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Climbing 8b for Autism & Dyspraxia   http://www.justgiving.com/MarkMcGowan01
3 February 2014, 7:40 pm

http://www.justgiving.com/MarkMcGowan01

Working Metis (8b+) in Pyrenees 2012 (Photo: Alan James UKC)

http://www.justgiving.com/MarkMcGowan01

Source: Reach Climbing Coach

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Inspiration... A Coaching Journey with Jay 'stomping' Owen.
19 February 2014, 9:53 pm

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Young Jay trying harder at his climbing and his life... Inspiring.[/td][/tr]

[/table]  "Hi my name Jamie 24 years old who has dyspraxia aspergers d.a.m.p also in progress getting re diagnosed now as Adult since i understand more stuff now as Adult rather than when i was a child not understanding anything atall with reading before when i was Little couldnt read or understand books or didnt no how to socialize with peers but i have come along way through battleing its not been easy for me more case i cant write to save my life , am allways in strict routine with doing things and if am not doing them activites i have a Bad day and just shut everyone out like whole world but what has changed my life is Climbing with helping me with my coordination confidence working my brain more just everything .. anything to do with Extreme sports i love and outdoors same as Music Films.. found it very hard to fit in with others peers when i was Little went away at age 12 years old to boarding school witch times were hard, but changed my life from haveing the Help down there , since the teachers at mainstream school didnt no how to deal with me plus 1 to 1 help connects in more ways with the teacher they get to understand you more than a mainstream Teacher an my Achievements been able to play Ice Hockey Roller Hockey , tryed playing football but was all over the place couldnt get on with any my team mates cause they were just Judgemental peers .. always struggled with everything but now that i got older its better to talk about things rather than keep it all in express what you feel to others such as parents doctors about lows and your highs , still get good days bad days , but wont let it define me as person , so to all that are struggling with things you have Gift at the end of day try new things no matter what the outcome is , battle on through , Each goal you do is Achievement even if you dont see it at 1st , just wanted to share this with you all .. it might not make sense but i wrote it out in best possible way i could , to try explain my Story p.s Jamie"

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Jay working his 6a project at Beacon[/td][/tr]

[/table]Coaching and climbing with Jay has possibly been the most inspiring climbing journey that I have been on for a while. Watching him face the difficulties of climbing combined with the other challenge that is in his life has been humbling.

In between, climbing sessions where he works hard at learning how to be calm clipping a quick draw on lead and not get frustrated, when he is learning not to think about the confusions of right and left and to try to slow everything down when everything is telling him to hurry, in between this we had a great chat about his life and mine.

To sit down and hear a young man with autism be open about the challenges it has caused him to just live and the methods he uses to manage the best life for himself and his awareness of his own bravery and that it has ultimately been about how he has chosen to face his autism and how the world looks at him as he looks back at it was amazing and has left me feeling pretty humbled about my own difficult childhood and challenges I faced.

He lead his strong ass up the steep wall of the Beacon today fighting every difficult clip with such determination and bravery when he had only just learned how to find a solution for managing the magnified frustration of clipping a rope through the quick draw whilst under the weird sensation of being on the lead was just inspiring for me. Well done Jay 'stomping' Owen!

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Jay: leading his first route on main steep wall at Beacon[/td][/tr]

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Source: Reach Climbing Coach

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Recruiting for Online 6 Week Training Programme for March.
21 February 2014, 10:11 pm

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]1000 pull ups in Auzat, Pyrenees[/td][/tr]

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We are not looking for a thousand people, just 6! We are not looking to do a 1000 pull ups, just 6 weeks of structured, well planned training around your goal. If you are interested in joining the March ReAch Training Programme then please contact markmcgowan01@gmail.com for more details.

The cost of our Dual Factor Programme is £100 or $ or Euro equivalent.

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Sonia on F7b in Spanish Pyrenees[/td][/tr]

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Source: Reach Climbing Coach

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Estamos reclutando para los clientes a entrenar con nuestro Programa de Formación en línea de 6 semanas de marzo.
22 February 2014, 4:36 pm



Estamos reclutando para los clientes a entrenar con nuestro Programa de Formación en línea de 6 semanas de marzo.

El costo es de € 100 para un programa de 6 semanas con el apoyo de entrenamiento en línea.

