One of the greatest feelings when you go rock climbing is getting a route that is a challenge for you and just pushing through and climbing it on your first try. We call this onsight climbing and it is one of the hardest things to do in rock climbing.
Becoming a good onsight climber involves a lot of hard work and practice. Let me give you some tips that I know will allow you to become better onsight climber.
1. Become more patient. Patience in rock climbing is very important, especially when onsighting a route. You don’t want to rush things because that is how you can make a mistake. A lot of times if you rush you will mess up a sequence or miss a crucial foothold and these tiny mistakes can cause you to fall, blowing the onsight. Plan out your sequence and execute it with extreme focus. Be patient when grab each hold and set your body in to the proper body position before you do each move.
2. Keep breathing. A lot of times when we try and onsight a route we get nervous and anxious. It is important to take several deep breathes before you start climbing to calm you down and release some of that tension. That is the easy part. The hard part comes in when you actually get on the route. We start to get tensed up and forget to actually breathe. It is very important that you continue to breathe and breathe deep. You must use your breathe as a tool to keep you focused, relaxed and in control.
These two simple tips are guaranteed to help you onsight more climbs when you put them into practice. Now practicing them is much easier said than done. You will have to focus and really try to apply these. I promise you though that it is worth it. Commit to it and remember to have fun.
Ryan Coisson is author of Training for Rock Climbing and the author of dozens of rock climbing training articles.