Redpoint Anxiety in Climbing: Coping Strategies (III)

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 Versión en español

Luis Alfonso Félix. El calvario del sicario, 8c/+, Cuenca (Spain). Photo: JaviPec

Some authors have tried to define what the most frequently used coping strategies in sport are (have a look at the previous entry for a description of each technique). According to how often they are used, Xianming et al. (1999) compiled the following list:

1. Problem solving,
2. Self-blame,
3. Avoidance   

Park et al. (2000) proposed these:

•     psychological skills training,
•     training and strategies,
•     somatic relaxation,
•     hobby activities,
•     social support,
•     prayer,
•     substance abuse

Gould et al. (1993), found the following among elite skaters;

•     rational thinking and self-talk,
•     positive focus and orientation,
•     social support (from coach, friends and family),
•     time management and prioritization,
•     precompetitive mental preparation and anxiety management (relaxation, visualization),
•     training hard and smart,
•     isolation and deflection (not letting things get to me, screening media),
•     ignoring the stressors

Muriel Sarkany, IFSC Climbing World Cup Avilés, 2003 (Spain). Photo: Darío Rodríguez. Source:desnivel.com

Which stage of the competition of "stressing event" is each strategy best suited for?

Every athlete needs to have a plan for coping, that optimizes their resources and minimizes anxiety response. As there are as many reactions to stress as there are people, the plan should be personalized et. So, when preparing the plan, the individual characteristics must be accounted for, as well as the type of stressor that has a bigger influence in each occasion (the different types of stressors can be found in the previous entry); it is also necessary to know in what phase of the competition they are more likely to occur (Arruza, 1999). For example, Pensgaard et al. (1998) observed that olympic athletes used task-oriented coping during the competitive event, but they tended to resort to avoidance in the days preceding and following it.

A) In general active strategies are chosen when:

• There is time to spare,
• The situation is perceived as manageable,
• There is a high confidence in one's capacity to solve the situation (Roth & Cohen, 1986).

   
B) By the contrary, several authors agree that avoidance coping is preferred in occasions where:

• the situation is perceived as unmanageable (like spectators' behaviour or noise),
• time is short,
• the available resources are insufficient or the likelihood of getting on top of the situation is low (Anshel, 2008)

Andrea Cartas. Akelarre, 8b+, Orihuela (Murcia). Photo: Carlos Padilla. Source:andreacartas.blogspot.com

 Generally speaking, what is the most Effective strategy?

Task-oriented coping, more precisely, active coping, is linked to positive results and higher levels of self-confidence  (Krane, 1992; Eubank, 2000; Ntoumanis, 2000, Voight, 2000 and Xianming, 1999).

By contrast, strategies that rely on emotions seem to be related to elevated anxiety, depression and lack of adequate strategies (Eubank et al., 2000; Ntomaunis et al., 1998 and 2000; Pensgaard et al., 2000; Xianming et al., 1999). For Giacobbi et al., (2000), athletes suffering from high anxiety before competitive stress situations opt for negation, wishful thinking, self-blame and excessive self-criticism.

Coping Strategies and Sport Level

When Gal-Or et al. (1986) studied cognitive strategies in athletes of different level, they found that:

•  All of them made moderate use of visualization, and focused their attention in the present action rather than the past or the future;
•  The higher level ones had, in the moments before the competition, a higher perception of self-efficacy, and were more task-oriented than their lower level mates.

In addition, González (2001), looked at 46 elite Cuban athletes during national and international events and observed that:

• The athletes that showed the highest levels of anxiety were those who lacked effective coping strategies, resorted to magical thinking, ruminated more about past errors or failure, blamed external causes for their errors, and had a lower self-efficacy expectancy.
•  Those with lower anxiety were less likely to blame external factors and incur in magical thinking, looked more for support and, above all, developed coping strategies.

Variation of coping with Sport Modality

Regarding the relation between the type of physical activity and coping there seem to be some tendencies:

•  In sports or tasks requiring precision (Badminton, penalty kick in soccer), athletes get the best results through instructional self-talk.

