I originally wrote this article for our coaches, but figured it was worth sharing beyond our smaller group.
Gym-wide, we have typically frowned on spraying beta and giving unsolicited advice to other climbers. Many climbers enjoy the puzzle aspect of climbing and are here to solve problems. It’s a shame that too frequently, unassuming but ignorant fellow gymgoers take that opportunity away from them.
It turns out that giving and receiving beta might have even more detrimental effects on climbing development. By constantly providing solutions, climbers miss out on the critical thinking and physical adaptation that comes from navigating these challenges independently. This process is essential for skill improvement and developing a personal style and confidence on the wall. When climbers are spoon-fed techniques, they lose the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them, which is a vital part of growth in any sport.
In the long run, too many climbers may become dependent on receiving beta to pull a move or complete a route. This can have devastating consequences for competition climbers who are truly on their own during a competition. When left to their own devices, these climbers might find themselves at a loss, unable to strategize or adapt without external input. Ultimately, this reliance might lead them to choke under pressure when it matters most.
How often have you been on the verge of offering beta, only to see the climber execute a move in a completely unexpected way? Perhaps their approach is even more effective than the advice you considered giving—or have given yourself in the past. Providing beta could not only deprive the climber of a valuable ‘aha’ moment but might also prevent you from discovering a new technique.
Before I continue, it’s important to clarify: I’m not advocating for a complete ban on sharing beta. Rather, I suggest it be offered sparingly and with caution. When giving beta, it’s best to avoid overly specific details whenever possible. Additionally, considering the preferences and needs of individual climbers is crucial; in some cases, it might be wisest to refrain from giving beta altogether.
As coaches, it can be hard not to give beta, especially when watching someone struggle with a move for minutes, hours, or even days on end. Especially knowing that it’s your job to help. Fortunately, there are methods to help guide climbers to a particular solution without simply telling them how to do it.
First and foremost, we should encourage climbers to always “try all the things.” Get them to explore every bit about a particular movement or sequence of moves. Try all the feet, flagging or not, hips square, hips turned, and different hand positions (pinch, half-crimp, full-crimp, open hand, get your pinky on), skip holds, use a “foothold” as a hand, and on and on.
This is where learning happens. The more moves they make, the more they hone in on what is effective in particular circumstances and, maybe more importantly, what isn’t. Simply giving the beta robs them of that experience.
When a climber is really struggling, and we see that they are really trying most of the things, this might be when some intervention is needed. But rather than saying, “Get your foot on the higher hold,” ask them to try some other foot options, even if it seems counterintuitive. If a potential solution that you want them to explore is a drop knee, ask the climber if they’ve tried both open-hip and turned-hip solutions. Guide them by asking them questions! Discuss how each position feels when trying the move. Maybe suggesting an even deeper turning of the hips and or a higher foot might force that drop knee solution. One of the keys is to spend time discussing the move.
There’s an art to guiding climbers to solutions without simply handing them the answers, and I’ve been working on honing this skill in my coaching. I’d like to encourage everyone to think about different ways we can subtly steer climbers toward discovering solutions on their own rather than providing our ‘answers’ outright.
