9 Out of 10

9 Out of 10 Climbers

(Make the Same Mistakes)

By Dave MacLeod

The first lesson: 'you have to adopt the attitudes of those who improve'.

Part 1 is aptly called 'Creatures of Habit' and Dave assures us that habits are hugely important in climbing progress, both negatively and positively. A bad habit quickly leads to a plateau, a good habit breaks through it to higher ground. He identifies the habits we get stuck in and says we have to find others which will lead us to improvement: 'the best climber is the one who has adopted the most habits that result in good performance'.

Part 2 is entitled 'The Big Four' and concentrates on the practical lessons for improving climbing: technique, finger strength, endurance and body mass. Practical lessons for training all to maximum are outlined.

Part 3 deals with the thorny issue of fear, especially the fear of falling. This mental block can stop many climbers from letting their bodies achieve their climbing goals and Dave talks us through the barriers by suggesting we build falling into our daily diet of climbing.

Part 4 deals with the woolier and thornier aspects of climbing based on LIFE: attitude, lifestyle, circumstances, tactics. Dave reassures the younger generation that they can get beyond the sudden plateaux of rapid improvement and 'tailing off', whereas for the older amongst us he says improvement can be built into even the busiest and most hectic of careers or responsibilities.

Part 5 - Dave rounds up the book with a chapter on planning our improvement. He warns us to expect 'curves, not lines' and that these curves sometimes are imperceptible slopes (up or down).

Dave admits at the end that the 'purpose of this book was to give you perspective'. Sometimes this is the most valuable lesson others can give you and one that can suitably over-ride the detail, but at the same time 9 out of 10 Climbers has as many hairpins as sledgehammers to help you unlock your bad climbing habits. Sometimes it is good to listen to people, to let your guard down and admit a few basic truths. Dave MacLeod has got to where he is by 'listening' to us as climbers for years. Maybe we should pay him some due thanks and listen to what he has learnt...

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