Performance Rock Climbing

This book is about improving at rock climbing. It is not a learning-to-climb book like several already on the shelves. We don't discuss knot tying or belay safety. We've written for climbers already versed in the technicalities of equipment use and safety who hope to hone the athletic abilities that climbing demands.
Some will ask, "Why should I want to improve?" and indeed, this is a valid question. After all, the satisfaction of simply "doing" the sport is tremendous. The act of climbing is inherently enjoyable at any level. It takes you to places and situations distinct from those of your everyday life. It puts you in circumstances where you feel your own strength and that of the natural environment. It introduces you to diverse people. You don't need to be trying to climb better to enjoy these aspects of climbing.
But improvement in itself is a source of satisfaction independent of those described above. You sense this when you're working on a difficult sequence and someone suggests a subtle shift in body weight that replaces a grimacing power movement with a graceful one. You see it more clearly on the days when the results of your training show themselvesyour climbing "clicks," and you feel smooth and fluid on moves that normally require everything you can muster. You know it in your heart on those rare and precious days when the many skills climbing demands come together at once, weaving preparation and spontaneity together into one unforgettable ascent.
Seeking improvement doesn't detract from the pleasure of doing. Many derive satisfaction from playing the piano for years with the same degree of skill. Yet people agree that with increased ability, the richness and depth of the experience grows. Climbing is no different. The more you put into it, the richer your harvest.
Improvement in climbing is not reserved for the ambitious energy of youth. Climbing is a sport one can pursue safely for the long term, and progress continues as long as there's motivation behind it. In France, parents climb alongside their children at the cliffs, all of them improving with age. And look at Alan Steck, pioneer of early Yosemite classics. Now in his sixties, Steck continues to improve and now leads 5.10. To celebrate his sixtieth birthday, he freeclimbed Yosemite's Steck-Salathé, which he established as an aid route in the early 1950s.
Pursuing improvement is not without pitfalls, however. There's no guarantee you'll reach your aim. Improvement can come quickly or not at all, depending on how you go about it. Train right and you'll steadily increase your ability; choose the wrong approach and you might actually regress.
In today's world, we all have limits to the amount of time we can dedicate to any pursuit. Some of the activities that enhance rock-climbing skills suspend the immediate rewards of the sport in hope of future payoffs. If you make such an investment, you want to feel sure it will be worthwhile.