Reddit mentions of 9 Out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes

Rather than claiming to know the answers to your personal problems, I'll point you to two resources that have helped me greatly:

• The Rock Warriors Way: This book deems it self as "Mental training for climbers", but it is so much more than that. As you mention, "climbing forces these sorts of lessons upon us all" and this book acknowledges that, walking you through the borderline spiritual journey of the author and providing great lessons for the reader
  
• 9 out of 10 climbers make the same mistakes: This is a training book that avoids quantitive goals (like, 3 sets of X followed by a 4 minute break) and talks instead of a number of the physical/technique/psychological problems we all commonly face in improving as climbers. It opened my mind to new approaches to escaping self-carved ruts in my training.
  
  Hope these help.

My recommendation: 9 out of 10 climbers make the same mistakes

While not a book on technique, it will act as a great roadmap to improvement. It's short but full of tons of great info.

I can not recommend this mans wisdom enough, every vid/vlog he puts out is excellent, and his books are even better. If you havent checked out "9/10 climbers make the same mistakes" ( https://www.amazon.com/Out-Climbers-Make-Same-Mistakes/dp/095642810X ) you are definitely missing out.

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Give him the support he deserves fellas!

9 out of 10 Climbers Make The Same Mistakes

"9 Out of 10 Climbers Make The Same Mistakes" by Dave MacLeod

EDIT: Please don't free solo. Always climb with gear, and someone who knows what they are doing. Bouldering however, with a crash pad may interest you, but if you are climbing large walls please use a rope and climb with experienced individuals.

Just bought this today:

How to Climb Harder.

Seems like it has a pretty nice package of information.

I also checked out Dave MacLeod's book and Self-Coached Climber at the store, but I found this one most interesting, because it seems to have clear instructions on a lot of lead climbing stuff too (should be starting course soon).

Might get the Self-Coached Climber later (it has a DVD too), but it looked a bit text heavy. Dave McLeod's book is about fixing mistakes, but I don't feel that I have gotten to a level yet where this might be of interest (still progressing decently, imo).

Also, see if there are technique lessons available at your gym or see if you can start climbing with someone you feel is (much) better than you. Advice from some one analyzing your climbing specifically might net you faster results. I did a course to get to 5.10 level and it was a lot of fun and very helpful. It also helps me a lot in explaining new climbers what they should be looking for or trying in a structured manner.

I don't know if you're going to find much on training mental aspects of climbing in a bouldering setting. For most people, fear of falling and trusting gear are the largest mental barriers. The gear side we can completely ignore, because there's essentially no gear you need to trust. The falling side is the same as falling with ropes--take falls to train falls. Start small, gradually get bigger. On the other hand, it seems like most people are far more comfortable taking falls bouldering than they are leading, so if mentality on the sharp end is your ultimate goal, you just need to tie in and take falls.

The Rock Warrior's Way and 9 Out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes are both great books for climbing mentality, but again, the focus will be on ropes, not bouldering.

Pick up a copy of:

The Self Coached Climber
9 out of 10 climbers
The Rock Climbers Training Manual

And join us over at /r/climbharder.

9 Out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes by Dave MacLeod gives a good overview of common bad habits/practices a lot of climbers make, and how to avoid them.

It's a good book for gaining a bit more overall awareness of how best to approach getting better at climbing, rather than just throwing yourself at harder and harder climbs until you can do them.

He also has a second book called Make or Break, which is centred around common climbing related injuries and how to avoid them (or recover from them).

Hey man. The Friday New Climber's thread stickied at the top of r/climbing is a great place to ask questions and get advice. I use it all the time and love it.

How many days a week are you climbing? If you can go 3x a week you should see solid improvement. 1x a week really won't give you the time on the wall to see much improvement.

When people start, most of the time their footwork is horrific. There are lots of drills to improve feet which will probably help your climbing the most.

The full version of this DVD can give you lots of advice (be clever... google it and ye shall find).

Books that are helpful include "Self-Coached Climber" and "9 Out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistake." The Self-Coached Climber comes with a great DVD with drills to improve technique. I bet that's on youtube as well. Yup, it is.

Also, you should just try climbing harder routes. Pick a couple 5.10s that look fun and try to climb them when you come in to the gym. At first it might seem really difficult, but if you try them every time you come in, you will get better. After that, pick other 5.10s and climb those. Rinse and repeat. After that, try some 5.11s.

*Edit, links and stuff.