•  When it is strength or endurance what matters (something likely to take place while redpointing), it is effective to use instructional along with motivational self-talk (Theodorakis et al., 2000).

•  In less deterministic activities where attention to external stimuli is important (like onsighting), several authors have shown that if time to make a decision is very short, avoidance is effective (Anshel & Anderson, 2002; Krohne & Hindel, 1988); this has also been proposed for confronting execution errors during competition (Roth & Cohen, 1986).

•  Where memory and automation of movement are crucial, like in gymnastics, synchronized swimming or sport climbing (when working a route), the effectiveness of visualization and relaxation has been verified (Feltz and Landers., 1983; Gray et al., 1984; Dubier et al., 1999).

Bruno Macías. Bouldering National Championship Avilés 2005 (Spain). Photo: Darío Rodríguez. Source: desnivel.com

Practical Applications to Climbing

From the conclusions reached in the reviewed documentation, we can suggest that the most effective strategies for reducing anxiety in our sport are those that focus on:

•  the climb itself: sort each movement, refine our execution;
•  thinking about now, one move at a time;
•  self-talk, visualization;
•  goal-setting, building a "competition plan", managing time (like warming-up, waiting between semifinals and finals...)
•  promoting a high self-efficacy perception.

Regarding the best technique during each phase of a climb, or when facing a stressor, each one needs to find their own... once you have some ideas (often after much practice and trial and error) about which works best for you.

Practical Examples of Strategies for Coping with Anxiety in Climbing

Let's see some examples, I'm sure you'll be able to add many of your own:

EXAMPLE #1: REPEATEDLY FALLING IN THE SAME HARD MOVE OF MY PROJECT

Coping technique proposal: First, analyze what the cause for that fall is (insufficient endurance or maximum strength, less than ideal method, lack of automation leading to sluggishness, getting distracted by your own negative thoughts...); then you have to look for a response: training your endurance or your ability to do hard moves under fatigue, optimizing the easier parts so that you will get less tired to the crux, devoting a full try just to finding an easier method for the crux, repeating it several times to build confidence...; you can also ask some friend to help you figure out the variables that have influence over that fall. Lastly, set goals.

Coping style used: active, problem-oriented (analysis, problem solving, memorization, automation, self-confidence development, systematic training, seek for instrumental social support), goal setting.

EXAMPLE #2: THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE AT THE CRAG, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I WILL BE ABLE TO WARM-UP PROPERLY AND GET A SLOT TO TRY MY PROJECT

Coping technique proposal: Schedule that day's activities (when to wake up, have breakfast, trip to the crag...) so that you get there early, know what routes are you go to warm-up on beforehand and ask other climbers if they are going to try your project to make sure you can have your turn. Meanwhile, try to keep distracted, enjoy the time with your friends until your time comes.

Coping style used: problem-oriented (planning) and avoidance (distraction)

EXAMPLE #3: THERE IS A LOT OF NOISE AT THE CRAG AND I LOSE MY CONCENTRATION

Coping technique proposal: Ignore the surroundings and focus on the climb before starting, visualize the route, begin to concentrate through self-instructions for every step that you have to take. "put the harness on", "now tie in", "put my foot on that blackened edge, and then go for the right hand pinch", "place my foot really high to clip"... and also self-encouraging phrases that help focusing: "go for it!", "let's climb!", "well done!"...

Coping style used: Avoidance, also active, task oriented (self-instructions, visualization, self-motivation)

Conclusions

In wrapping up this entry, I suggest you apply what Carver, Scheier & Weintraub (1989), and Scheier et al. (1986) concluded:

 Using active coping, building a plan for action and reinterpreting events in a positive way have a positive correlation with self-esteem, optimism and resilience, and are also effective against anxiety.

 Have good luck and, above all, lots and lots of patience till you expose and master the strongest source of stress:: The "monster" within!

In the words of Mark Twain:

 "Some of the worst things in my life never even happened."

What are you waiting for?

