home c.v. coaching contact blog

Friday 11 May 2012

Spain, so good I went there twice...

A couple of weeks ago I got back from week of coaching in Spain. This was the second week I'd run over there in the last two months or so and both trips have been excellent (but I would say that). I'll not give you a blow by blow account of the two weeks. Instead I'll just say that everybody either attained or exceeded (in some cases massively exceeded) their targets for the week and everybody seemed to have a lot of fun on the way.

Here's a few quotes and comments from the trips:

"For me, the main benefit of the coaching was that it demonstrated what I was capable of under optimum conditions. Good venues, route beta, and the cultivation of a general enthusiasm for pushing red-points, led to my best ever haul of routes. Specific criticisms of my technique were (brutally) accurate and useful. Nik's porridge making skills might also have played a vital role! I left the coaching with useful advice on technique and tactics and a genuine expectation of making significant progress in the year ahead."
- Luke W


" I got the confidence to push myself as hard as I possibly could. I got the rewards due to the encouragement and advice I received especially when my confidence started to drop. Since the coaching trip I am climbing with more belief in my self and the rewards have been huge. I climbed my third 6b+ onsight, however this was a overhanging pumpy route not a slab. I also flashed my first font 6B and climbed my first font 6C plus put a lot of long term projects to bed."
- Luke D


"A distinct improvement in grade Let's face it....7a redpoint - enough said!"
- Peter

"You taught me how to climb! To my mind, the benefits from the coaching were primarily in instilling confidence. As the week progressed that meant I started to enjoy the movement involved in climbing outdoors as much as I like the mental battle (and as you’ve seen, it is a battle sometimes). So while I fought my way to a near 6c onsight, the redpoint was more satisfying in a way, because it felt like I really climbed it. When I onsighted the 6b+, it almost felt relaxed and that felt brilliant. I thought I understood the importance of feet, but I think you took my knowledge of how to use them to another level. By doing so I became considerably more assured in the use of smaller holds, the revelation being that using them for balance will often suffice where they can’t be gripped. From that, the confidence really started to flow. Ultimately, you gave me an understanding of how to climb harder routes. Prior to that it seemed to me that the only way to unlock them was to get stronger. I’m not sure how you could have improved the week - I had a terrific time."
- Tom

"The best four days of my life!"
- Rachel (on day four of the second trip)

"It was fantastic holiday, really enjoyable not only for the climbing (which was ace) but also because it was a good laugh."
- Rachel

And a couple of photos:
 Tom having just red-pointed 6c (previous best 6a+)
Tom on-sighting 6b+ (previous best 6a)
Peter red-pointing 7a (previous best 6a+)

If you're reading this and thinking "that sounds like fun", rest assured it is. And I'll be doing it all again in Autumn. There are two coaching weeks planned, 13th-20th Oct and 20th - 27th Oct. If you fancy booking a place or would like further details just get in touch.

Cheers
Nik