Climbing Notes
Drills

Route preview: read, rehearse, compare

Plan a route from the ground, rehearse it in your head, climb it, then compare what happened with the plan.

1 min read 5 sections

Goal

Spot holds, rests and clips before you leave the ground, so fewer surprises happen on the wall.

How

  1. Pick a route you haven't climbed, one or two grades below your limit.
  2. From the ground, trace the sequence with your finger: which hand on each hold, where the feet go, where you clip, where you rest.
  3. Close your eyes and climb it in your head at real speed.
  4. Climb it on top rope or lead, as your experience allows.
  5. Straight after, mark every place where the real climb differed from the plan.

What to measure

  • Number of surprises (moves that differed from the plan).
  • Did each planned rest work? Did the clips happen where you planned?

Write it down on the log sheet.

Dose

2–3 routes per session, at the start while you're fresh.

The evidence

  • Coaching practice This drill and its dose are common coaching practice; no study in the research pack tested them.
  • See How to read a route 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.