LINKS RELATED

Precompetitive Anxiety in Climbing: "Redpoint Anxiety"
Precompetitive Anxiety in Climbing: Interpreting your "Redpoint Anxiety"

Redpoint Anxiety in Climbing: What stresses you out? (I)

Redpoint Anxiety in Climbing: What stresses you out? (II)

Redpoint Anxiety in Climbing: Coping Strategies (I)

Redpoint Anxiety in Climbing: Coping Strategies (II)

REFERENCES

• Anshel M, & Anderson D (2002). Coping with acute stress in sport: Linking athletes' coping style, coping strategies, affect, and motor performance. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 15(2), 193-209.
• Arruza JA; Telletxea S; Azurza A; Amenabar B; Balague G; Ugalde D (1999). Estado de ánimo, auto-confianza y rendimiento percibido en competidores de élite de Snowboard; unpublished.
• Carver CS., Scheier MF., & Weintraub JK (1989). Assessing Coping Strategies: A Theoretically Based Approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56(2), 267-283.
• Dubier J; Inchauspe1 L; Tiberge M (1999).  Stress regulation test through mental images on the French National Women Synchronized Swimming team during the 1998 Perth (Australia) World Championships; 5th IOC World Congress on Sport Sciences with the Annual Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport ;Sydney 31 October -5 November
• Eubank M. ; Collins D (2000). Coping with pre- and in-event fluctuations in competitive state anxiety: a longitudinal approach; Journal of Sports Sciences (JSS), 18(2), 121 - 131. 
• Feltz DL,; Landers DM (1983). The effects of mental practice on motor skill learning and performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Sport Psychology, 5, 25-57.
• Gal-Or Y, Tenenbaum G, Shimrony S (1986). Cognitive behavioural strategies and anxiety in elite orienteers; Sports Sci. 1986 Spring;4(1):39-48.
• Giacobbi PR; Weinberg RS (2000). An examination of coping in sports: individual trait anxiety differences and situational consistency; The Sport Psychologist; 14(1):42-62
• González LG (2001). Enfrentamiento al stress competitivo en atletas de alto rendimiento; en www.efdeportes.com/ Revista Digital - Buenos Aires - Año 6 - N° 32 - Marzo
• Gould D; Finch LM; Jackson SA(1993). Coping strategies used by National  Champion Figure Skaters; Research Quaterly for Exercise and Sport, 64(4), 453-468
• Gray JJ.; Haring MJ; Banks NM (1984). Mental rehearsal for sport performance: exploring the relaxation-imagery paradigm; Journal of Sport Behavior (JSB), 7(2), 68 - 78.
• Krane V; Williams J; Feltz D (1992). Path analysis examining relationships among cognitive anxiety, somatic anxiety, state confidence, performance expectations, and golf performance;  Journal of Sport Behavior (JSB), 15(4), 279 - 295.
• Krohne HW, & Hindel C (1988). Trait anxiety, state anxiety, and coping behavior as predictors of athletic performance. Anxiety Research, 1(3), 225-234.
• Ntoumanis N. Biddle SJH (2000). Relationship of intensity and direction of competitive anxiety with coping strategies; The Sport Psychologist, 14(4), 360 - 371. 
• Ntoumanis N; Biddle JH (1998). The relationship of coping and its perceived effectiveness to positive and negative affect in sport; Personality and Individual Differences; 24(6 ): 773-788
• Park JK (2000). Coping strategies used by Korean national athletes; The Sport Psychologist, 14(1), 63-80.
• Pensgaard AM, Ursin H (1998). Stress, control, and coping in elite athletes.Scand J Med Sci Sports. Jun;8(3):183-9
• Roth S & Cohen LJ (1986). Approach, avoidance, and coping with stress. American Psychologist, 41(7), 813.
• Theodorakis Y; Weinberg R; Natsis P; Douma I;  Kazakas P (2000).  The effects of motivational versus instructional self-talk on improving motor performance; The Sport Psychologist, 14(3), 253 - 271.
• Valdés M; de Flores T (1990). Psicobiología del estrés. Barcelona. Martínez Roca
• Voight MR; Callaghan JL; Ryska TA (2000). Relationship between goal orientations, self-confidence and multidimensional trait anxiety among Mexican-American female youth athletes; Journal of Sport Behavior, 23(3), 271-288
• Xianming T (1999) Research on the Coping Strategies of Archers; Abstracts Congreso Asian South Pacific Association of Sport Psychology (ASPASP)

Redpoint Anxiety: What stresses you out? (II)

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Versión en español

Continuing from the previous entry, here there are some additional sources of stress:

 How imminent the event is
 As the challenging situation draws closer, anxiety tends to increase.

