Climbing Notes
Drills

Go-or-stay countdown

Make the go-or-stay decision on purpose, with a partner counting seconds.

1 min read 5 sections

Goal

Learn to feel when a rest stops paying.

How

  1. On a route with two or three possible rests, have a partner count out loud every 10 s while you rest.
  2. Call "stay" or "go" at each count.
  3. Leave the moment you call "go".
  4. Afterwards, compare: did the rest you left early or late change how the rest of the route felt?

What to measure

  • Rest lengths you chose, per rest.
  • Where on the route you felt most pumped.

Write it down on the log sheet.

Dose

1–2 routes per session.

The evidence

  • Coaching practice This drill and its dose are common coaching practice; no study in the research pack tested them.
  • See Is this hold a rest? for the background and the measured numbers behind it.
Important

Climb within your experience, with a qualified instructor or experienced partner for anything roped. Young climbers: no campus board or added-weight versions of any drill, and stop at any finger pain.