Si desea que su propio programa de entrenamiento en línea, por favor póngase en contacto con markmcgowan01@gmail.com









Source: Reach Climbing Coach

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Coaching for the BMC PARA - CLIMBING SERIES 2014 with Gwyn...
24 February 2014, 9:02 pm



I was lucky enough to be asked to coach Gwyn for his upcoming competition in London at BMC PARA CLIMBING SERIES at the Castle Climbing Centre.

We are into our third week now and have shifted both my understanding of Gwyn's blindness and his understanding of what is actually achievable by him with our joint agreement on an intense training and coaching plan that has seen us begin on 6b+ to watch him working two long 7a's today at the Beacon after a tough weeks campusing and working a higher level of power endurance on the wooden blobs of doom!

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Gwyn working the problems in our session preparing for London[/td][/tr]

[/table]Gwyn used to climb back in the 80's/90's until he lost full use of his sight with use of his peripheral vision only. But he decided to try again with climbing as he adapted to his new way of seeing. My challenge was trying to understand firstly, how it might feel to climb for Gwyn and secondly to find ways that would assist our plight of improving his climbing for the competition in London.

Training the body to improve is not too hard, just takes effort and time - training the mind to adjust to climbing at a higher standard is harder, but still not so hard - finding ways to understand what it really feels like with impaired sight was terrifying! I tried climbing a 6c with my eyes shut on lead and have never been so frightened going over a bulge above a bolt (and I have done some reasonably scary shit in my time).

Finding methods to tag holds as we climb through the blind spots has been working a little, but we have 3 weeks to go before Gwyn's first competition... Trying new ideas and training harder as the programme increases in intensity before the taper towards the Competition, towards London.



Source: Reach Climbing Coach

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Coaching with Jay : 5 weeks on...
6 March 2014, 5:23 pm



Working with Jamie now for over 5 weeks and the journey has been amazing and very progressive (for both of us). His first attempt at leading a 4c was filled with frustration (his) and fear (mine) as I allowed him to begin lead climbing very early on (maybe our 2nd session I think?). The danger was that the combination of difficulty in clipping the the rope safely through the quickdraw and the sometimes overwhelming fear of being in a lead fall situation too early on could have been very regressive, but we took our chance. The quickdraws were clipped using both his hands while he bridged his feet in the corner! Some were clipped correctly and some were ‘back clipped’ but I made the decision to let him continue as we were going to have to take some risks in this journey, calculated but there none the less. If I had stopped him in that moment then he would not have succeeded a few sessions later on his first 6a lead up the main overhanging wall that demanded smooth clips with one hand whilst hanging on with the other in strenuous positions on the overhanging wall.  From 6a we quickly moved onto a hard 6b project, which will take us longer but will act as a false barrier for harder routes I think, because it is not the grade that is the challenge but the style and sustained nature of the climb. When this one falls to Jay, then 6c will come quicker than this 6b. (I think!).  Increasing Jay’s flexibility has been a focus and completely changing his climbing style so that we can slow everything down to a manageable climbing pace for him to cope with a higher level of difficulty (both physically and mentally). Jay's strength is not a problem at the moment but finding ways to positively change Jay’s climbing style has required much thought and experimentation. But the change has begun and he is moving differently now on the routes with a much more focused coordination and use of tactics that we have developed to wind our way round the standard challenges of lead climbing.  It is hard to understand just how hard Jay will climb, and yet, if I allow us to set any specific long term goals, then I suspect I will let us down with that. So we must concentrate on only believing in the unbelievable and simply focus on a wider objective…

http://www.justgiving.com/MarkMcGowan01

Source: Reach Climbing Coach

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BMC PARA Climb Competition... 1st Round
20 March 2014, 8:27 pm



Gwyn, myself and Gwyn's friends (Chris and Mike) took the trip from Llanberis to London to support Gwyn in his first PARA Climbing competition. Gwyn did all the organizing of what bus or tube we had to get and used his special app on his phone to guide us to where we needed to get. So our blind guide got us there where we joined the other competitors at The Castle Climbing Wall (cool bunch of people running the place) and got ourselves registered to compete then a coffee and some cake in the cafe.

The last time I had competed in London was around 1990 against the likes of Jerry Moffat and other climbers of the day. I came 5th then but today as a 'caller' to Gwyn we came 1st! Gwyn won his category for the Visual Impairment category and climbed amazingly well. I was more nervous in this role than competing directly back in the 90's!

