This past September, I (Daniel) accepted the opportunity to coach the Newfoundland Junior Climbing Team. Head coach - Sarah Spurrell - is a close friend and we both passionately nerd out about climbing training and coaching. We train 16 psyched kids from ages 11 to 18 who practice two to three times a week for 3 hours. Of the many lessons I've learned in the past 4 months, I believe there are three important differences between training oneself and coaching other climbers. To be effective at self-training, one should 1) possess some knowledge about training and technique, 2) learn to listen to signals coming from the body, and 3) implement a consistent training plan. To be an effective coach, one should 1) possess a tremendous amount of knowledge about training and technique, 2) learn to teach athletes how to listen to signals from their own body, and 3) implement a coaching plan that is entirely flexible for the athletes. So, before starting my new role as coach, I scoured the internet for books about climbing technique. I wanted a book with 1) a thorough breakdown of climbing technique, and 2) a plethora of drills. Among the limited number of climbing technique books in publication, "Rock Climbing Technique" stood out because I thought John Kettle was convincing and knowledgeable on the Training Beta Podcast and the posts on his Facebook Page are thoughtful and interesting for climbers and climbing coaches alike. $25 CAD on AmazonKettle's book offered both elements of a climbing technique book I was looking for.
The Good
The Not-So-Good
All in all, I think this is a perfect book for beginner and intermediate climbers who want to improve their technique. For experienced climbers, the book serves as an anthology of standard climbing techniques with variations and complimentary drills. As a coach, I use this book to refresh my knowledge of a technique before teaching it. For example, last week I consulted Kettle's book before teaching the difference between the Core Pop, Hip Pop and Shoulder Pop to my athletes. To John Kettle: Thanks John, your book "Rock Climbing Technique" is beautifully simple and digestible for newer climbers who are learning technique and intermediate climbers who are practicing technique. However, I believe readers would love to read A LOT more about climbing technique. I challenge you to write a truly in-depth technique book that potentially could hold the place as a bible of climbing technique. - Daniel
2 Comments
3/24/2020 03:00:12 pm
Hi Daniel,
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Daniel
8/19/2020 05:05:26 am
Hi John,
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