge Yourself
Climbers have to be willing to challenge themselves and step outside of their comfort zone. Rock climbing is an individual sport and is unique in that you can actively see your improvement as you become stronger and attempt more difficult routes. But you have to be willing to challenge yourself in order to improve.
If you only climb V2 routes (learn about bouldering grades) and never try a V3 claiming you’re not good enough and are afraid to fail, you’ll never improve. You may not flash it (the term used for climbing, or “sending” a route on your first try) and fall multiple times in the process, but when you do eventually send the route you’ll have the incomparable satisfaction of knowing you’ve improved and are ready for more.
2. Never Give Up
Flashing routes is fun, but projecting routes is even more satisfying. When you struggle to climb a difficult route you’ve never sent it becomes your “project.” Project routes can take days, or even years for professionals, but there’s nothing more satisfying than eventually sending a route you’ve worked on for so long.
3. It’s All Mental
Climbing is as much mental strength as it is physical. Contrary to popular belief, rock climbing is much more than simply pulling oneself up a wall with nothing but sheer muscle. Climbers approach routes as if they were puzzles. There’s many ways to attempt routes, but less ways to actually complete it; finding the correct way to position your body and use your hands and feet in the most efficient way is half the challenge of climbing.
Plus, mental strength is essential in projecting, making sure you don’t give up and stick with a route long enough to see yourself conquer it.
4. Be An Active Member of the Community
The best way to stay psyched to climb is to surround yourself with other people who are psyched to climb. The climbing community is one of the most friendly communities out there, so don’t be afraid to meet new people or ask another climber for beta (help with a route).
Climbing has lots of different skills to practice. Surround yourself with people who are good at different aspects of the sport to diversify your climbing experience. And climb with people who are better than you. It may seem daunting, but they’ll only make you stronger.
Friction Labs describes rock climbing psych as “deeply personal, but also a product of community effort. It’s what we honor, what we seek for ourselves, and the best gift we can give to another climber,” and that’s most definitely true.
Rock climbing is meant to be a challenge, but most importantly it’s meant to be fun. So next time you’re feeling discouraged about hitting the gym or crag, give these steps a try and never lose your psych again.
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