Results

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Gwyn flashing final boulder problem[/td][/tr]

[/table]The competition was made up of a bouldering and top rope event with 3 routes in each. We were allowed 3 tries on each boulder problem and 1 go at the top rope routes using a standard competition points system.

As the place filled up with competitors the buzz began to fill the place like any other competition. But this comp felt very different to me. It seemed to hold more resonance in terms of what is was all about for the competitors and the supporters of the PARA climbers. Watching a person with one arm or one leg combining explosive campusing power with climbing techniques I could not have imagined in a million years blew my mind. I pride myself in being able to read routes well, but I was continuously perplexed by some of the sequences that were being unlocked by the climbers (especially the one armed climbers) on boulder problems up to V4!



I was so pleased for Gwyn and I's success but I am so excited about being involved in these amazingly inspiring events. Although I was there to coach Gwyn and be his sight caller, I couldn't help myself but get involved with the others as they psyched up, chalked up and took their turn in something that really mattered. Competition is something my climbing has been part of but this feels so much more real to me as a person. Coaching someone to this great event is a journey I hope continues further.

Coaching people is a very personal thing, it takes time for trust to build and when someone has restricted sight and is listening to your voice over the other noises in the building for instruction in a competitive environment is so frightening but also so rewarding when they climb well for themselves. Gwyn climbed exceptionally well and won. But it feels like this is just the beginning for me.

The route setting by Ian Dunn was great and I couldn't have bettered it. But, it got me thinking about maximizing each para climbers full potential in a climbing environment and I believe we have a great opportunity in setting routes that test these climbers in a way that not only creates an obvious challenge, but perhaps setting in a way that allows them to truly demonstrate their athleticism and technical capacity totally specific to them as PARA climbers. The routes were set as able bodied climbs and watching Phil with one leg campusing off a crimp you couldn't hang a snotter from really woke me up to what he and his competitors were truly capable of and it seems it is up to us to give them the routes that will blow them away and in turn blow away the spectators at how just amazing these dudes are... Dunno, maybe am wrong? But I know this, I want to coach more of these guys...

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]The winners! [/td][/tr]

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Source: Reach Climbing Coach

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Getting beyond the past...
31 March 2014, 8:36 pm



After a few weeks from Gwyn's competition success in London, he managed to achieve something quite special today at the Beacon back in North Wales. He managed to redpoint at a higher level as a VI (Visually impaired) Climber than he did as a fully sighted climber!

Gwyn came to me climbing 6b but with huge potential and appetite to improve his climbing - for himself, but this shift away from his previous bench marks as a sighted climber is important ground for us because now we say good buy to previous boundaries and are free to push into the 7's.

I am excited about the changes in climbing style and the strength gains Gwyn has made but now it's fingers, fingers FINGERS!!! TORA TORA TORA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Source: Reach Climbing Coach

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Para Climbing Coaching at The Beacon Climbing Centre with Mark McGowan
1 April 2014, 8:21 am



Mark McGowan is currently looking to recruit new para climbing clients for coaching and training sessions based at the Beacon Climbing Centre in North Wales.

If you have a disability and enjoy rock climbing and would like to improve your sport climbing grade then please contact markmcgowan01@gmail.com to discuss a coaching plan and costs etc. The first session is free to allow for a mutual understanding of climbing goals, disability challenges and development of a workable coaching plan.



Accommodation can also be provided in Llanberis just 7 miles from the climbing wall.

Get in touch with Mark if you are looking for quality coaching specializing in Para Climbing and are looking to improve your climbing and training strategies...

Source: Reach Climbing Coach

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1 to 1 Outdoor Coaching in North Wales
11 April 2014, 1:14 pm

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Dream of White Horses, North Wales[/td][/tr]

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If you climb between VS and E2/3 and looking for some quality coaching time outside. Then contact markmcgowan01@gmail.com to arrange a days climbing coaching in North Wales... Classics such as Cemetery Gates or Left Wall on the Cromlech or the magnificent Strand on Gogarth are part of our hit list.

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Hanging around in Gozo.. Not Wales, but a bit Gogarth![/td][/tr]

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Source: Reach Climbing Coach