learning versus mastery

Today we are finishing up the technique pillar with a discussion on learning versus mastery in climbing.

One of the best and most challenging parts of climbing is that no two climbs are quite the same. 

Unlike a swimming stroke or a ballet move that is practiced until mastered, just because you do one heel hook or lock off does not mean you can do them all. There are infinite variations of each type of move.

This is what makes the ability to learn in climbing so important. The better you understand the base concepts of movement, the better and quicker you'll be able to adapt to new climbs.

The way to improve the ability to learn is to consistently challenge yourself on a large variety of new climbs at a grade level below your limit.

On the opposite end of the spectrum we have mastery which moves from learning and exploration to more of a rehearsal-like performance.

This is the category that I believe long-term projects fall into: we practice, refine, and try to execute the same set of moves over and over and over.

So are learning and mastery at odds with each other?

Well, yes and no... of course the answer is nuanced.


(Pictured is a long-term project of mine, Clear Blue Skies. The first season I tried it, I put in 12 sessions on these 4 hard crimp moves.)

As with anything, balance is important. Projecting is great because it gives you experience trying harder moves.

It teaches you how to refine for efficiency and discover key microbeta for unlocking sequences. It also pushes your physical limit to make you stronger.

But if you spend too much time on a particular project, your ability to climb on other moves can deteriorate.

On the other hand, spending more time in a learning/"adaptive" zone helps you develop more skills that can be applied to a broader scope of climbs you'll encounter.

You'll gain more experience climbing on a multitude of climbs rather than just the one project and what you learn can ultimately help you on said project.

So how to find this balance? The best bet is to follow your motivation.

If you're psyched on sieging a project, go siege. Have fun on the hard moves, challenge yourself mentally, see what's possible for yourself.

However if you're find yourself stuck on your projects, feeling overwhelmingly frustrated, and like you're on a never-ending plateau, it could be worth taking a step back from a particular project for a bit.

Think about what's going to help you become a better overall climber in the long-term and spend some more time in the adaptive zone.