Yep, also this one. Nine out of Ten Climbers Make the Same Mistakes
http://www.amazon.com/out-climbers-make-same-mistakes/dp/095642810X

You've been bouldering for 6 years so obviously you're experienced, but since everyone seems to be focused on strength, maybe it's technique? Or it could be something else entirely.

This might not be your cup of tea but, if you're desperate, 9 out of 10 outlines a number of hangups (non-strength related) that get in the way of progressing and breaking that plateau.

I keep seeing that book pop up all over the place. I am going to buy it soon, once the financial stress of Christmas passes. I also saw another book, ["9 out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes"] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/095642810X/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1419453792&sr=8-1&keywords=9+out+of+10+climbers+make+the+same+mistakes). At the gym, I notice that my contact strength is probably the least developed. I almost always fall off or get stumped on a project due to a lack of finger strength. I'm gonna start ARCing more and figuring out how to use a fingerboard properly
Thanks for the advice!

I broke my collarbone 2 years ago. It gave me new appreciation for being able-bodied. One of the first things I did with this new appreciation was try rock climbing. Life has a strange way of turning that frown upside down. Oh and "9 out of 10 climbers make the same mistakes" is a nice easy read to motivate you upon recovery.

I've never done a course inside, but I've done a couple of winter climbing courses outside (notes: course 1, course 2), and they were totally worth it. I had a great time and have used lots of the stuff I learned. A friend of mine did an "advanced movement" course at her local gym and claims it helped her technique a lot, particularly on steep terrain.

You might find the books The Self-Coached Climber and 9 out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes helpful. The first covers the nuts and bolts of technique and training; the second is more about how best to make use of the limited climbing time you have, and how to avoid getting stuck in a rut.

http://www.davemacleod.com/shop/9outof10climbers.html

https://www.amazon.com/Out-Climbers-Make-Same-Mistakes/dp/095642810X

If you order it from his store you'll get a signed copy.

'9 out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes' by Dave MacLeod

'The Rock Climber's Training Manual' by Mike and Mark Anderson

Sounds like you did a very strenuous move at one point. Do you ever throw for a move with your arm completely extended and jerk at the shoulder/upper arm as you catch it? Do you climb with bent arms often? Either of those may be to culprit.

First and foremost - focus on your footwork. Think of relaxing your grip and climbing with relaxed, straight arms whenever possible. You should constantly be engaging, and pushing with your feet first (to take pressure off your arms); then rotating, and pulling with your lats diagonally across your chest to maximize reach while using a larger muscle group.

Work on as many easy problems as possible in your next training session while making sure every movement you do is static and based on technique, rather than power. No jerking; just relaxed, comfortable movements. Every movement you do should be as efficient as possible. To get a sense of what I'm talking about, watch strong female climbers - they typically have far better technique than most men.

Work on Antagonistic muscle exercises, specifically the extensor muscles in you arms; this will help prevent injury.

Do Reverse Wrist curls religiously before each workout and Wrist Pronators after - these work the forearm and elbow to help prevent tendinitis in the elbow.

Alternatively, you can do rice bucket exercises. These are excellent exercises to prevent injury and increase overall stability in the wrists, elbows, and forearms. Some gyms use large buckets of sand - same deal.

You're working a lot of pull muscles in climbing -always be sure to work the opposing muscles to round-out this increased volume. Try to do 2 sets of dips or push ups every other day to even this out.

Also, if you REALLY want to get better then watch some climbing videos. You'll start to subconsciously soak up the techniques top-level climbers use and then you'll say to yourself, "Hey, this move's kinda like that one I saw in the video!" Watch the great movers and shakers. Also, consider getting the book 9 out of 0 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes

To get inspired, watch this.

Hope some of this helped

EDIT: Also, this is Lynn Hill - the first PERSON to ever free climb The Nose on El Cap. She's truly incredible. Listen to what she has to say - it's something climbers will go for years before realizing.

EDIT2: You likely shouldn't be Hang-boarding if you're a beginner - you're going to get injured. Climbing on the holds themselves are the best training for finger strength right now. As you progress, hang boarding will have more of a return on your time spent.

Also, you shouldn't be doing multiple sessions in a row. Your body needs time to rest, and if you're constantly stressing it, it'll never improve.

Again - training does not make you stronger, it only initiates the growth process. REST is where that growth is made. You'll come back stronger after a periodic rest between sessions.

To improve in climbing you need sport specific training and weight loss.

The loss of ten pounds even when I am out of shape can drastically improve my climbing.

I highly recommend:
Training for Climbing

How to Climb 5.12
The Rock Warriors Way

I have heard that Dave Macleod's book
and Self Coached Climber
are also really good.