There is a lot of talk in various threads about foot strength/ finger strength too short, too tall, too fat, too etc etc...
The common theme is how does one improve one's level of performance? I thought I'd offer up some general characteristics of elite performers not just in climbing but in a variety of sports. These are some generalizations I've observed based on working with elite athletes from many different sports over the last 15 years. Often you can tell who is going to be an elite performer right from the start i.e. even when they are beginners. One of the athletes I worked with became an Olympian 2 years after starting his sport. You could see his potential right at the start. Sure he had good physiology but a lot of people do. It was how he used what he had that made the difference.
1. They are crazy about what they do. This gives them the single mindedness to pursue their goals.
2. They accept the learning process. They are willing to invest the time to become elite. They realize that if it was easy to do that everyone would be able to do it.
3. They accept the body they have been given. many people are all too willing to say well I just can't do that. (For example) I'm too short. Answer: Hwy impose those limits on yourself? learn to use it. What the hell else are you going to do? Grow? The elite athlete says I have to find an inventive way to get more reach. you can lose weight, optimize strength but elite performance is about learning how to use YOUR body to its best advantage. Its not a toaster you can take back to Walmart and demand your money back on.
4. They accept failure without excuses. (note in this context I am not equating failure with death or anything gruesome..failure is not achieving a goal). One (never going to be elite) athlete I worked with had a reason for everything, not enough warm up too much warm up wrong gear (he was a cyclist) sick, poor weather etc etc. He could never just say 'I went fast, the other guy went faster' He spent so much time analyzing things that he never came to the truth which was that he just needed to put more work in.
5. They don't beat them selves up when they fail. If you tell yourself you're a worthless piece of shit everytime you fail it will get in the way of achievement. Everyone has bad days. Say oh well and MOVE on. That's what makes the good days feel so good when they come.
6. They don't trade short-term gain for long term progress. This ties into being a learner. They don't limit themselves at the beginning to just the things they find easy, because ultimately that will impair progress on long term goals. Heaving yourself up the hardest thing you can find just so you can boast that you climbed a 5.bla bla bla is another example of this. yeah you'll be able to boast, but you won't learn much. I have a friend who is a big strong girl. She heaves herself up the hardest stuff she can. Her style is horrible. She used her strength because that¹s what she was good at. Now she's at the limit of what she can do with the strength she has and the amount she trains, but she sticks with what¹s always worked for her, because she is unwilling to accept a small short term decrement in performance while she learns something new.
7. They look after their bodies and rest when they need to. they don't just train like banging their heads against the wall. go hard some days easy others.
8. They make realistic goals. and then work hard to achieve then. They break goals into achievable parts.
9. They are not so fixated on their own opinions ('I am the only person who know what is right'
that it impedes progress. Conversely they don't listen to everyone. The have to ability to distinguish sound advice from babble. They play with suggestions and adapt them for their own situation.
10. Their self-esteem is not tied up in how well they perform and what people think of them with respect to performance. This ties into not limiting themselves to things they do well and accepting failure.
1. At the very highest level it is not enough to do most things right. Everyone does most things right. you have to do everything right. Elite performers pay meticulous attention to details.
