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erclimb
Feb 2, 2009, 9:33 PM
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practice falls are only good for testing your belayer...just keep climbing and move up in grade as you feel more comfortable...you're gonna fall eventually and probably on something easy
i think it's a good thing you're afraid to fall...fear keeps us safe...don't beat yourself up over it...just keep having fun
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shoo
Feb 2, 2009, 9:36 PM
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erclimb wrote: i think it's a good thing you're afraid to fall...fear keeps us safe...don't beat yourself up over it...just keep having fun
Fear of falling does not help keep you safe. Fear of pancaking does.
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milesenoell
Feb 2, 2009, 11:26 PM
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As wiser men than me have said, "I'm not so worried about the falling, it's more about the landing".
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ladyscarlett
Feb 3, 2009, 12:13 AM
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milesenoell wrote: As wiser men than me have said, "I'm not so worried about the falling, it's more about the landing".
YES!!
The actual falling is somewhat invigorating and an adrenaline rush... the impact, well you never know until it's over.
I used to spring board dive, and people would ask - aren't you afraid of the board? I was more afraid of the water...
I like the suggestions about trying it out. I would do that too. But last time I mentioned this "testing" to my climbing buddies they put me on routes that really pushed me mentally...at dusk...My buddies are good about learning through experience, heh.
I would highly suggest trying the falling in a controlled situation, if nothing else, to get used to dealing with the impact in a variety of situations. Sounds like the best way to get some peace of mind.
Then again, the beta my buddies give me = don't fall! ha!
good luck
ls
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d0nk3yk0n9
Feb 3, 2009, 12:16 AM
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I know that the gym that I climb at requires you to take a lead fall before you can lead in the gym unsupervised. Also, before you can lead belay in the gym without staff supervision, you have to catch a lead fall. Thus, they teach people how to do it, let them test their skills, and then let them use them on their own.
Also, as someone above said, falling isn't that bad. It's hitting the ground that sucks.
That said, as long as you don't get injured, falling, decking, and all variations thereof are extremely fun and exhilarating experiences.
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seatbeltpants
Feb 3, 2009, 2:21 AM
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reiterating what some others have said, i found that it helps to take practice falls. just find a safe, preferably overhanging climb, go up a four or five bolts so there's no chance of decking, then drop from just below your top clip, then at it, then a foot above, then two feet, and just rinse and repeat until you're comfortable taking falls from the next bolt. personally i hate taking falls at the gym (seems way scarier than outdoors to me) but it's a good place to do this.
the rock warriors way was a good read and covered some of this ground - could be worth a look if you're into that kind of thing.
steve
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sungam
Feb 3, 2009, 2:53 AM
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Simplest way to get over it - jump on some3thing too hard for you. warm up if you must, but jump straight into that one near the start of the day. Get so focused on the moves. Eventually you'll fall so into focus on the moves you won't be able to think of anything else - what you'll eat later, weather or not your hungry, or what would happen if you fall.
Then you'll fall off. Then you'll realize it's no big deal.
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lena_chita
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Feb 3, 2009, 3:31 PM
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cush wrote: dingus wrote: cush wrote: you guys would really flip that much of a shit about it? it was kinda scary at the time but afterward i was laughing my ass off. Um, probably not. But there would be appropriate payback at some point. DMT oh believe me, there was payback. as far as not being able to trust him after that, i don't see how this would give me reason not to trust him. it was kind of a mean thing to do but it wasn't like he messed up and dropped me. he's a completely safe belayer. the fall was on an overhanging section so when i dropped i didn't even hit the wall and it was a learning experience. if i ever had a belayer that messed up and did something wrong i would be livid but this wasn't that just wasn't the case.
There are some people who believe that the proper way to teach their child to swim is to throw him/her into the water.
I know people who were taught that way, and I know people who have taught their kids that way. It didn't seem to ruin the trust between the parent (the thrower) and the child (the thrown). But darn it if I ever do that to my child! That would be a recipe for water-phobia that would take years to reverse with my kind of kiddos.
For some people in some situations, this sort of "teaching" is beneficial. It seems that it was for cush, and his belayer knew him well enough to know it. I've heard people threaten "penalty slack" as the way to get their climber to commit. It is not the way I would like my belayer to behave EVER, and -- and what a lucky co-incidence!--my belayers never thought it would be a good idea to pull a trick like that on me!
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dingus
Feb 3, 2009, 3:54 PM
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That sort of (threatening) 'encouragement' is the province of boys and young men.
