Pro Clinic: Top 10 Bouldering Questions with Coach Jesse Firestone (FREE)

Sep 10, 2025

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Join The Struggle’s Patreon community to get 100+ hours of Bonus Episodes, Pro Clinics, Uncut Videos, and Submit Questions for Future Guests. FREE TRIAL available!

https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow

In this Pro Clinic, coach Jesse Firestone answers lisnters' top bouldering questions in his characteristic thoughtful manner. Topics include:

How to access maximal effort and power on the first move
Visualization techniques to get amped
The value of limiting attempts on a boulder
Are grades necessary for motivation and progression
Loss aversion theory
The importance of skills over grades
Managing fear of falling
A guaranteed way to get better at scary top outs
Dealing with injuries
How to let go of the things we can’t control
Overcoming biases to refresh our training and performance
How to improve at technique if we don’t have a coach
Using video for self technique review
When testing various strength metrics is helpful vs a waste of time
Building capacity for better bouldering sessions

Gain instant access to the FULL Pro Clinic by supporting the show as a Patron (you can even check it out for FREE with a 7-day trial):

https://www.patreon.com/thestruggleclimbingshow

Here are some AI generated show notes (hopefully the robots got it right)

00:00 Introduction to Strength Training 00:22 Welcome to the Struggle Climbing Show 00:41 Top 10 Bouldering Questions 01:34 Jesse Firestone's Coaching Insights 02:46 Personal Climbing Journeys 03:28 Parenting and Climbing 05:54 Q&A Session Begins 07:32 Maximal Effort Tips 08:21 Visualization Techniques 10:07 Creating Aggression for Climbing 12:22 Strength Training and Plyometrics 15:25 Session Constraints and Final Tips 16:25 Corey's Perspective on Grades 17:18 Understanding Loss Aversion in Climbing 19:26 Skills Over Grades: A Coaching Approach 22:58 The Value of Attempting the Impossible 29:51 Fear of Falling in Outdoor Bouldering 31:27 Conclusion and Further Insights

Shoutout to Matt Waltereese for being a Victory Whip supporter on Patreon! So mega.

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This show is produced and hosted by Ryan Devlin, and edited by Glen Walker. The Struggle is carbon-neutral in partnership with The Honnold Foundation and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective, a diverse group of the best, most impactful podcasts in the outdoor industry.

The struggle makes us stronger! Let's get out there and try hard. Thanks for supporting the show, y'all.

And now here are some buzzwords to help the almighty algorithm get this show in front of people who love to climb: rock climbing, rock climber, climbing, climber, bouldering, sport climbing, gym climbing, how to rock climb, donuts are amazing. Okay, whew, that’s done. But hey, if you’re a human that’s actually reading this, and if you love this show (and love to climb) would you think about sharing this episode with a climber friend of yours? And shout it out on your socials? I’ll send you a sticker for doing it. Just shoot me a message on IG – thanks so much!