The Art of Projecting: How To Approach Your Next Project
Here I am projecting Seppuku (V10), a boulder that took me ~6 sessions to send! (Photo by Ilya Sarossy)
I have been coaching climbers for many years now, and one of the first things we teach beginners is about the art of projecting. Projecting is necessary to progress in climbing.
Projecting teaches us about what our bodies are truly capable of (which is usually more than we think) and gives way to the discovery of new movements and techniques.
Projecting keeps climbing engaging and interesting. If we restrict ourselves to climbs we know we can send quickly, we never get the chance to dig deep and make the same kind of breakthroughs we would on climbs that are very challenging for us.
Gear up because this article will explore:
What is projecting?
The 5 Stages of Projecting
Advice for Better Projecting
What is projecting?
Projecting is working on a climb that is above our limit and may even seem out of the realm of possibility. Certain moves will feel extremely difficult or unattainable, but as we work on figuring them out (i.e. projecting the climb), the pieces start coming together and the idea of sending this climb starts to seem less crazy.
Working on a project is straight-up hard. It takes intense focus and effort to figure out all of the micro-beta and eventually unlock every move on our project. When projecting, it is normal to feel weak, vulnerable, and beaten down. Those challenging emotions ultimately lead to quantum leaps that result in higher levels of confidence and resilience in our sport.
Do you have a voice in your head that causes you to doubt yourself, that tells you “You can’t do it”? Sending a project proves that voice is wrong, showing us evidence that we are capable of achieving great things.
Projecting is like solving a puzzle. At first, we have all of these disjointed pieces, but slowly, we start connecting them piece by piece. Typically, when we are working on a puzzle, we have a picture to work off. The path to solving a puzzle is linear (at least in my limited puzzle-solving experience) and, in the end, there is only one solution.
In climbing, there is almost never simply one solution for all. Your beta is most likely going to be unique from someone else’s due to differences in morphology and strengths. This is why projecting requires being open-minded and creative.
The 5 Stages of Projecting
Familiarize yourself with the line, holds, and moves.
Read your route; Identify the start and the end, all of the hand and foot holds, and the general path your climb takes. Try to visualize the moves in your head, maybe even try to mimic them with your body. Then, identify which part of the climb might be the crux; You may or may not be right, but it’s good to make these kinds of predictions on the ground before getting on the wall to avoid doing more thinking than we need to while we are actually climbing (thinking on the wall = hesitation and less efficient climbing).
Try to flash or onsight.
Not only is flashing and onsighting an important skill to hone as a climber since it displays great route reading capabilities and climbing intuition, but going for the flash will also give you a sense of how difficult the climb is going to be for you. If you end up flashing/onsighting or get really close to sending on your first attempt, the climb is most likely not difficult enough for you. Go find something harder!
Figure out all of your options.
Determine all of your beta options through experimentation, videos of others climbing it, asking questions, and analyzing the climb. One climb will be climbed in a dozen different ways, so don’t be afraid to get creative and test out your options to find out which one feels best for your body! When you are working on a climb beyond your limit, it’s important that you are asking yourself the right questions, such as:
What is the crux (or what are the cruxes)? Where am I continuously falling?
Why did I fall?
What can I do to make this climb easier and save energy? (It could be using tactics such as brushing, grabbing and/or toeing into a hold in a different way, minimizing readjusting, relaxing, or breathing more)
Am I resting enough? You should feel relatively fresh every time you get on the wall (especially when going for send attempts) so you get in quality attempts and are not solely limited by fatigue. I talk more about how to rest properly in the last section of this blog.
Break it down!
Break up the problem into smaller chunks and then start combining those pieces. Remember that sending shouldn’t be the only goal of projecting. Creating smaller goals like “I want to do this particular move during my session today”, or “I want to get my project in two parts today”, is helpful in maintaining the motivation and psyche while projecting.
Projecting may feel like we are just falling over and over again and making no progress, but it’s important to learn from every fall, acknowledge the micro-progressions and small wins, and realize that falling = learning!
Make sure you have all of the moves dialed (meaning you can pretty reliably execute them) before you start going for send attempts. If a move feels really inconsistent, try to work it in isolation so you learn its intricacies and how to execute it as efficiently as possible, before trying to link it with the rest of the climb.
Start attempting to send.
Alright, you have all the moves down, more confidence in your ability to send, and you know you’ve explored all the options and picked the beta that works best for your body. It’s time to start going for send attempts.
