Road to V8: My Climbing Assessment, Strengths, Weaknesses, and Plan

Sep 3, 2025

Kevin Cuckovich, a coach from Kilter, dives into the intricacies of climbing assessments. He breaks down personal strengths and weaknesses, offering targeted drills to improve performance. Kevin stresses the importance of maintaining correct footwork and not 'cheating' climbs. He discusses how some sport climbing habits might hinder bouldering success and emphasizes embracing unstable positions. Listeners will appreciate his insights on scheduling training for optimal gains, along with how imposed challenges can enhance climbing skills. Get ready for your first V8!

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ANECDOTE

Basement Full Ride Changed Training

Ryan describes setting a Kilter Full Ride in his basement and using it for focused training.
He believes the board already changed how he can train and practice movement.

INSIGHT

Progressive Circuit Reveals Weaknesses

Kevin designed a progressive circuit to expose varied weaknesses in few problems.
Limiting attempts forces variety and reveals true movement limits quickly.

ADVICE

Use Strict Attempt Limits

Limit attempts (three max) and rest between tries to make each go a true flash attempt.
Use imposed scarcity to up focus and effort on every try.

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Coach Kevin Cuckovich from Kilter joins to go over my recent climbing assessment on the board, including:

What my assessment entailed
My strengths and weaknesses
The two main things I need to work on right now
Specific drills and exercises for me to implement
Why he doesn’t want me to cut feet
The benefit of imposed scarcity for attempts
The importance of not 'cheating' climbs
Why some of my sport climbing instincts are working against me as a boulderer
Embracing unstable positions
Off-the-wall training to support my climbing
How to schedule climbing and conditioning for best gains and recovery
When I’ll try my first V8 on the board

BIG THANKS TO THE AMAZING SPONSORS OF THE STRUGGLE WHO LOVE ROCK CLIMBING AS MUCH AS YOU DO:

Kilter: Award winning, adjustable, light-up board. It’s what I’m training on at home, and if you’re psyched to join me then use code STRUGGLE at checkout when you build your board, and you’ll score up to $1000 off plus a free gift pack let’s goooo!
Altitude Climbing: Join legends Chris Sharma and Magnus Midtbø for an unforgettable deep water soloing retreat in Mallorca, where all of the logistics (food, lodging, boat guides, etc.) are taken care of for you. Dream trip! Visit altitudeclimbing.com/events to learn more and apply today.

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

00:00 Introduction and Welcome Back 00:24 Ryan's Squamish Adventure 02:16 Training on the Kilter Board 02:50 Assessment with Coach Kevin 03:28 Identifying Weaknesses and Strengths 06:18 Training Strategies and Adjustments 16:28 The Importance of Precision and Familiarity 22:37 Kilter Board Endorsement and Benefits 26:10 Final Thoughts and Training Philosophy 32:15 Footwork and Climbing Techniques 34:42 Challenges and Observations 41:29 Training Plan and Adjustments 44:10 Balancing Climbing and Conditioning 51:35 Preparing for Squamish and Future Goals 57:53 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

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.

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!