One of the most common things holding climbers back is a fear of falling.  Whether you are bouldering or sport climbing, there is no way to effectively climb your hardest if you are paralyzed by a fear.  Now, obviously there are situations in which fear is an appropriate response to a dangerous situation.  However, learning to manage fear, especially irrational fear in safe situations, is critical step for any climber looking to progress and continue to push their limits.

To help you learn how to effectively manage fear, here’s a video from the YouTube channel A Day in Nature featuring climbing trainer and coach Eric Hörst.

“Surely the fear of falling is most acute among beginner and intermediate climbers; however, even advanced climbers and the pros experience a bit of falling fear from time to time. The fact is…fear is an important self-protective response—the goal, then, isn’t to eliminate fear, but to manage fear…which is the focus of this video.” – Eric Hörst

Eric Hörst – Managing the Fear of Falling

The video itself is very in depth and runs almost an hour and a half.  In it Hörst, describes a lot of the tools and techniques that go into managing fear.  However, he is careful to note that learning to effectively manage fear is a process.  No book or video can offer you a quick fix.  Climbers need to be continually working on managing fear.  This video is a great place to start.

Watch it and read the full article by clicking through below!

Full Article/Video: Eric Hörst – Managing the Fear of Falling Video

Other Articles You Might Like:

• Eric Hörst: Managing the Fear of Falling
• Conquering a Fear of Falling – Crux Crush
• Dave MacLeod and The Fear of Falling
• TBP 023 :: Arno Ilgner on Overcoming Fear and Ego in Climbing