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 Finding the right direction is something that only you can answer. No book, video, coach, friend, or parent can help you...but only suggest to you. At the end of the day, you're the one that has to put one foot in front of the other. Some days that can prove to be very challenging. However, what it comes down to...is how deep you're willing to dig in order to keep your feet moving.
A lot of the time it's hard to find the right direction, the one that works best for you. There's so much literature, so many opinions, out there, typically you end up just pulling all your hair out from frustration. How do you know what or who to listen to? How do you know that the new book on the shelf has all the answers, boasting that this new and improved "way" is the right way? Well, put simply...you don't.
SIDE NOTE–
Some days it's hard to find the motivation to train. On those days, i tend to look for inspiration, to get me up and going. I just read Sean McColl's blog on his training. Flip, i was hooked 1 paragraph into his novel of training for that particular day. You want to get pscyhed about training...look at what he does ( http://seanmccoll.com/?cat=8 ), and if that doesn't get you going...then i don't know what will. Speaking of Will, check out his blog on training ( gravsports.blogspot.com ), he's had a lot of good stuff posted lately with regards to that topic.
In my climbing journey, it's been a push on all fronts. I've always struggled with commitment, with following through, with really going the distance. My coach asked me once to look in the mirror and ask myself, "why am I doing this?" It was a humbling yet compelling experience as it led me to discovering a lot about myself and why i was climbing. And from that point, I began my journey towards the "right direction".
Defining the direction you're wanting to seek out starts with defining your goals. You need to honestly ask yourself what it is that you're trying to accomplish, and then from there...you need to be honest with yourself to where you're at right then and there. No bs, just the straight up truth...humbling yourself fully. It does no good to talk things up more so than they are as you'd be merely crippling yourself and your aspirations by doing so. Start from where you're actually at and progress from there. The reward is far greater if you're willing to choose the right direction.
Everyone has an opinion to what works best and why for reaching certain goals, for training right etc. I believe that the best way to sort out what works best for you...take everything with a grain of salt. Try stuff out, average opinions out, and everything aside....listen to your body. If a certain training method is hurting you, for instance, than obviously you need stop what you're doing. For me, it came down to trust. My coach has a lot of experience in training and so i put my faith in him and allowed him to set up a specific program for me and my training. It pushes me, but it's working. For some, that may not work (another person's training regime) so in that case, merely dig deeper. Read more, ask questions and then try again. There's a lot of info out there and a lot of people with lots of knowledge. If you really want it, get out there and go after it.
My training is paying off. I'm getting stronger and I'm super psyched about that. Listening to my coach and his direction has proven it's worth through my climbing, specifically endurance and contact strength. It's obviously hard to not go out and train in every manor possible-like the gym (fitness etc.), or loads of cardio, or whatever...but sometimes you just need to trust others. I'm sending harder routes faster and easier. Seeing this progression only motivates me more...that's cool. But here's the really interesting part: Knowing that where my rock climbing is at, compared to some of the top climbers....wow....there's just no comparison. And that can be depressing, or...again, motivating. I know that i'm not in the same league as guys like Alex Honald, or Sharma, but seeing them climb, just hearing about how Sean McColl (for instance) just repeated Dreamcatcher (14d), it still motivates me to get stronger. You see, it's all about how you can channel certain energy towards the direction you want to go in. It would be easy to get discouraged and quit, but that's where it really counts, that moment of "make or break" that sets you apart from those who want it, and those who really want it. In my opinion, it's all relative. If you're pushing hard and finally get your first 13...that's sick...no matter where the sport of climbing is at. Because in your world, you just became sharma. Yeah, Sharma may be sending 15b's, but you just crushed your project and the feeling you embrace, well it's the same feeling for Sharma when he sent Jumbo LOve, 15b. You see, all relative.
When you define the direction to which you want to travel in, be sure that the definition includes your personal reasoning, the reasons that come within, from deep down, because that's what really matters, not what the sharma's of the world are doing...but what you want to do. Define your direction by what lays beneath and you'll discover great things. Sometimes it's good to just listen, to be humble, accepting and greatful.
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