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jt512
Jul 30, 2005, 2:34 AM
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I'm curious about how many people who have read RWW have attempted to put into practice the entire process from Observing and Centering all the way through to Trust and Attention. If you have, how has it gone for you? On the other hand, do you mainly take from the process pieces that work for you and not incorporate other parts of the process into your climbing. If you do this which do you use and which don't you use and why?
-Jay
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arnoilgner
Aug 1, 2005, 9:49 PM
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Jay,
Yes, I've applied all of it in my climbing. But, the main thing I apply in my life is to develop awareness of ego intrusions. I want to develop my ability to be the witness instead of reacting to stressful situations.
In climbing the main thing I continually need to remind myself about what to do when I'm at a rest/stance and ready to commit into the next section.
Before I leave that stance I need to remind myself of the transition and action phases of the process (for well protected routes where I know I could be falling):
1. Set an intention on exerting effort,
2. Expect doubts and let them go,
3. Make that next move anyway
If I do not do this I tend to listen to the doubts.
arno
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lou_dale
Aug 8, 2005, 12:41 AM
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Lou here - I've taken several classes and have read the book many times (and continue to do so). I have managed to use the book as a guide and it has proven to be very effective for me - not just in climbing but in my life as well.
Making the principles work takes dedication on my part - but i have personally seen my life improve dramatically as well as my climbing. i admit clearly here and now to you and the world - yes, i whined - i whined, i whined and i whined. then i realized that - i needed to dedicate myself to making this work. just like anything else - if you apply yourself fully to something, you see results.
just a few years ago, i could barely - BARELY - manage to climb a 5.8 - and i have been able to climb a 5.11 just in the past year - all by using the principles in the Warrior's Way. I went through these one at a time and have remained true to the process.
we all have moments where ego says - WHOA! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE??????? so i find myself stepping back, looking at me with a new attitude, remembering the purpose behind the Warrior's Way - and utilize these in order to further me along.
i also believe that (for lack of a better word) setbacks - can prove to teach as well - as long as you don't stay in that mode without understanding - it's about learning and growing.
this stuff works - it works in climbing, it works in running, in biking - it works in all things - relationships - in all things - literally. with the principles at your core belief - i think putting it all together - you can accomplish great things - great meaning - great for your spirit - not your ego.
thanks for listening.
(p.s. - husband says ditto)
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tattooed_climber
Aug 8, 2005, 4:09 AM
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i've read the book speraticly, so same is with my applications of what i learnt from it...
i really need to give RWW a full, non-stop read through....hopefully i'm not distracted by shiney shit
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lou_dale
Aug 8, 2005, 1:01 PM
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it's well worth anybody's time and effort to read it through - apply
the principles and watch how these affect your climbing. after having
read it more times than i can count now - i find new things to inspire me each and every time.
yes, it is that good. it's worth your time and attention - just like climbing is worth our time and attention.
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andy_reagan
Aug 8, 2005, 1:09 PM
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You know, I think RWW mainly served to reinforce ideas that I intuitively understood before reading. For instance, the calm/steady breathing as a means to precipitate the observer mentality. Almost second nature, but a gentle shove from Arno helped things along the way.
The main thing I have taken from RWW though is viewing each and every climb as a valuable learning experience. That has helped me confront my issues with success/failure very well, and has helped me continue to develop as a climber.
Peace,
Andy
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annak
Aug 9, 2005, 5:10 AM
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I keep re-reading the book, and applying more and more concepts and tips, however, I do not seem to manage to apply the entire process step-by-step, as recommended. It gives me a feeling that I am missing the big picture, and am just playing with a bits of a puzzle. Based on how useful these bits (which I use in a quite not systematic manner) are, I can only guess the magnitude of a transition one can make when it is all put together!
I cannot quite pinpoint what makes it difficult for me to follow the process step by step, perhaps, I can only focus on one thing at a time (e.g., setting an intent and following it, etc)...
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arnoilgner
Aug 9, 2005, 9:31 PM
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Hello Annak,
Concerning your comment about pinpointing why it is difficult to apply. Next time you go to a well-protected sport or trad climb that is at or near your limit (in other words, it will be challenging and you might fall) do this:
1. Break the climb into mini risks by identifying where the rests are. Usually they will be at the pro.
2. At each of these rest you will be resting, looking up to locate the next pro, looking down to assess the fall consequence, then setting an intention to commit to climbing, and climbing until you get to the next rest.
3. If you get doubts then do your best to witness them, let them go and stay with your intent.
If you have a fear of falling you'll probably stop climbing when the doubts come into your awareness. See if you can continue anyway.
Perhaps this helps. arno
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annak
Aug 9, 2005, 10:25 PM
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Arno, thanks. I am kind of doing it already, but I thought I am missing steps relative to the whole Observe-Center-Transition.... scheme? This 3-step procedure is more compact and better defined, should be easier to follow, I will do it systematically and report the results.
However, I feel that it clashes with another recommendation, i.e., to avoid tunnel vision, thinking bolt-to-bolt, and be open to what rock offers for climbing/pro. In particular, I have more difficulties with that on trad climbs, when the pro is up to me to set. What often happens to me is the following: I would set up a pro, decide to go to the next point, but then, half way through, passing an obviously good pro opprtunity, would get doubts about whether or not the pro/stance will be as good at the planned destination, and end up stopping and putting an extra pro "just because I can" -- so I end up overprotecting, especially when climbing at my limit. Needless to say, it drains me, slows down the second, and sometimes even causes me to run it out at the end of a pitch.
Anna.
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arnoilgner
Aug 10, 2005, 2:01 AM
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Hi Anna,
Your comment:
"I feel that it clashes with another recommendation, i.e., to avoid tunnel vision, thinking bolt-to-bolt, and be open to what rock offers for climbing/pro."
All you are doing is breaking down the whole risk (the whole route) into smaller risks. Yes, you can get tunnel vision and be overly focused on getting to the next rest/pro. But knowing you may have this tendency you can deliberately focus on what you need to do while in each mini risk.
"What often happens to me is the following: I would set up a pro, decide to go to the next point, but then, half way through, passing an obviously good pro opportunity..."
This is a tough one because in trad climbers get runout before they realize it. I suggest you stick with going to the rest you decided to go to. At least play with this and do it once per climb. Seems like you are sometimes being forced to do this near the end of climb due to running out of pro. In the short run it is better to over protect and reduce the fall consequences than to get runout and risk getting injured. Perhaps you need to get some falling practice to get more familiar with falling so you aren't as distracted by it. If you do decide to pass that good pro placement and the upper one turns out no good then you can down climb, take a fall, or a combination of both.
Perhaps it would be best to do this on a route you've done before and know where the best pro places are. Pick ones that are about 6 to 8 feet apart. Then force yourself to climb to those places instead of stopping short.
Perhaps this will help. arno
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