[Fiend]

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To be honest I've never been that fussed about my bouldering as firstly it's really just training for the greater ranges, and secondly I've already far exceeded what I thought I was capable of.

But, the weather sucks (in fact it's sucked so much I've forgotten when it last didn't suck), I'm bored, this has been the worse ever summer for climbing, my leading has gone to pieces, so maybe I'll try a different angle, as I do feel I can do better...

Any ideas about better bouldering?? I do it a fair bit, on a variety of rock types, train a fair bit indoors, mix up flashing and working stuff, the only main weakness I can identify is excessively sweaty fingers and bad skin(*reaches for the anti-hydral*), have kept my niggling injuries mostly under control (not doing a Scouse here). So nothing obvious to address, but has anyone got any ideas or inspiration I can use to try to boulder a bit better (either harder or better style i.e. quicker working)??  :

[dave]

always a good one is to try adn climb with people who are stronger than you are, which forces you to try that bit harder to keep up. thats why scouse hangs round with me.

remember, theres a fine line between 'not sucking' and 'blowing'.

[Fiend]

Hmmmm yes, trying to climb with people at all would be a good start ;0

[Scouse D]

always a good one is to try adn climb with people who are stronger than you are, which forces you to try that bit harder to keep up. thats why scouse hangs round with me.

aye you've come on loads since i started climbing with you.Well done.

[dave]

please dont use "come on" and "loads" in the same sentence - thats an innuendo waiting to happen.

[Scouse D]

To get back on topic, start climbing with other people. It gets me well psyched. Don't bother training per se just go bouldering with different people and learn how to do stuff.

[underground]

Dunt work for me- I went climbing with bubba last week. It were wack  :roll:

[Ru]

To be good you gotta want it. No one ever did anything hard by not being fussed.

[Tim Heaton]

I really don't think trying to improve your climbing is rocket science. I am not very good by anyone standards but have improved a lot just by applying really basic training techniques from other sports.
All sports seem to have the same training principles and contrary to common belief I don't think climbing is somehow more complicated than many other sports  :shock: so just apply these to your climbing.

I would recommend as a first step setting goals - write them down and take some time to do these properly. Then setting yourself a training regime and sticking to it would be good - as Ru says you really have got to want to get better and push yourself without getting injured by being stupid. I would really not get too hung up on just getting finger/arm strength this is not the only thing you can train and in my case is probably not the reason I fall off things even though it always feels like it is. Climbing with other motivated people is definitely helpful too especially if they are that little bit better than you encouraging you try just a little bit harder. Good luck,

Tim

P.s. This is my personal experience, there are other people here who know loads more about how to train than me

[cofe]

climbing easier stuff well, like when you're warming up, seems to help. (i'm talking outside). and try and do stuff more than once after you've done it the first time.

oh, and pull really hard on holds.

having a camera trained on you might work - it does for pretty much everyone i climb with. or wait until a coach trip of swedish honeys stops by the project for a coffee break. the last one is performancing enhancing dead cert.

[Fiend]

To be good you gotta want it. No one ever did anything hard by not being fussed.

Hmmm, a good point. However, I've progressed a lot simply by bouldering more and not worrying too much about what I can or can't do, rather than specifically trying to improve (although, this progression may be due to me simply not trying much before). I do now try fairly hard outside, I don't just give up. But as cofe says...

oh, and pull really hard on holds.

...I could try harder (although, my ability to pull hard is 90% limited by my skin, and 10% limited by weakness). So yeah I will bear that in mind. As for the overall being fussed or not, well I want a balance between some determination but also some just being chilled about it - I have enough neuroses about trad climbing so I'd rather keep bouldering more fun.

Cofe, I do the rest of what you're suggesting, warm-up well on flashing easier stuff, and also repeat things (skin and fear permitting =)) to feel my body in the optimum sequence.

Tim, good ideas, but a bit too much for me at the moment. Although it has reminded me - being less fat would be good. Unfortunately I love food....so....ummm =/.