One of the most painful things in life is when you have a problem you aren’t aware of. The problem limits you, but you don’t even know it exists. Does that sound impossible? It’s not. You are too close to your own experience to be aware of much of what limits you. Thus, finding ways of becoming more self aware is important. You can do this in two ways: coaching from an expert and self awareness practices.

You can get coaching from an expert. Coaches can see what’s going on from a dispassionate perspective. They’re more objective and can share their observations with you. Coaches help you develop awareness in this way. (Connect with our global trainer team)

Our topic today is self awareness. We’ll investigate this in two ways. First, through coaching others. Second, through awareness practices. (our new Online Course supports you in this)

Self coaching – part of your climbing training programWe talked about developing a climbing training program in previous lessons. Knowing how to coach is central to such a program. Motivation influences your coaching. I’ve emphasized how end-result motivation distracts you from the current task. Process motivation guides effective coaching. So learn how to coach along processes.

Coaching othersLet’s take an easy example for coaching others: falling practice. Here are 5 things you can do to coach falling:

1. Coach with questions instead of statements. Rather than saying, “You didn’t look down.” Ask, “What did you see on that last fall?” The latter causes them to recall their own memory about the fall.
2. Use observations, not judgements. Rather than saying, “Your breathing was bad.” Say, “You held your breath, your body was tense, and then you exhaled when you impacted the wall.” The latter is more descriptive.
3. Give short, specific, and targeted feedback. Save discussions for when they’re back on the ground. Using language, even a few words, engages their thinking. Keeping the coaching short, specific, and targeted minimizes the distracting nature of thinking. Then, when they’re back on the ground, you can have deeper discussions about it.
4. Encourage them to engage practice in small increments. This will keep them more attentive to their practice and receptive to your coaching. It’ll also reveal more subtle adjustments you can coach them on.
5. Get the other person involved so they can begin developing self awareness. Ask them what they need for coaching. They may know that they hold their breath. Together, you can identify a cue that alerts you when to coach. That cue might be when you can’t hear their breath. Or, when you see them stall out and tense up.

To summarize coaching others:

• Ask questions
• Use descriptive observations
• Give short, specific, and targeted feedback
• Engage them in small increments
• Get them involved in the coaching process

Self coaching – body awarenessSkill development, like falling practice, engages the body. You process the stress that’s introduced through the body. You do this with BEB (breathing, eyes, and body). Becoming more aware of how well you’re doing BEB develops body awareness.

You can begin body awareness practices with ground-based drills. Breathe audibly so you can hear that you’re breathing and not holding your breath. Soften your gaze so you see the whole field-of-view. Expand your body posture and relax unnecessary tensions.

Now walk around slowly using your BEB in this way. Hear your breath, soften your gaze, expand your body while stepping slowly. Feel all aspects of your body as you move. Notice how well you can keep attention on the BEB elements.

Now translate this to climbing. Climb a moderate route with this same body awareness. Move slowly so you can pay attention to the quality of the BEB elements. This is self coaching for how you engage your body with quality.

Self coaching – intentional thinkingBecoming more self aware isn’t only about the body. You need to observe what’s going on in your mind also. You self coach by observing your thinking. Are you lost in thought or thinking intentionally?

Being lost in thought is common. You become habituated to thinking the same thoughts over time. Break your habitual thinking by creating intentional thinking. Give the mind a specific task to think about.

Intentional thinking focuses on three things. You focus on the goal, the consequences of the risk, and your plan to achieve the goal. Doing this directs your attention. It guides your mind toward what you need for climbing.

Self coaching – applicationLet’s put self coaching together now. First you acknowledge that it’s a cycle between intentional thinking and body awareness. This is an important part of the basic stop/move structure we teach. So, commit to intentional thinking when you stop or body awareness as you move.

Clarifying your intention is important. In application, your intention is to focus on body awareness as you climb. You focus on continuous breathing, keeping eye contact on holds, and continuous movement. Keep the appropriate amount of body tension as you climb.

Let’s apply this to a boulder problem. Before beginning, apply intentional thinking. Identify the goal, the top of the problem. Evaluate the fall consequences at various places on the problem. Think about your plan, the beta and sequences. Then, be clear about the intention: to focus on body awareness as you move.

Now focus on body awareness before beginning to climb. Tune in to your breathing. Close your eyes, or keep them open with a soft gaze. Expand your body posture and relax any unnecessary tensions. Breathe for a few moments. Remind yourself of the intention. Then, open your eyes, step on the boulder, and continue your focus on body awareness.

SummaryYou can’t be aware of a problem if you’re not aware of it. Sounds circular, but it’s true. Thus, being able to develop self awareness makes you aware of problems you need to solve. You can get coaching from mental training experts like our trainer team. That’s helpful. Reach out to them as needed.

And, there’s no substitute for self coaching. You can do this throughout your day. That creates pain in a way. It’s painful knowing you have a problem. But having a problem, and not knowing about it, is even more painful. The former gives you awareness and options for improving.

I share this self coaching topic with you because it’s so critical in mental training. That’s also why we included it in our new Falling & Commitment Online Course. You have access to a forum when you buy this course. There you can interact with other students, with me, and our trainers. That combines self coaching with coaching from experts. Join our community so we can all support each other on our learning journeys.

Enroll here: Falling & Commitment Online Course