At this stage, the most critical pieces are going to be a) resting enough between attempts, b) keeping the nerves down, and c) entering execution mode. What is execution mode? Well, we’ve explored ‘projecting mode’ quite extensively (the stage where we are figuring out the climb and trying to find the optimal beta).
But after we’ve finished exploring and experimenting, it’s time to execute (i.e. go for the send). Execution mode can be kind of intimidating; We have proven to ourselves that we can technically send the climb, but now there is this sense of pressure (the pressure is self-inflicted, but it’s there nevertheless). Sometimes this pressure can cause us to get in our heads or shaky while climbing and as a result, we do not perform our best.
I call this phenomenon pre-send anxiety. Unfortunately, I do not have the antidote to getting rid of pre-send anxiety. But feeling that way shows that you care and are passionate, which is kind of a cool thing if you ask me.
I also believe this feeling arises because we’ve put so much time and energy into a project, and we feel like now we must bear the fruits of our labor. If we don’t send it now, what was the point of trying so hard?
Maybe you start having thoughts like “I should be able to do this now”, which are not helpful or productive. Sometimes we actually do have limited time constraints (like when we are on a climbing trip), which only adds fuel to the fire.
In any case, here are my tips for coping with pre-send anxiety (I’m by no means perfect, but we are all a WIP). The first tip that has been helping me is trying to let go. I remind myself that it’s not a competition, I can take my time to send, and the climb is not going anywhere. Sure, some find it fun to try to send as fast as possible and there is a time and place for that type of climbing, but we are projecting. Therefore, it’s okay to take your time and fall… A lot.
The second tip is for those days when you just feel tired, sore, and grumpy. When I feel this way, I try to accept that even though I may not feel my best, I will show up anyway, try hard, and enjoy climbing for the sake of climbing. I try to bring awareness to my surroundings, body, and breath. I make an effort to be curious about my thoughts rather than resistant.
Advice for Better Projecting Sessions
Warm-up!
Hopping on your project ‘cold’ is a great way to get injured by shock-loading your tendons (been there, done that). A progressive and thorough warm-up off and on the wall will ensure you are not only physically, but also psychologically, prepared to enter ‘try hard’ mode.
Rest adequately!
Stop rapid firing (i.e. repeatedly trying a climb with no rest between attempts). This is a sure way to quickly fatigue and leads to low-quality attempts.
For boulders, 1-3 minutes of rest after attempting single moves or a short sequence of moves, and 3-10 minutes between send attempts (depending on how much energy was expended and how long/intense the boulder is)
For sport climbs, rest on the rope for 1-5 minutes while working a short section of the climb (similar to working short sections of a boulder), and 20-45 minutes between send attempts (depending on how much energy was expended, wait until forearm pump goes away).
Spend your projecting time efficiently.
When you are at the climbing gym or crag, how much of your session is spent thinking about the climb(s) you are working on and focusing on the activity at hand? There is nothing wrong with messing around and socializing at the gym, but if you are climbing to improve and get stronger, most of your focus and energy should be on climbing.
Collaborate with others!
Socializing and trying hard are not mutually exclusive. I love talking to friends about their projects and helping them figure out what they can do better, and vice versa. It’s a win-win situation. You get better at analyzing movement and technique by helping others analyze their movement and technique. Talk to your climbing friends about the climb you are trying and put your two (or however many) heads together to figure out the best beta to get it done!
Think productive and positive thoughts
“I am a bad climber”, “I can’t do it” or “It’s too hard for me” are self-limiting thoughts. Climbing is at least 75% mental and we can only achieve great feats if we believe in ourselves to do so. I know I’m not the only one that gets in a negative headspace when I’m projecting. It really takes the fun out of climbing! If you often find yourself having negative thoughts while projecting, know that this is something that can be improved with practice.
Getting out of your comfort zone is uncomfortable! There’s no way around this. We need to meet ourselves where we are and stop putting ourselves down when we aren’t performing up to our standards. We can’t beat ourselves up into becoming confident. It just doesn’t work that way! Try your best to be positive and have fun, that is when you will climb your best.
Conclusion
Projecting is the bread and butter of climbing, it’s the best way to progress and actualize our climbing potential. It’s crucial we consistently try climbs out of our comfort zone and accept that climbing is 99.7% falling. I hope this blog was insightful and taught you something new about projecting. Now go and crush those projects, you’ve got this!
