I can't think of any 5.12 climbers that would want a 5.9 belaying for them. So what are we missing. Yes, everyone wants to go "up" but the Belay is also important.
So, pay attention, don't drink beer, don't talk to the tourists.... What exactly do you expect? Part of the time the climber is out of sight.. usually we're on a GriGri. What do you want.. how can we be better? Pay out the rope on time, bring in the slack after a clip, maybe a "soft catch"..?
What do you need...?

I can't think of any 5.12 climbers that would want a 5.9 belaying for them. So what are we missing. Yes, everyone wants to go "up" but the Belay is also important.
So, pay attention, don't drink beer, don't talk to the tourists.... What exactly do you expect? Part of the time the climber is out of sight.. usually we're on a GriGri. What do you want.. how can we be better? Pay out the rope on time, bring in the slack after a clip, maybe a "soft catch"..?
What do you need...?

I can't think of any 5.12 climbers that would want a 5.9 belaying for them. So what are we missing. Yes, everyone wants to go "up" but the Belay is also important.
So, pay attention, don't drink beer, don't talk to the tourists.... What exactly do you expect? Part of the time the climber is out of sight.. usually we're on a GriGri. What do you want.. how can we be better? Pay out the rope on time, bring in the slack after a clip, maybe a "soft catch"..?
What do you need...?

Sounds fair & clear. I have heard/read many complain about the risk on a difficult climb. What exactly are the different types of catches ? Obviously an overhang/invert wall hurts a lot less, but any hints on how to better protect our lead when you can't see them, which usually means they would hit a ledge or outcrop.

Thanks and yes. My partner rarely complains about my belay unless I fail to pay out fast enough occasionally, but that's usually with height. Still, I feel there would be ways to improve. Yes, I try to be focused and attentive. Climbing 4 months & started seconding a month ago.

Well, I disagree with your first premise that climbing ability has any bearing on belaying. But I agree with your major premise that belaying is an art, and that, while it's a fundamental safety skill, it isn't necessarily easy to do it well. Personally, I think there's are intangible qualities to good belayers that are difficult, if not impossible, to teach. An innate understanding of the seriousness of the task is one. Reaction time is another, and the ability to know which reaction is appropriate is yet another. Perhaps all of these come with experience. I dunno.

In no particular order, a truly good belayer...

1. Understands the seriousness of the task and pays attention
2. Knows what type of catch to administer and can do it spontaneously
3. Keeps an appropriate amount of slack or tension in the system
4. Is patient and obedient
5. Is utterly proficient with his or her chosen device
6. Communicates with the climber to the extent possible

Well, I disagree with your first premise that climbing ability has any bearing on belaying. But I agree with your major premise that belaying is an art, and that, while it's a fundamental safety skill, it isn't necessarily easy to do it well. Personally, I think there's are intangible qualities to good belayers that are difficult, if not impossible, to teach. An innate understanding of the seriousness of the task is one. Reaction time is another, and the ability to know which reaction is appropriate is yet another. Perhaps all of these come with experience. I dunno.

In no particular order, a truly good belayer...

1. Understands the seriousness of the task and pays attention
2. Knows what type of catch to administer and can do it spontaneously
3. Keeps an appropriate amount of slack or tension in the system
4. Is patient and obedient
5. Is utterly proficient with his or her chosen device
6. Communicates with the climber to the extent possible

In no particular order, a truly good belayer...

1. Understands the seriousness of the task and pays attention
2. Knows what type of catch to administer and can do it spontaneously
3. Keeps an appropriate amount of slack or tension in the system
4. Is patient and obedient
5. Is utterly proficient with his or her chosen device
6. Communicates with the climber to the extent possible

add "Is ready to climb when the leader calls "On belay" when doing multipitch(although I suppose that is more of a "art of seconding" quality.

7. Is competent with self-rescue techniques
8. Doesn't just assume that I know what I'm doing and have considered and prepared for all aspects of the route, uses their own judgement to analyze the situation and make suggestions
9. Makes sure they understand the plan before I leave the deck

I think that your list is the bare minimum that I would expect from a belayer. If I'm on a sport route that's really pushing my limits I want a belayer who can do all those things, but are good enough at rope management that it doesn't even feel like they're at the other end of the rope.

Even better than that is a belayer that knows me well enough and gives me useful prompts and encouragement while I'm climbing. I'm lucky because my main climbing partner knows me better than anyone I know (my hubby), he also gives me the dreamiest soft catches out of anyone I know. Not that my other partners are giving hard catches, but they don't have the pillow like quality of the catches from my husband.

I'm not sure I would choose "obedient" as a term though. A good belayer has their partner's back, and maybe there are times not to be so submissive(thinking of a time I had a leader who was sketching out and wanting to "go" instead of putting in a piece; which would be the last he could get for several feet, and he was just passing the zone of 'fall and probably be okay' into 'fall and you will probably get hurt' and I refused slack until he placed.

The infamous drkodos once said(or yelled, actually) "The belayer's job is to catch the fall. Anything more is a perk!" Then "get off the rope! Get off the rope or I'm lowerin' ya to the ground!!!111!"