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Performance Rock Climbing
Handbook for experienced climbers covers all the physical and psychological aspects of climbing training.
208 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1993
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92 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 30, 2020
Probably not of interest if not a climber. A little dry at times but useful
January 1, 2018
Review of performance rock climbing
This book is from 1993 and picking up a book on the subject about sports performance and climbing is quite interesting regarding the development of the sport, regarding the climbing grade scale being pushed to new levels of what once was thought to be lucid dreams. Are the rules and guidelines within the climbing community the same or have they changed, is it possible to detect the game changer from one single piece of work? As the reader, I am really interested in the topic. I have seen this book around for years and I am totally blown away by the art design on the cover.
About the authors
The two authors of this book, Dale Goddard, and Udo Neumann are an American and a German collaborating together to this piece of work. Udo Neuman holds a master degree in sports science and has been working as a head coach for the German climbing team, recent years, long after this book was written. As an eager climber, he traveled in his youth around the world and met up with the worlds best climbers in the late 1980-ties and the 1990-ties. Dale Goddard was described as the “new wave” in the book Climb the second edition. As an athlete he was scientific in his training and diet, he built and earned the nickname “Skeletor” and the “Stick Insect”. His peers claimed he had a Darwinist climbing philosophy. In 1987 he said to "Climbing magazine" that “Any given set of ethics will prevail in a particular area as long as the sport can continue to develop. But when ethics becomes an impediment to evolution it will be dropped in favor of one that will allow to growth” He has first free ascents of some climbs that were only climbed in aid style before he sent them in trad style. He did that in the area around the Flatirons, USA.
The main content
The book performance rock climbing handles different sets of topics like strength, endurance, tactics, technique, how to schedule your training and performance and mental approach to handle the stress and pressure that comes along with the task of improvement.
The overall idea is to give the reader a good basis to enhance their ability to perform better on the rock. The important aspects a self-help book like “Performance rock climbing” should offer could be various tools to do so, and some indicators or guidelines if when the train of thought and climbing is off track.
The author's pedagogic approach
The introduction gives a reasonable limit of what to expect from the content within the book. Is relatively short an easy read, and this might be an advantage to the reader.
The pedagogic style is quite interesting, it introduces three fictional climbers,
whom the reader follows throughout the book, and use them as examples to illustrate different aspects of problems that might arise to improve their climbing. This works to some degree, but at times it a bit shallow and does not quite cut the edge to bring out the essence of the problem or give a well enough in-depth knowledge.
Introducing Engrams as a movement specific motor memory
Some of the important new concepts are the introduction of “engram” in motor mobility. According to the dictionary, an engram is a presumed encoding in neural tissue that provides a physical basis for the persistence of memory; a memory trace. The engrams are very applicable to rock climbing performance`s focus area of movement and technique training.
The engrams theory is one of the cornerstones in the book, and engrams are involved in building your climbing repertoire and are also to be regarded when it comes to performance and the concept of macrocycles and the concept of periodization of the physical training and climbing.
The peak of climbing
The reference list in the book is very good and this reader checked up the reference and as mentioned in “Performance rock climbing” the Russian Lew P. Matwejew brought a system to individual performance through measurable aspects of the performance of athletes. This was in due to participants of the Olympic squads, and this system of training has brought the birth of “block-training”, a very popular training scheduling from the 1990-ties and forth.
With the use of “super-compensation” and peak levels in different attributes of climb necessary tools simultaneously, such as strength, maximum strength, endurance, power, maximum power, then and only then will the most after sought physical volume of "power endurance" arise. This peak period to be taken advantage of and the decline followed not be worried about, as a new an even better and more peaked cycle can arise, as long as the climber is staying injury free, taking care of health, and so forth.
The comprehensive approach to climbing
One elementary content of the book is the physiology of arousal, and keeping the right tension level. There are also an aspect of gender equality and gender different physiology and how to handle and explore those differences. Of course, the flexibility and stretching get good attention with climbing specific stretching exercises.
