Somehow, I didn’t fail. On my 50th birthday, I managed to scrape my way up my one-hundredth 5.13.

I don’t set goals so that I can achieve them. I set goals so that I can chase them.

If we’re always compensating for some weakness or skill we don’t yet have, how will we ever improve?

Despite being constantly present and often the reason we fail, Rhythm is the most underrated of the Atomic Elements of Climbing Movement.

Improving movement skills is by far the most abstract part of becoming a better climber. And arguably the most important part.

I wrote a book about commitment in climbing. I should have known.

But then it hit me… Techniques are just the language we use to name the combination of elements as they show up in usage.

There’s A LOT of great information out there on how to climb harder. But it’s tough to sort through…

No matter what technique, its success depends on getting the basic elements right: Position, Tension, Rhythm, Commitment, and Effort.

Short climbers are good at getting scrunchy, and tall climbers are good at climbing extended, right? Wrong.

One of the most common places things start to fall apart is at the very beginning of the move.

Particularly when it comes to climbing better, knowledge alone isn’t all that helpful.

We know spending time on a finishing link is smart tactics for hard climbs. So why not apply the same concept to individual moves?

Maybe “careless and sloppy” isn’t always so bad.

Learning when and how to compensate for a weakness is a skill. And skills need to be practiced.

Lowball boulders, while not as proud, can still teach us new movement, new ways to utilize tension, and force us into finding new techniques.

How do you solve a problem? By looking for a solution.

I never thought I’d be recommending this, but some of y’all should be putting less effort into becoming technically better climbers.

“Climbing is a skill sport,” isn’t enough.

Training principles are important, but when they creep into performance, your climbing will suffer. Nearly every time.