Developing A Winning Mentality For Competitive Climbing

Written by Vance Stanfield 

Competitive climbing often demands more than raw strength or technical skill, even if that does make up most of it- It requires a mindset honed for success. Unlike “recreational” climbing or outdoor projecting, where personal progress is the main focus, competition introduces pressure, external expectations, and the ever-present comparison to other athletes. It is important to note however, that a winning mentality in climbing isn’t about blind confidence or aggression-  it’s about cultivating confidence, adaptability, and an understanding of your own capabilities.

I truly believe that unless you're significantly stronger than the rest of your competition, what really sets you apart is your mentality towards it. The good news is, there are a lot of practical psychological strategies that can make the difference between stagnation in your competitive career, or consistent progress.

Understanding What “Winning” Means To You- 

Because that’s what matters. You should be doing this for yourself, because you enjoy it. If you compete for external validation, I’ve got some bad news for you.

To cultivate a strong competitive mindset, you need a definition of winning that extends beyond external validation. Something I’ve played around with in my head, is viewing winning as being able to perform confidently, and at my best- regardless of the circumstance. This shift in perspective prevents external factors– route setting, other competitors, or even “bad luck”, from dictating your sense of achievement. 

Take ownership of your successes and what they mean to you, as well as your failures. 

Are you improving how you react to a poor attempt or a mistake? 

Or a bad warm-up or pre-comp day diet?

Are you improving how you visualize, and beta-read under pressure, or learning how to control your nerves?

A climber who narrowly misses finals, but is able to perform at their absolute best might be in a better place mentally, or even in their career over someone who won, but climbed poorly compared to their potential.

Embracing The Unpredictability of Competition

One of the hardest challenges in climbing competitions is dealing with the unknown. Unlike training or projecting sessions- where you can repeat problems, refine beta, and optimize your approach- competitions throw new, unfamiliar routes or circumstances at you with minimal time to prepare. 

In my opinion, this unpredictability separates good climbers from great ones– less in physical ability, but mental adaptability.

A climber with a rigid mindset struggles when faced with unexpected difficulties. If the first problem is harder than anticipated, they might panic. If their planned beta doesn’t work, they might hesitate instead of making quick adjustments. 

The climber who operates under the wrong mindset, thinking that flashing, or topping every boulder is what success means, will get shut down mentally when they leave the first boulder untopped, not knowing that no one else topped it either.

On the other hand- a climber with a winning mentality embraces uncertainty.

They don’t expect things to go perfectly, instead trusting in their ability to adapt in real time. They know they have no physical lack in strength or technique, because that is precisely what they have been training over the course of their whole career. 

They have a confidence in their movement which helps them climb better, reinforcing their overall confidence and building it stronger, with every move. 

You can train this adaptability- Put yourself in unpredictable, or uncomfortable situations in your training sessions. Restrict yourself to 1-3 attempts on a new comp-style set, force yourself to climb without prior information.

Make it real for you- it's all mental, so it's easy to cheat. You have to be the one holding yourself accountable. Practice climbing problems with a time limit, to simulate the pressure of a competition round. The more you expose yourself to the unknown in training, the more comfortable you’ll be when it happens in a real competition setting.

Balancing Confidence With Realistic Self-Assessment

Confidence in competition isn’t about convincing yourself you’ll win– it’s about knowing you’ve prepared to the best of your ability, and trusting that process and preparation will be enough to give you a shot.

True confidence is built on real experiences, not empty affirmations.

Overconfidence can be as damaging as self-doubt. If you assume you’ll flash every problem, you might rush the process or make poor choices assuming that it will work out.

The best competitors, in my opinion- cultivate what could be called “earned confidence”. 

They recognize their strengths, acknowledge their weaknesses, and approach every climb with an open but determined mindset. To develop this, I’ve found keeping a detailed training log helpful. Keep track of moments when your strengths shined in competition or training, and likewise when your weaknesses showed. 

Are there specific movement types you struggle with?

Do you tend to lose focus under pressure? 

Being honest with yourself in these areas is what can lead to growth,  it doesn’t mean you’re doubting yourself– it means you are actively working to improve, which in turn will build real confidence.

My Experience With Competition Mentality

As a climber who recently moved out of a fairly sheltered climbing community (Anchorage, AK), I never had an enormous amount of experience with competitive climbing. 

I’ve been climbing for around seven or eight years now,  and going into my third competition season in the youth and elite circuit at USAC.

I have not had any huge notable successes thus far, but I can track consistent positive progress in all of my climbing-  Last youth nationals, I broke into the top three in the nation in Semi-finals. It did give me a temporary boost of confidence in my climbing, but that can turn shallow quickly within the long span of an entire year to next nationals.

I’ve been practicing committing to a correct mindset for competitive climbing in every training session, so that I can cultivate confidence in myself, and my climbing for when the time comes. 

Something I’ve noticed repeatedly not working, is putting more pressure on yourself- assuming it will make you try harder.

“My finals round depends on this climb”

“If I want to qualify for finals I need to top this climb” 

Those thoughts almost never make you actually try harder– they will simply distract you from the details, and if you fail to uphold those self imposed expectations, you will get shut down.

What I’ve found that does work is everything I’ve stated above.

You know you put in the work, and the effort. Regardless of how you just did on climb two, you can be sure that other competitors had a similar experience. Put the other climbs out of mind and focus. Put a smile on, be happy that you’re there.

Being frustrated keeps you focused on the past and on prior boulders, moving on will benefit you more in the present. Analyzing those mistakes, is for after the competition.

These discoveries I have made have been purely through my own experiences and practice. 

As I continue to grow as a climber, a competitor, and an individual-  I will continue to hone my mindset and keep striving for constant improvement. I believe without any doubt, that these strategies will make me a better climber, and I look forward to bringing this mentality into upcoming competitions.

Thanks for making it to the end! 

Check out my instagram- @vancesteezfield 

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