Along with the book comes the film
Yes, believe it or not, but “Performance rock climbing comes along with a video. A video with some new philosophical viewpoints, in addition to the book, and a video sometimes with "fill-ins" with a footage of the person behind the statement. In a “new age way” the film opens, with a peculiar music choice, but it gets more informative and then highlights some of the main topics from the book. Stills pictures from the film are in the book, regarding technique with a thorough explanation. One of the main points of the movie is perhaps to shed light on the rock climbing diversity, bout as a community and as a sport.
Then sum it all up
Before giving my best to the authors and their contribution to rock climbing performance I`d like to point out one detail. The book and the different task to become better are along with a solution discussed to some point of degree. One suggested tactic might be easier in theory than in real life, and that is to climb the upper sections of a route while rehearsing it for redpoint. I understand that the authors are creative and in order to find new ways one must open the mind. Rock climbing performance opens the mind, give details, inspire and bring richness to the wish, dream and goal of climbing better, harder, and more efficiently.
This book is from 1993 and picking up a book on the subject about sports performance and climbing is quite interesting regarding the development of the sport, regarding the climbing grade scale being pushed to new levels of what once was thought to be lucid dreams. Are the rules and guidelines within the climbing community the same or have they changed, is it possible to detect the game changer from one single piece of work? As the reader, I am really interested in the topic. I have seen this book around for years and I am totally blown away by the art design on the cover.
About the authors
The two authors of this book, Dale Goddard, and Udo Neumann are an American and a German collaborating together to this piece of work. Udo Neuman holds a master degree in sports science and has been working as a head coach for the German climbing team, recent years, long after this book was written. As an eager climber, he traveled in his youth around the world and met up with the worlds best climbers in the late 1980-ties and the 1990-ties. Dale Goddard was described as the “new wave” in the book Climb the second edition. As an athlete he was scientific in his training and diet, he built and earned the nickname “Skeletor” and the “Stick Insect”. His peers claimed he had a Darwinist climbing philosophy. In 1987 he said to "Climbing magazine" that “Any given set of ethics will prevail in a particular area as long as the sport can continue to develop. But when ethics becomes an impediment to evolution it will be dropped in favor of one that will allow to growth” He has first free ascents of some climbs that were only climbed in aid style before he sent them in trad style. He did that in the area around the Flatirons, USA.
The main content
The book performance rock climbing handles different sets of topics like strength, endurance, tactics, technique, how to schedule your training and performance and mental approach to handle the stress and pressure that comes along with the task of improvement.
The overall idea is to give the reader a good basis to enhance their ability to perform better on the rock. The important aspects a self-help book like “Performance rock climbing” should offer could be various tools to do so, and some indicators or guidelines if when the train of thought and climbing is off track.
The author's pedagogic approach
The introduction gives a reasonable limit of what to expect from the content within the book. Is relatively short an easy read, and this might be an advantage to the reader.
The pedagogic style is quite interesting, it introduces three fictional climbers,
whom the reader follows throughout the book, and use them as examples to illustrate different aspects of problems that might arise to improve their climbing. This works to some degree, but at times it a bit shallow and does not quite cut the edge to bring out the essence of the problem or give a well enough in-depth knowledge.
Introducing Engrams as a movement specific motor memory
Some of the important new concepts are the introduction of “engram” in motor mobility. According to the dictionary, an engram is a presumed encoding in neural tissue that provides a physical basis for the persistence of memory; a memory trace. The engrams are very applicable to rock climbing performance`s focus area of movement and technique training.
The engrams theory is one of the cornerstones in the book, and engrams are involved in building your climbing repertoire and are also to be regarded when it comes to performance and the concept of macrocycles and the concept of periodization of the physical training and climbing.
The peak of climbing
The reference list in the book is very good and this reader checked up the reference and as mentioned in “Performance rock climbing” the Russian Lew P. Matwejew brought a system to individual performance through measurable aspects of the performance of athletes. This was in due to participants of the Olympic squads, and this system of training has brought the birth of “block-training”, a very popular training scheduling from the 1990-ties and forth.
