How many times have you just jumped right into something without thinking, only to realize that you probably should have had a better plan going into it? Well I certainly have learned that the hard way when rock climbing.  I’ve climbed my way right into a place where the only option I had was pull off an insane dyno or fall.  Before I realized that I was doing this a lot and climbing seemed to be really really hard.  Of course the problem turned out to be that I hadn’t really planned a route, I just started climbing.  I’d search for a decent handhold and when I found one I’d use it, not thinking about the next hold until I found a place for my feet.

Of course now that I’m slightly wiser I take a minute to pick a route out. After I do that I always try and think three or four holds in advance.  This is really easy when you’re climbing in a gym, it’s not so straight forward when you’re rock climbing.  It has made life so much easier on me.  A good friend shared this little gem with me: “climbing isn’t about getting to the top, it’s about getting to the top while using as little energy as possible.”  Now a seasoned climber will tell you that dynos are a lot of fun and you should constantly challenge yourself by trying harder and harder routes.  I don’t disagree with that, but if you’re just starting out why not enjoy your climbs instead of frustrating yourself by trying to pull of a move that you’re just not ready for?  It takes time to get your body in “climbing shape.”

Until you’ve got a few falls under your belt and feel physically (and emotionally) ready to try for that epic dyno, just take the advice of the great Kunu from Forgetting Sarah Marshall: “Your doing too much, do less. The less you do, the more you do!”  Just climb simple.  Take easy routes and work your way up to the more challenging ones.