Why Am I Chicken Shit At Falling?!?

By Selina Chew

Is the fear of falling stopping you from climbing hard?
Is the fear of falling frustrating you?
Is the fear of falling limiting your climbing?
Is the fear of falling paralysing you?

Then this is the book FOR YOU.

A short two years ago I was exactly like that.

I couldn't bring myself to lead even a 6a outdoors. I would be too petrified to climb after just a few clips.

The fear of falling was just so debilitating that it completely shuts me down.

And the most frustrating part throughout was that I could not understand what was happening.

When I look back, that climber is such a pale comparison to the climber that I am now.

I have always thought that you needed fingers of steel to climb a 7. But the fact is, you don't.

In my book, I share everything that I have learned from a great mentor who has helped me go from being chicken shit of leading a 6a outdoors to sending my first 7b in a few months without fingerboard training.

Why should you get my book?

A lot of the books out there are written by men. Men who have accomplished great climbs in their lifetime.

How do you even relate?

It's even more impossible to imagine climbing a 9a when you can barely finish a 6a.

But if a regular Jane like me can do it, you know it's possible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Selina Chew
• Release date: Mar 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463338988

Book preview

Why am I chicken shit at falling?

How a tiny pint-sized girl went from being shit-scared of leading a 6a to crushing a 7b outdoors in less than a year without hangboarding

Selina Chew

WHY AM I CHICKEN SHIT AT FALLING?!?

Published by Selina Chew at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright 2020 Selina Chew

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic methods without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author to the email address [e-mail].

Disclaimer

Rock climbing is a dangerous sport. For this book, we will only be discussing irrational fear. Climbing is a dangerous sport. Always double check your gears and do a buddy check before you leave the ground.

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper rock-climbing training. Like any sport involving speed, equipment, balance and environmental factors, rock-climbing poses some inherent risk. The authors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practising the skills described in this book, be sure that your equipment is well maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and comfort level. The training advice that is given in this book is the author's opinions. Consult your physician before engaging in any part of the training program described by the author. There are no warranties, either expressed or implied, that this instruction book contains accurate and reliable information. There are no warranties as to fitness for a particular purpose or that this book is merchantable.

CONTENT

PREFACE

PROLOGUE

INJURY

THE CLIMBING PIE

SKILLS

Don’t try to be strong. Try to be good first.

What is skill training?

Learning to fall

PHYSICAL STRENGTH

MENTAL STRENGTH AND MINDSET

Fear

Comfort Zone

Safe Space

Patience

Creative visualisation

Bravery vs Courage

It is about the process

Just fall

Who are you climbing for?

+/-/= Plus Minus Equals

Be kind to yourself

Ground up

ENVIRONMENT

What is it like being the only girl climbing with the boys?

Climbing with women

STEPS TO TAKE TO MANAGE IRRATIONAL FEAR OF FALLING

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

READING MATERIALS

Preface

Prior to climbing with Mr Miyagi, I have only climbed outdoors a handful of times. I have always had this view that indoors are for climbing hard and at my limit while outdoors is where I go climbing leisurely on 5cs and 6as. Easy climbs which I have little chance of killing myself.

I couldn’t fathom falling on lead outdoors let alone projecting climbs. That was my reality.

Things started changing for me when I changed my reality, and all this started with a shift in mindset.

I don’t claim to have fully mastered the art of being in control of my mind and neither do I claim to have fully mastered the skills to climb gracefully and effortlessly. But I have come a long way from being that climber who could not bring herself to lead climb anything outdoors (even a 5c) to one who is willing to go through discomfort to push my climbing limit.

I meet a lot of other climbers who are in the same situation as I was two years ago. Unsure of how to grow beyond this hurdle. I am thankful to have learned so much from Mr Miyagi, Batman and Robin that I feel obliged to share this.

If you go searching for answers, you will find it.

Mr Miyagi who gave me new eyes and insights to what climbing is all about.

Batman & Robin broke climbing technique down for me to chewable sizes. The new old climbing technique of Bukatsudo climbing. They also helped me with physical training to wake some important but dormant muscles up.

I managed to find my way to climb with a few groups of climbers who