Reinterpretation proposal
I usually "procrastinate" the moment of heightened stress, because, what do I have to gain from getting too nervous too early?
So when I get up I think "well, I'll wait until I'm at the crag to see how I feel", and then, when I'm before the route I say "wait 'til you are at the big jug before the crux"; when I get there, "let's just climb, nail the moves as you have done in the past, A muerte!". It's a nice example of self-deception, isn't it?

Importance of the event/outcome
The more importance we assign to a route, style (onsight or worked), a crag, a grade or a competition... the more likely we are to be stressed out.

Fear/worry about failure
Any situation that feels like a test can be stressing if we think we can fail. And I'm referring to whatever situations where we interpret as failure any kind of error like falling, bad technique, or missing some piece of information.

Reinterpretation proposal
when facing these sources for stress, I realise that we attribute too much of a "tragic" meaning to failure and error, when we should see them as a tool for improvement. We have to think that errors are a way to better ourselves once we start working to remediate them.
Something that works for me is to realize that whatever route I'm facing, it's just climbing. This route, as every route, consists of a series of moves and is just one more along my career as a climber. I won't be a better climber if I send it, nor a worse one if I fall.
What shapes me as a climber is the succession of day after day of climbing and training. One route, one grade, one try are of little importance on their own. It's the process that counts. What if I fall? What if I err? It's not possible to go forward without failing, nobody is safe from committing errors!

Just climb, climb and think about the holds, the sequence of moves, that climb, that precise moment and... we'll see. Focus on every little goal, every section, and not so much on the top, on the black or white answers, on doing the route...
Who knows? perhaps this way, step by little step, we will make it to the top.

Once again, you can see that I tend to focus on the present and the actionI'm performing: to climb.

Spectators/Peer scrutiny
Some people get anxious because of the people who are watching them climb. Others only get nervous if among their public there are people they care about. Deep inside, they worry about not being up to the expectations the others -alledgedly- have about them. They fear a negative evaluation, and even loosing their affection, admiration or aprobation just because of the outcome of their performance. They are confusing "Being" with "Doing".

Proposal for reinterpretation
"I climb for myself, not to prove anything to the world or show my superiority. I do it because it's fun and I love it... because no matter what happens when I climb and outdo myself, it fulfills me". And if I struggle and try hard routes it's because it makes me happy to get better at what I do. I'm not held responsible before anyone.

Besides, people like me for what I am, not for what I sent today or who I won against. My self-esteem and my happiness come from inside me, not from praise or approval. Climb and be oblivious!

 Perception of competence or excessive self-evaluation
If we have doubts about our fitness or we deem it insufficient to what would be needed for linking the route; if, by the contrary, we are training so well and feel so strong that we feel obliged to succeed; or if we insist on checking at every moment if we are more or less tired than the last try, we can get stressed.

Reinterpretation proposal:
Once again, my strategy is to think about the present. We can't do anything to improve our physical state, and the constant self-assessment will make us distracted and anxious, so I focus on what I'm climbing at this moment. I know that in the past I have climbed hard routes on days I felt tired or undertrained; and I have failed on days I felt strong. So I say to myself "well, you never know until you try. Go for it!". We may surprise ourseves in a good way. Also, climbing is not about your forearms only. Don't overrate physical fitness. Sometimes it's the heat or the mind what impairs us, or getting a sequence wrong, or missing a hold... This has already happened to you, hasn't it?

Eva López, Nuria, 8c. Cuenca (Spain). Photo: José Yáñez

These are my suggestions and some personal tricks, but you can share yours, and perhaps this way we can collect a good repertory of "weapons" against those pesky nerves.

