9 Out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes: Navigation Through the Maze of Advice for the Self-coached Climber

Although it's not aimed at beginners, I'm one (pretty much) and I found this book very useful. The main target readership is those who've been climbing for a good while, and made early progress but have reached a plateau.It's hard-hitting, no messing around. You feel exactly as if the author were standing there talking to you - in some places, giving you a talking-to. If this sounds hectoring, it's not - it's thought-provoking and encouraging.The essence of the message is to re-think which aspect of climbing you're putting the effort into, since it might not be the most effective for you in terms of improvement, particularly if it's something you've been doing for a while which initially helped a lot but has started to level off. He breaks down all the factors that contribute to improvement and explains how to work on each, eg fear of falling (covered in detail), strength, endurance, weight. The underlying psychology behind things is covered far better than you'd think such a short book could manage.It's opinionated. Eg climbing is always referred to as a very specific thing - movement up rock; not sure that ignoring cardio would be wise given the long walk-in and home that might well be part of trad/winter; but that's fair enough I guess: if that's what you're into, you'll know already you need to include that too. Tiny quibble, great book. I look forward to more and I'm enjoying his blogs.

Dave MacLeod could have been writing for me. The first sections describe almost perfectly my present experience in climbing and the psychological and emotional framework underpinning the difficulties I encounter. MacLeod doesn't patronize with easy solutions and quick fixes; his goal is to establish long term changes in behaviour that will lead to a better climbing experience at higher grades. However some of his more straight forward suggestions are already bearing fruit.This is not necessarily a book for the beginner; not because the content is in anyway complicated or esoteric, but because I suspect new climbers need to make the mistakes described by MacLeod first before they can truly appreciate the insight he has. Having said that all climbers will benefit from this book at some point in their climbing career. It is essential reading.

As a relatively new climber (Aug 12) I picked up this book to read on a long train journey after buying it for my boyfriend (he hasn't read it yet) Its really struck a cord with me and Ive also scribbled pencil notes all over it much to my boyfriend dismay! It feels like it has given me a good basis on which to build it's has got me psyched after conquering my first 6a and 6a+ on the same day!(with a good coach I might add)Dave MacLeod is a straight talking no nonsense writer and I love that he helps you identify your weaknesses and feel positive about tackling them.

Excellent and informative.

Unfortunately lockdown has meant that I haven't yet been able to put many of the principles into practice, but I'm very much looking forward to doing so in the (hopefully) not too distant future. Highly informative, well researched and full of no nonsense, practical guidance for taking your climbing to the next level.

Best book I have read about climbing and how to train, how to mental train and how to really make a difference in becoming a better climber. This book teaches useful tips for climbers at every level in depth. I bought this book when it was new, lended it to some1 i can't remember who, and now bought it again because it is a must-have.

Every Climber should read this book, it's an essential read. You will get something new out of it everytime you read it and is the perfect supporting literature for your climbing journey.

Brilliant book and very well written. I would recommend this to a complete beginner and the most advanced climber. Anyone can learn from this book.

Great for the mental side. A necessary read. Look else where for specific training protocols.

A wise book written by a wise man. It has given me hints on how to approach some problems and I already feel a little bit "smarter" as a climber: sometimes you just need a good advice to start upon a path of good practices.

I am not quite finished the book but already it has helped me a ton. A lot of the things seem common sense but having them put in words helped me realize the importance and see what I was doing wrong clearly. The examples are great and its super easy to follow. There are also some more technical aspects that have helped me improve. I wouldn't have known them and now I do. This book is helping me understand some things better and is building up my confidence more. I'm using a lot of the information and seeing improvement. It is gradual and slow as he points out but it is there. Some things are also quickly improving. The way he writes is wonderful. I highly recommend it.

Dieses Buch hat meine Erwartungen wirklich übertroffen. Ich zähle mich zu den 9 Kletterern, die zum Teil die Fehler machen, die MacLeod in seinen Buch beschreibt.Viele Trainingstipps sind zwar nicht neu - es kommt nicht so sehr auf Kraft an wie auf Technik und wenn man besser Klettern möchte, ist mehr Klettern immer ein besseres Training als mehr Yoga machen, schwerer Gewichte heben oder länger Klimmzüge halten - aber dieses Buch beschäftigt sich auch vor allem mit den Fehlern, die im Kopf entstehen. Aus Gewohnheit, aus Angst oder weil die anderen sie eben auch machen.Das Schöne daran ist: Der gefühlte Erfolg stellt sich quasi sofort ein, wenn man zum Umdenken und zum Umsetzen seiner Ideen bereit ist.Das Buch spricht in erster Linie erfahrene Sportkletterer an. Trad-climbing und Bouldern sind empfohlene Spielarten zur Erweiterung der Fähigkeiten und vor allem des Horizonts.Selbst für Kletteranfänger ist es nicht ungeeignet, weil sich endlich mal jemand anzusprechen traut, dass an Finger- und Campusboards nicht nur Fingerkraft entsteht, sondern vor allem Verletzungen.Ein empfehlenswertes Buch für eigentlich alle, die beim Klettern noch ein bisschen mehr über sich hinauswachsen wollen.

Climbers are inundated with quick tips and granular workouts that promise them success. Dave MacLeod zooms out and looks at the big picture of what really dictates success as a climber. He develops a simple framework for areas of achievement and explains why you probably aren't making progress as quickly as you would like. Essential reading!