Grasping The Climbing Elephant

 

Today I would like to use the parable of the elephant and the blind men, hoping that it will provide us a viewpoint that instrumental for grasping perspective into the climbing and training

You might already know the parable of the elephant and the blind men. It depicts four blind persons, who never encountered such animal before, and find themselves in the predicament of describing the animal without the benefit of sight. With limited information the four men can’t agree, providing each other with disparate descriptions, leading them to erroneous concepts. Strikingly, all of them are right but simultaneously they fail to arrive at a meaningful description of the animal.

“Although the parable’s function is to call attention to a lack of objectivity and consideration of other approaches and perspectives when trying to understand the nature of things, we do have to warn that not all perspectives are equally valid, and even valid arguments are not necessarily equally sound” (Victor Ross-Wild Equus).

 

I am sure many readers will find parallels to this parable in respect to description of climbing altogether, or concepts and approaches to training for climbing. In every crag or gym it is common to find strong opinions about both topics, agreement becoming scarce. As I pointed out in the previous text, there are different sources of information, but not all may be valid in an individualized training context.

I can’t assert I have a global view of climbing and training, but hereafter I will try to share some of the knowledge I believe have helped me as climber and coach.

 

With that said, I would like to ask the reader to take a few steps back in order to gather as much a wide perspective of climbing as possible. In lack of a better term for it I will use the term “Factors” and build a few posts around these concepts. No program or training routine will be complete if lacking attention to these,

 

Logistical Factors

Here we will find terms such as time, studies, work, economy, organisations, personal situation, social, cultural, and geographical factors amongst others.

 

Tactical Factors

Under which, timing, observation, style, pace, chalking, material, strategy and more can be found.

 

Technical Factors

Pertaining here are concepts such as balance, velocity, timing, gaze, attention, tension, relaxation along with many more.

 

Mental Factors

In which category we can found a variety of factors like, mood, emotions, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, distraction, mental imagery, self-reflection and others.

 

Physical Factors

In which we will count some of the most obvious concepts, including strength, power and endurance, but even physiology, anatomy, anthropometrical factors, together with a wide array of intricate phenomena.

 

Philosophical Factors

Such as metaphysics, ethics, moral, social, individual and group considerations and thougts.

 

For now, we can think of all these as web composed of interdependent factors resulting in a continuum that is Climbing.  For me this is a good starting point when I think of my own climbing, but especially about teaching or organizing any climbing or training activities. Sometimes I have met critics telling this is a dispassionate approach, yet that is as far from truth as I can imagine. However, I prefer my texts to speak for such approach rather than convincing anybody to take my own point of view. Climbing is unique and at the same time common for each and every one and experiencing that particular journey shall be at anyone’s desire and possibilities.