I have been watching IFSC bouldering world cups on Youtube lately. I am very happy to discover this spectator sport. It is super exciting to watch, actually. This takes place in several cities in Asia, Europe, and North America each year. It is not televised, but is live streamed and can be played back later on Youtube. There is a qualifying round, a semi-final, and the final, where only the top 6 male and 6 female athletes are given 4 minutes to solve a boulder problem (4 boulder problems total).
Just what is a boulder problem? For competition climbing, it is a bunch of plastic handholds and footholds that one has to move through ("solve the sequence") to get to the top hold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HgkRwiNQQs
In this video you see many athletes not being able to complete the problem at all, and the last guy completing the sequence, thus winning the competition.
What the video edited out is his previous 6 attempts, which is what I have enjoyed watching in the live stream version. In the first attempt an athlete often fails at an early stage. With each attempt the athlete "learns" the movements with his or her body, and gains some muscle memory. A good athlete usually improves with each attempt. If one doesn't run out of energy or time, one can often solve the problem within 4 minutes. A tall person often has reach advantage, but a short person can have better control of the centre of gravity and has better control of the body for explosive power movements. I just love to see the 4 minute progression where these world class athletes can go from totally failing to mastering a particular boulder problem.
I normally enjoy watching Youtuber climbers ranging from pretty good to really awesome monkeying around in their home gyms. But right after watching a World cup, where 22 year olds dominate the podium, the Youtuber climbers' movements seem somewhat sluggish. I guess right after watching Usain Bolt win a race, your friend who just won the local sprinting competition would look a bit slow too.
Does watching athlete boulder help with my own bouldering progress? Well, my progressions has been as follows:
Stage 1: Not able to do anything except what looks like a straight ladder climb on the wall (with big juggy hand and footholds).
Stage 2: Trying V1 (French grade 5) climbs that require some shift in body weights. Not able to read routes at all. My hands would hurt after holding my body on the wall for >3 seconds so I would come off the wall right after starting a route.
Stage 3: Being able to shift my body weight a bit more so I could do the V1s.
Stage 4: Hands getting a bit stronger so I could get on the wall, stay there a bit while looking for the next hand/foothold.
Stage 5: Get on a boulder, imagine what a world class athlete would do for the next step (some power jump move to the next handhold), and then recognize I am not strong enough to do it myself.
So I went from not knowing how to solve boulder problems to mentally knowing what to do but physically not able to do it. Believe it or not, this is a major improvement. Climbing is always both physical and mental.
By the way I just moved to another city (yet again). The boulder problems here are quite a different style than in my previous gym. I was doing 6A+s/V3/V4s. But now apparently V3s are out of reach for me here because they put dynos in (jump to the next hand holds... I am unable to jump while on a wall right now). So I will work on my balances and core strengthening (on the wall, not working out at a gym), hoping by the end of the year I will see some improvements.
Just what is a boulder problem? For competition climbing, it is a bunch of plastic handholds and footholds that one has to move through ("solve the sequence") to get to the top hold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HgkRwiNQQs
In this video you see many athletes not being able to complete the problem at all, and the last guy completing the sequence, thus winning the competition.
What the video edited out is his previous 6 attempts, which is what I have enjoyed watching in the live stream version. In the first attempt an athlete often fails at an early stage. With each attempt the athlete "learns" the movements with his or her body, and gains some muscle memory. A good athlete usually improves with each attempt. If one doesn't run out of energy or time, one can often solve the problem within 4 minutes. A tall person often has reach advantage, but a short person can have better control of the centre of gravity and has better control of the body for explosive power movements. I just love to see the 4 minute progression where these world class athletes can go from totally failing to mastering a particular boulder problem.
I normally enjoy watching Youtuber climbers ranging from pretty good to really awesome monkeying around in their home gyms. But right after watching a World cup, where 22 year olds dominate the podium, the Youtuber climbers' movements seem somewhat sluggish. I guess right after watching Usain Bolt win a race, your friend who just won the local sprinting competition would look a bit slow too.
Does watching athlete boulder help with my own bouldering progress? Well, my progressions has been as follows:
Stage 1: Not able to do anything except what looks like a straight ladder climb on the wall (with big juggy hand and footholds).
Stage 2: Trying V1 (French grade 5) climbs that require some shift in body weights. Not able to read routes at all. My hands would hurt after holding my body on the wall for >3 seconds so I would come off the wall right after starting a route.
Stage 3: Being able to shift my body weight a bit more so I could do the V1s.
Stage 4: Hands getting a bit stronger so I could get on the wall, stay there a bit while looking for the next hand/foothold.
Stage 5: Get on a boulder, imagine what a world class athlete would do for the next step (some power jump move to the next handhold), and then recognize I am not strong enough to do it myself.
So I went from not knowing how to solve boulder problems to mentally knowing what to do but physically not able to do it. Believe it or not, this is a major improvement. Climbing is always both physical and mental.
By the way I just moved to another city (yet again). The boulder problems here are quite a different style than in my previous gym. I was doing 6A+s/V3/V4s. But now apparently V3s are out of reach for me here because they put dynos in (jump to the next hand holds... I am unable to jump while on a wall right now). So I will work on my balances and core strengthening (on the wall, not working out at a gym), hoping by the end of the year I will see some improvements.
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