TBP 217 :: Kevin Roet on Climbing Psychology for Optimal Performance
Oct 26, 2022
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Kevin Roet, a seasoned climbing instructor from the UK, delves into the fascinating world of climbing psychology. He discusses overcoming fears like falling and failure and emphasizes the importance of a growth mindset. Roet breaks down the elusive flow state, explains how performance anxiety can hinder climbers, and highlights the crucial communication between climbers and belayers. Packed with insights from his book, his expertise offers invaluable strategies for climbers looking to enhance their mental game and overall performance.
Kevin Roet emphasizes the role of addressing fears such as falling and failure through gradual exposure to boost climbing confidence.
The discussion highlights the distinction between growth and fixed mindsets in climbing, promoting a focus on effort over results for better engagement.
Communication between climbers and belayers is crucial, as articulating needs enhances safety, trust, and overall climbing performance.
Deep dives
Nutrition for Climbers
The discussion highlights the significance of nutrition for climbers, addressing key components such as the balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Effective meal timing is emphasized, with a focus on optimal eating before and after training sessions to enhance energy levels. Additionally, the impact of diet on stress hormones is examined, revealing how nutrition can also influence psychological well-being. A program called 'Nourish' is introduced, which provides climbers with detailed guidance on dietary logging, analysis, and sustainable changes to improve energy, digestion, and climbing performance.
Climbing Psychology Insights
The conversation introduces Kevin Rowett, a climbing instructor and author, who specializes in climbing psychology, particularly dealing with fears such as falling and failure alongside negative mindsets. Rowett shares personal anecdotes about his challenges with fear after multiple falling incidents while climbing, which led him to conduct research and develop workshops to assist climbers facing similar issues. His insights stress the importance of psychological training in climbing, highlighting that many climbers struggle with mental barriers that prevent them from reaching their potential. This focus on mental strength is crucial, as it directly correlates with climbing performance.
Fear and Psychological Barriers
Common fears faced by climbers, including the fear of falling and fear of failure, are discussed along with strategies to overcome them. Rowett outlines that addressing these fears requires gradual exposure and self-awareness, emphasizing that each climber's journey and stress threshold varies significantly. By breaking down these fears into manageable steps, climbers can build confidence, making it crucial to approach fear with patience and gentle progression rather than rushing towards perfection. This understanding encourages climbers to reassess their relationships with fear and failure, shifting the focus from results to personal growth.
Growth Mindset in Climbing
The concept of a growth mindset is examined in relation to climbing, contrasting it with a fixed mindset that often focuses solely on outcomes and grades. Rowett discusses an experiment illustrating how praise for effort rather than results leads to greater engagement and risk-taking in climbers. This shift from a focus on achieving specific goals to appreciating the learning process fosters resilience and enjoyment in climbing. Climbers are encouraged to recognize incremental progress and embrace challenges as opportunities for growth rather than potential failures.
The Belayer-Climber Relationship
The importance of communication between climbers and belayers is emphasized as a vital aspect of climbing safety and performance. Rowett stresses that climbers must articulate their needs and expectations to their belayers to create a trustworthy environment, reducing anxiety during climbs. This relationship should entail discussions about how the belayer will support the climber, such as the type of feedback and level of attention required during ascents. Awareness and understanding in these interactions can significantly enhance performance and trust, contributing positively to the climbing experience.
Kevin Roet is a climbing instructor from the UK who’s been teaching workshops on climbing psychology for about 7 years now. He recently wrote a book, Climbing Psychology: Mind Training for Optimal Climbing, all about the topic, and I wanted to have him on the show to talk about the things he most commonly helps people with in regards to climbing psychology.
This was a really enjoyable conversation for me, not only because Kevin is a humble Brit who’s well-versed in this topic, but also because it’s one of my own favorite topics. We talked about how he helps people with the fear of falling, the fear of failure, and recognizing their negative mindset.
We also went over the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, what exactly the flow state is, the psychology of pumped forearms!, and performance anxiety. We also discuss the overlooked importance of communication between belayer and climber, and how much that can affect your climbing negatively or positively.
I hope this conversation helps you dive a little deeper into your own psychology, and maybe take some steps to work on your mindset in climbing.