So tell us: What is your favorite phrase to minimise your anxiety? What are your tricks?

In the following, we will talk about coping strategies

Is there any Evidence that Warm Up is Necessary for Dead Hang Training?

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Versión en español 

Warm-up is highly recognized as an essential part of any sports activity. The aim of warm-up is to increase muscle-tendon suppleness, stimulate peripheral blood flow, increase the temperature of the body, muscle tendon and connective tissue; and enhance free, coordinated movement.

During endurance routes, performance is enhanced by a good warm-up, because it allows your body to deliver more oxygen to the muscles right from the start of the workout, and reduces the temporary oxygen debt (Hojoblou et al, 2005)
Picture: Dani Andrada - Corazón de Ensueño, 8c FA; China. Photo by Sam Bie. Source: www.sambie.fr

However...The science about how to warm up is not well developed; we haven’t answered the big questions yet: about whether to warm up or why to warm up (Fradkin et al, 2010)...

After one of my last posts, somebody asked me:

"Since you so easily entertain all my questions I will ask another seemingly unrelated question that I think in some strange way applies to your studies and training.

I have noticed that most programs mention warm-ups, but on the other hand there are a few notable climbers who seem to jump straight onto difficult boulders and routes with no apparent warm up. In fact (not sure if you know who he is but...) boon speed of pusher developed a hangboard years ago after noticing that he was stronger from doing short hard hangs randomly (sounds a lot like your training) with no real training warm up just throughout the day hang for a few seconds and go on with your day... which seemed to work for him in sending his 8c(+) route project. To make a short story long - is there any evidence that warm ups may or may not be necessary in this type of training? it seems very curious"

MY ANSWER:

It's not so easy! :-D but I apply a WIN/WIN philosophy (I LEARN/YOU LEARN) that's pretty motivating.

I ignore the exact methodology that Boone Speed used and its development as the sets went by (evolution in edge depth, EL or added weight), but let's suppose he didn't use Pavel Tsatsouline's method (He stated that if you want to get better at doing pull ups, you do more pull ups. But don't try and do 100 in a workout (setsxreps). Instead, you perform many sets of the same exercise over and over again spread along the whole day to improve performance on said exercise.What ends up happening is you end up doing 15 to 20 pull ups as many as 5-10 times a day); this would be effective when we are learning a new exercise or doing sustained climbing exercises in the gym... but not when we want to improve our maximum strength.

Instead we will suppose he did 2-3 sessions of 2-3 sets each; then:

I believe that probably the first few sets that Speed performed served him as a warmup, perhaps without him being conscious of it. Otherwise would mean he was following Pavel's, and so failing to achieve the potential benefits that he could have enjoyed by doing 3-5 sets in one session or 2-4 sets in two sessions.

It has been shown that greater scores in maximum strength and power are obtained when an appropriate warming-up protocol is followed, including the same exercise the training consists of, and several sets of submaximal loads with the same duration/reps as the training itself. Also, these acute positive effects are bigger for the stronger and/or more skilled athletes.

Double Dyno - Bleau 2009- photo: Udo Neumann - Source: www.udini.com

Moreover, the results obtained by Abad et al (2011),  support the advisability of performing a moderate intensity general warm-up in addition to the specific warm-up before maximum strength tests/training. The general warm-up intends to raise muscle temperature, whereas the specific warm-up aims to increase neuromuscular activation.

Nonetheless, playing devil's advocate, I will add that for boulder problems that last for more than 1', power endurance routes or power training like campus board or dynos, "less is more", because it has been observed that too long a warming-up, or too intense and without enough rest period before the actual competition can impair performance, especially when the sport level is not very high. The reason is that those types of warming-up could cause significant fatigue and impair subsequent performance because of the reduction in high-energy phosphates, which are the key substrates for performance in those activities (Hashbullah et al, 2011, Mujika et al, 2011; Tomaras and MacIntosh, 2011). 