With the use of “super-compensation” and peak levels in different attributes of climb necessary tools simultaneously, such as strength, maximum strength, endurance, power, maximum power, then and only then will the most after sought physical volume of "power endurance" arise. This peak period to be taken advantage of and the decline followed not be worried about, as a new an even better and more peaked cycle can arise, as long as the climber is staying injury free, taking care of health, and so forth.
The comprehensive approach to climbing
One elementary content of the book is the physiology of arousal, and keeping the right tension level. There are also an aspect of gender equality and gender different physiology and how to handle and explore those differences. Of course, the flexibility and stretching get good attention with climbing specific stretching exercises.
Along with the book comes the film
Yes, believe it or not, but “Performance rock climbing comes along with a video. A video with some new philosophical viewpoints, in addition to the book, and a video sometimes with "fill-ins" with a footage of the person behind the statement. In a “new age way” the film opens, with a peculiar music choice, but it gets more informative and then highlights some of the main topics from the book. Stills pictures from the film are in the book, regarding technique with a thorough explanation. One of the main points of the movie is perhaps to shed light on the rock climbing diversity, bout as a community and as a sport.
Then sum it all up
Before giving my best to the authors and their contribution to rock climbing performance I`d like to point out one detail. The book and the different task to become better are along with a solution discussed to some point of degree. One suggested tactic might be easier in theory than in real life, and that is to climb the upper sections of a route while rehearsing it for redpoint. I understand that the authors are creative and in order to find new ways one must open the mind. Rock climbing performance opens the mind, give details, inspire and bring richness to the wish, dream and goal of climbing better, harder, and more efficiently.
March 11, 2012
This book was an early turning point for me in how I taught martial arts. I picked up in 97 when I was doing a bunch of gym climbing and started doing lead climbs in Tahoe and Yosemite. It provides a great overview of how develop both skills like developing movement patterns with how to develop attributes like strength or a fluid mind so the body can go do it's thing. What i really loved is that it gave an athlete/ martial arts coach like myself an easy access to some of the then latest developments in sports training and science.
May 7, 2019
Dale articulated what most of us need in our climbing plateaus. Whether it was mental or physical he helped me understand how to push past barriers I have had in my climbing. This book will be a relevant source of knowledge as long as climbing is around!
February 6, 2025
Reference guide for experienced climbers who want to further hone their skills. Has newspaper comic-style characters as well as photos to show off the various techniques. Expresses a lot of information succinctly, it doesn't waste your time.
This one came highly recommended in the r/bouldering and r/climbharder reddit communities, and I can see why.
There's a lot of relevant information presented in a clear and concise manner. If I decide to sit down and read a book like this, that's exactly what I want.
It's an older book (published in 1993) and so some of the science presented in the book might be a little dated (I'm not an expert on climbing or professional sports training so it's hard for me to say). But, everything else seems to have held up quite well from what I've been told and from what I can see for myself.
This one came highly recommended in the r/bouldering and r/climbharder reddit communities, and I can see why.
There's a lot of relevant information presented in a clear and concise manner. If I decide to sit down and read a book like this, that's exactly what I want.
It's an older book (published in 1993) and so some of the science presented in the book might be a little dated (I'm not an expert on climbing or professional sports training so it's hard for me to say). But, everything else seems to have held up quite well from what I've been told and from what I can see for myself.
May 30, 2007
Excellent book for novices. Some of the physiology is incorrect, but overall the ideas are accurate. Focuses primarily on training strategies (both mental and physical).
July 4, 2012
Interesting concise read. I suspect however that it is a bit dated.
January 7, 2015
reads like a text book
April 28, 2016
Disappointing, not sure what the hype is with this one.
August 11, 2017
If you want to take your climbing game to the next level this is the book for you. And, really, as a metaphor for life, focusing on your weakest point to make greatest gain is "rock" solid idea.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews