[Muenchener]

One of my local walls has a boulder comp in three weeks. Coach me to avoid ignominious failure glory.

Comp format is 40 problems, grades "easy" to "hard", unlimited tries all day from 10 till 6, scores weighted by problem difficulty, best ten problems score. When I tried previous comp problems at the same wall (after the comp) I could get up things somewhere around the mid-teens.

I'm in the strength phase of my Grand Periodised Plan for Arco at Easter, so mostly bouldering at the moment anyway, about two to four times a week. Anything special I could do for a quick grade push? Maybe siege a couple of no-chance problems for recruitment? (Not get injured). Train hard up to a couple of days before, or "taper" properly for a week? Lose a kilo? Clean my shoes? Different chalk? Special woolly hat for indoors? I'm open to all possibilities.

Tactics? I see skin preservation and not being completely wasted after a couple of hours as likely challenges.

It's only in fun, obviously, but the better I do the more fun it'll be.

[lagerstarfish]

Anything special I could do for a quick grade push? Maybe siege a couple of no-chance problems for recruitment? (Not get injured). Train hard up to a couple of days before, or "taper" properly for a week? Lose a kilo? Clean my shoes? Different chalk? Special woolly hat for indoors?

lose a kilo every week for 3 weeks and climb loads of problems on sight - not too hard, just make sure you think about each one and concentrate on getting up first time

maybe do a few harder problems that you know well - just to remind your body what is needed to get up something that is hard for you

anyhoo... 3 kilos and lots of moves without getting injured will see you right

if only I could stick to such a simple and obvious plan...

[Muenchener]

if only I could stick to such a simple and obvious plan...

I didn't. A business trip to India at short notice resulted in:

• mssing the last week's training
• a kilo up due to hotel and corporate boardroom-style Indian food
• competing in a state of mild jetlag

Despite which I had a great time and was pleased with my result. I wanted to not come last and to score more points than I would have just by getting up all the "medium" difficulty problems (200). I scored 245 and was 74th out of 100 men.

My head is weak though. I didn't get up three slightly highballish "medium" problems, at least two of which I should have flashed. This would have moved me up 25 points and about ten places. Need to spend a couple of sessions jumping from the top of the comp wall before the next round on 19th March.