Don't go there.
I've come to the belief that the vast majority of the 'my dad threw me in the deep end' stories are BULLSHIT. Probably on the order of 99.99% of them, pure bullshit.
DMT
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Valarc
Feb 3, 2009, 4:36 PM
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dingus wrote: I've come to the belief that the vast majority of the 'my dad threw me in the deep end' stories are BULLSHIT. Probably on the order of 99.99% of them, pure bullshit.
My dad had a far more effective method - tape a $20 bill to the side of the deep end. If you can swim over and get it, you can keep it.
I learned to swim really fast, and I'm a full-bore aquaphobic.
Stick vs. Carrot, and all that jazz.
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cush
Feb 3, 2009, 5:25 PM
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this is actually a really good method. i'd never thought of that before.
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dingus
Feb 3, 2009, 5:27 PM
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Valarc wrote: dingus wrote: I've come to the belief that the vast majority of the 'my dad threw me in the deep end' stories are BULLSHIT. Probably on the order of 99.99% of them, pure bullshit. My dad had a far more effective method - tape a $20 bill to the side of the deep end. If you can swim over and get it, you can keep it. I learned to swim really fast, and I'm a full-bore aquaphobic. Stick vs. Carrot, and all that jazz.
The FIRST time you went swimming he did this?
Uh..... BULLSHIT!
DMT
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onarunning
Feb 3, 2009, 5:41 PM
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A friend of mine was afraid of falling on sport routes, so his cousin tied another line to the back of my friend's harness and had someone tug on it when he was above the bolt.
This is a method I don't recommend.
Oh, and it didn't really work that well.
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Valarc
Feb 3, 2009, 5:50 PM
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dingus wrote: Valarc wrote: dingus wrote: I've come to the belief that the vast majority of the 'my dad threw me in the deep end' stories are BULLSHIT. Probably on the order of 99.99% of them, pure bullshit. My dad had a far more effective method - tape a $20 bill to the side of the deep end. If you can swim over and get it, you can keep it. I learned to swim really fast, and I'm a full-bore aquaphobic. Stick vs. Carrot, and all that jazz. The FIRST time you went swimming he did this? Uh..... BULLSHIT! DMT
The first time I swam, yes. We had a pool in our backyard and I had used tubes and other floaty crap to play in the water, but I wasn't actually swimming. They kept trying to get me to ditch the tube and I refused, and he said "if you ditch the tube and swim over to this 20, you can have it".
I ditched the tube.
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dingus
Feb 3, 2009, 5:53 PM
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Valarc wrote: dingus wrote: Valarc wrote: dingus wrote: I've come to the belief that the vast majority of the 'my dad threw me in the deep end' stories are BULLSHIT. Probably on the order of 99.99% of them, pure bullshit. My dad had a far more effective method - tape a $20 bill to the side of the deep end. If you can swim over and get it, you can keep it. I learned to swim really fast, and I'm a full-bore aquaphobic. Stick vs. Carrot, and all that jazz. The FIRST time you went swimming he did this? Uh..... BULLSHIT! DMT The first time I swam, yes. We had a pool in our backyard and I had used tubes and other floaty crap to play in the water, but I wasn't actually swimming. They kept trying to get me to ditch the tube and I refused, and he said "if you ditch the tube and swim over to this 20, you can have it". I ditched the tube.
Get yer old man on here - I need some verification.
Cheers!
DMT
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joeforte
Feb 9, 2009, 12:52 AM
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WheresTheFire wrote: I will probably take a lead fall sooner than later, but it'll be because I couldn't pull a move.
Angela, we'll go get on a few routes at your "limit" that are well protected. The goal is to climb them without yelling "take". Either go for the next move or fall. You'll be surprised how hard you can climb with this mentality. I've seen people onsight harder than they normally toprope like this. It's much easier to "give up" when there's a rope to grab right in front of your face (toprope). On lead, you'll have to grab the next hold, instead of the rope.
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USnavy
Feb 9, 2009, 1:15 AM
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joeforte wrote: WheresTheFire wrote: I will probably take a lead fall sooner than later, but it'll be because I couldn't pull a move. I've seen people onsight harder than they normally toprope like this. It's much easier to "give up" when there's a rope to grab right in front of your face (toprope). On lead, you'll have to grab the next hold, instead of the rope.
Very true. I often find myself sending harder on lead then on TR.