Lastly, I find two aspects of the training you describe that are positive, and in fact are among the principles of the methodology I propose:

- Short hanging times ("a few seconds" as you recount, 3"-10'' for high level, 10"-15'' for medium and low level) and high intensity to increase maximum strength (getting neural effects but not hypertrophy).

- Complete rest periods between sets and several brief strength training sessions distributed along the day. According to the scientific literature we can optimally train our strength by doing sessions of no more than 45'-60' with a pause of 30' or more between them. By this I don't want to give the impression that it's better to do several dead hang sessions on the same day than just one session, it's not?
However, you can do a finger strength session in the morning, and a bouldering session in the evening.

Nacho Sánchez ; Bouldering World Cup. Barcelona 2011 - Photo: David Munilla

 On a related note, the effects of a good warming-up last for 45-80', and even more according to some authors (if the ambient temperature is right).

 A different issue is the psychological influence on motivation or the difficulty to stay focused across long rest periods, but that is a matter of personal preference.

IN SUMMARY
When doing dead hangs we could follow this warming-up suggestions that can be found in the posters that come with Progression and Transgression fingerboards:

1. Moving the joints of upper body, shoulders, elbows, neck and fingers;
2. Following with 2-3 easy traverses for 2 to 5 minutes followed by 2-3 boulder problems with increasing difficulty; or several progressive sets on easy holds of the hangboard if we are at home;
3. And then 2-3 sets of 10 seconds with 40-50%, 80% and 90% of the load used the previous session.

Anyway, remember that you will have to adapt the duration and intensity accordingly with environmental and physical conditions.

 REFERENCES:

• Abad et al (2011): Combination of general and specific warm-ups improves leg-press one repetition maximum compared with specific warm-up in trained individuals. J Strength Cond Res. Aug;25(8):2242-5. Altamirano et al (2011): Effects of Warm-up on Peak Torque, Rate of Torque Development, and Electromyographic and Mechanomyographic Signals. J Strength Cond Res. Sep 28
• Brown et al (2008): The effect of warm-up on high-intensity, intermittent running using nonmotorized treadmill ergometry. J Strength Cond Res. May;22(3):801-8.
• Burkett et al (2005): Effects of prior warm-up regime on severe-intensity cycling performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. May;37(5):838-45.
• Burnley et al (2005): Effects of prior warm-up regime on severe-intensity cycling performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. May;37(5):838-45.
• Fradkin et al (2006): Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res. Jan;24(1):140-8.
• Gourgoulis et al (2003): Effect of a submaximal half-squats warm-up program on vertical jumping ability. J Strength Cond Res. May;17(2):342-4.
• Hajoglou et al (2005): Effect of warm-up on cycle time trial performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. Sep;37(9):1608-14.
• Hashbullah et al (2010): Effects of different warm-up protocols and no warm up on speed performance among football players. Science and Social Research (CSSR), 2010 International Conference on Issue Date: 5-7 Dec
• Hawley et al, (1989): Effects of a task-specific warm-up on anaerobic power. Br J Sports Med. Dec;23(4):233-6.
• Mujika et al (2011): Warm-up Intensity and Duration Affect Traditional Rowing Time Trial Performance. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. Dec 12
• Saez Saez de Villarreal et al (2007): Optimal warm-up stimuli of muscle activation to enhance short and long-term acute jumping performance. Jul;(4):393-401
• Sotiropoulos, K. et al. (2010): Effects of warm-up on vertical jump perf ormance and muscle electrical activity. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 9, 326-331
• Tomaras, E.K and MacIntosh, B.R. (2011): Less is more: standard warm-up causes fatigue and less warm-up permits greater cycling power output. Jul;111(1):228-35
• Wittekind, A. and Beneke, R. (2011): Metabolic and performance effects of warm-up intensity on sprint cycling. Scand J Med Sci Sports. Dec;21(6)
• Wittekink et al (2012): Warm-up effects on muscle oxygenation, metabolism and sprint cycling performance. Eur J Appl Physiol. Jan 3
• Zois et al (2011): High-intensity warm-ups elicit superior performance to a current soccer warm-up routine. J Sci Med Sport. Nov;14(6):522-8. Epub 2011 Sep 9.