If you occasionally struggle with the fear of falling, then this podcast is for you!

While the fear of falling is most acute among beginner and intermediate climbers, it’s a fact that advanced climbers and the pros also experience a bit of falling fear from time to time. After all, fear is an important self-protective response—the goal, then, isn’t to eliminate fear, but to manage it…which is the focus of this podcast.

Ultimately, learning to expertly manage fear is a long-term endeavor—there are no quick fixes—and so I hope this hour-plus-long podcast will help kick-start your journey to becoming a more confident, in-control, and courageous climber!

Click the play button below to listen now! Or, listen on iTunes or your favorite podcast player App.


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Podcast Rundown:

I was happy to join Dei and Ben (and their YouTube channel viewers) for this online coaching session, in which I answer their fear-related questions and share a variety of mental training tips to better manage fear and advance their climbing ability. No matter if you’re an indoor climber, boulderer, or sport climber, I trust you’ll find some useful tips and techniques to address your unique vertical-world concerns and fearful experiences.

1:07 – Introducing Jerry Moffatt’s MASTERMIND!

2:04 – Eric’s intro to coaching the fear of falling.

3:45 – Beginning discussion with Dei & Ben of “Day in Nature”

5:00 – The goal of controlling fear rather than letting fear control you!

10:00 – Legitimate fears vs. phantom fears.

11:30 – The importance of taking practice falls (in a very safe, controlled setting).

13:40 – How to combat fears of the rope getting cut…or a bolt pulling out.

18:45 – Developing the skill of managing fear is a long-term process….that takes effort over months & years.

19:30 – Why do some people conquer fear faster than others?

22:30 – A look inside Alex Honnold’s brain (via MRI)…and his “quiet” amygdala.

27:23 – How to handle fear of runouts between bolts?

31:24 – Value of reading books on mental training (such as Warriors Way, Maximum Climbing, MasterMind).

37:00 – Mental training should be comprehensive…and not just focused on managing fear. This is a rich area with potential for huge breakthroughs in performance!

38:12 – Mental training literally changes your brain (neuroplasticity).

38:30 – Using breath-focused meditation as training (at home) and for performance (at the crag).

40:50 – For expertly skilled climbers, further improvement often comes down to mental training…and getting stronger!

41:15 – What about grabbing the rope (or quick draws) when falling?

43:10 – Tips for returning to climbing after an injurious fall.

48:45 – Why are children often less scared of falling than adults?

53:10 – What about fear when clipping the second bolt of a route?

56:23 – How to assess a fall…determining a “safe fall” vs. a dangerous fall situation?

59:55 – What about climbers who never fall (because they climb so far below their maximum ability)? How much harder might they be able to climb by becoming willing/able to fall?

1:03:50 – Who was the most fearful that I’ve ever coached or climbed with?

1:06:00 – The difference between Anxiety vs. Fear

1:07:01 – The importance of “mete-cognition”…for improving your mental game and performance (in anything).

1:08:45 – Recognizing and breaking fear “triggers”.

1:10:16 – Just as you train your muscles with exercises…it’s essential to use mental training exercise to strengthen your mental muscle!

1:12:20 – My two favorite mental training exercises are….

1:14:44 – How to do effective visualization? (Hint: It must be more than just a mental rehearsal of sequence!)

1:16:30 – Closing comments by Dei & Ben.

1:17:30 – Eric wraps up podcasts…and asks YOU to share it with a few friends!

My Lithuanian friends, Dei and Ben, have created a series of excellent YouTube videos (called “Day in Nature“) with the common theme of exploring the fear of falling. Check it out here!

Music: Misty Murphy


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