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fresh
Feb 9, 2009, 8:20 PM
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I'm seriously jealous of people who can take a whipper or two and say "wow, I no longer fear falling!" I've taken maybe a hundred falls from five to twenty feet (in the gym, outside on bolts, outside on gear) and I still hate falling. I just don't like the feeling of letting go and that drop in my stomach, it gives me the creeps every time.
you say the problem is that you're afraid of falling. for me, I see it as being unable to perform under stress. to get past that, what I've done is to consistently do climbs that make me nervous. not so scary or difficult that I just cop out and take a short fall or downclimb, but nervous enough that I can keep climbing. the point is to pique your fear responses, and climb through the difficulties anyway.
some people advise falling whenever you feel nervous so you get used to it. if that works, great. but if it doesn't, it's probably because it doesn't really address the problem. it illuminates the unknown, which is important. but beyond that, when you let go, you aren't conquering your stress, you're giving in to it.
just my perspective. disregard all of it if something else works for you 
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caliclimbergrl
Feb 10, 2009, 5:49 PM
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dingus wrote: cush wrote: i'll share the way that i learned but i wouldn't say it's the best. it worked for me but it was scary as all freaking hell. i was talking with one of my climbing partners and mentioned that i had never taken a lead fall. when i said this i was consistently onsighting 5.10s on lead. somehow i had always managed to either get up the route or i would only fall right after clipping so i was below the bolt and would only take a small 1-2 foot bouncer. the next time he belayed for me when i reached the top bolt he locked off the rope before i could pull up enough rope to clip. we then argued back and forth for a good ten minutes until eventually my hands gave out and i fell 12 feet or so. i screamed at him for quite a while but ever since then i've never had a fear of falling. Twould end both partnership and friendship if my belayer did that to me. DMT
Me too. I can't climb with people I can't trust. Taking a practice fall shouldn't be anyone's decision but mine.
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Potts875
Jan 1, 2010, 6:22 AM
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I remember a trip to the New River Gorge years ago and being nervous of falling the first day. We went to the Perot Wall (I think thats the name- a bunch of 10's) and just cliped the 3rd bolt or so, ran up the side of the rock ,did half assed dynos, and took giant whippers.
I also remember it not helping with the fear of falling
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karmiclimber
Jan 1, 2010, 4:37 PM
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dingus wrote: WheresTheFire wrote: I recently started leading sport, and I'm afraid to take a fall; and in turn this means I can't climb at my ability level. I haven't taken a lead fall yet, but I've been told it's the best way to get over the fear of leading. Any thoughts or advice? Yes - you ARE climbing at your ability level. Cheers DMT
No, he's not. I do this all of the time. You climb waaay below your ability so there isn't a chance you can fall. For example, maybe you can send that 10 but you take the 8 because you KNOW you can't fall on an 8. Make sense? I have elvis-legged myself off a 10 from nervousness of falling. You can't compute what grade a new leader is climbing at until they are actually attempting the highest grade they can climb without falling.
(This post was edited by karmiclimber on Jan 1, 2010, 4:46 PM)
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dingus
Jan 2, 2010, 3:39 PM
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karmiclimber wrote: dingus wrote: WheresTheFire wrote: I recently started leading sport, and I'm afraid to take a fall; and in turn this means I can't climb at my ability level. I haven't taken a lead fall yet, but I've been told it's the best way to get over the fear of leading. Any thoughts or advice? Yes - you ARE climbing at your ability level. Cheers DMT No, he's not. I do this all of the time. You climb waaay below your ability so there isn't a chance you can fall.
You and I have a different definition of ABILITY. In my world, ABILITY = ACTION, not ABILITY = POTENTIAL.
Ability = what you CAN do, not what you THINK you can do.
In my world of ability, they dude is climbing right at his limit. Leading climbing is not just about crank, or about a sequence of moves. Lead climbing ABILITY includes being able to manage fear and take sport falls, for instance...
DMT
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karmiclimber
Jan 2, 2010, 3:46 PM
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Oh save it, old man with a stick up ur arse. You get over leading jitters pretty fast, if you want to. And you can't compute what grade someone is climbing at until it's down to skill and not jitters. Just because I said they weren't a 5.8 climber doesn't make them a 12c climber with potential. It makes their level indeterminate.
Now go pick fights with the newbs in beginners mkay?
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dingus
Jan 2, 2010, 3:49 PM
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Hehe. Wow.
DMT
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billl7
Jan 2, 2010, 4:38 PM
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karmiclimber wrote: ... you can't compute what grade someone is climbing at until it's down to skill and not jitters.
Bill L
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