ATTENTION CONTROL

When anyone becomes anxious, there is a tendency for them to attend only to those aspects of the
environment which they consider to be important. Unfortunately, this apparently 'good' safe mechanism
can have disastrous consequences in climbing. For example, beginners refuse to even look at their feet
'because it is their hands that hold them on'. Even worse, if beginners can be persuaded to stand out a bit
and look at their feet, they will probably focus on the ground instead, 'because everybody knows that it is
the ground which hurts you if you fall off! Similarly, a leader who is badly 'gripped up' might typically
search his field of vision as quickly as possible in a desperate attempt to find some 'straw' to clutch at – a
hold, a runner placement, their second, anyone else on the crag. When you are really desperate, all sorts of
things look as though they might help! Of course, a leader's problems are largely his own, and attending to
distractions in this way simply clogs up the brain with useless information. The net result of all this is that when you are anxious, your speed of perception is likely to be greatly increased, but you are also highly likely to make mistakes. These usually take the form of failing to see some holds while being totally preoccupied with others. Most climbers will be able to remember occasions when this has happened to them. What is required, then, is some means of ensuring that you focus your attention appropriately on those things which will help – that is to say, some sort of concentration training. One way to practice concentration is always to make a mental note of where all the holds are before you attempt to use any. You should try this from the ground when bouldering first, then from resting positions on routes. Try to relax for a few moments (for just one or two breaths) before looking for the holds: then, making a conscious problem of your next move, focus your attention upon the rock and try to notice as many of its qualities as you can. Try not to think of it only as something that you climb on, but rather as a sculpture. When you see holds, observe their color and shape as well as their size and usefulness. IF your attention wanders to other things, quietly acknowledge the fact and gently bring it back to the task in hand. Spend once or two minutes on the task before trying to work out how to do the next few moves. Concentration is not about trying hard, it is about focusing all your attentions upon the things which are important. The soft of distraction that climber have to overcome are, for example, worrying about a crux that they have not yet reached, or about how far above their last runner they are, or even thinking that they have not much further to go to the top of the pitch. The major difficulty in learning to concentrate is 'staying with the present'. This is not so much a case of continuing to focus upon the same things as constantly switching your attention away from the previous thing as you make each new move. The following exercise will help you to gain this attentional flexibility.

Exercise 2

While you are bouldering, pause on a problem and relax for a few moments, then scan your body
from your feet to your hands, exactly as you did in Part 2 of Exercise 1 (344). Again make a mental
note of where your body is relaxed, and where it is tense, as you scan it; but do not try to change it
– just be aware of it.

Now focus your attention on the next section of the problem and link a sequence of moves
together, keeping your attention focused on each move as you do it. Notice how good it feels!
When you can do this bouldering, try it on easier routes.