I have many years of coaching mountaineering and climbing. From total beginners to A level/ BTEC students, youth competition climbers and people working towards NGB’s. I’m always happy to help people looking to expand their adventures in the mountains or climbers looking to climb the next grade. Help with recommended routes, venue selection and physical/ psychological training all available. Learning to lead indoors or becoming a competent second outdoors may also be of interest to help you develop your aspiration.
Although everything is focused on climbing which I have been coaching 18 years its worth noting I draw experiences from a range of other sports. I am a level 2 hockey coach and have helped coach county squads and England youth and veteran squads including helping England mens O’35’s to win the European championships in 2019. I have also been heavily involved in athletics both as an athlete and a coach. I have coached at county and national level for youth going to the English schools, county champs and nationals as well as performing in the British championships as an athlete. I was also 3rd at the Scottish indoor championships for heptathlon in 2015. I also did the taught part of Msc in coaching at Worcester University from 2018 to 2020 to develop my knowledge of coaching and elevate my critical thinking and feedback ability. These experience all under pin any coaching I deliver and hopefully they will benefit you too!
Our Services
Are you interested in progressing from top roping to leading routes indoors? This course covers all aspects of becoming a competent leader indoors.
*Clipping techniques
*movement techniques for stable clipping
*belaying a leader
*holding/ taking lead falls
*route reading/ planning for the lead
*equipment for leading (types of ropes/ quick draws/ belay devices)
*techniques for increasing success (chunking a route down/ ghost leading etc)
*z clipping/ gate orientation/ climbing above a runner
*tying off a belay plate/ using grounds anchors
This can be done over 2 or 3 evenings or 1 day depending on your aims.
Are you interested in learning more about the art of repointing? Prepracticing a route can be useful in progressing your climbing. Having a learned sequence and tactics can allow you to really focus of pushing yourself to the edge of your abilities.
*Strategies to chunk a route down, overlapping halves, top down work
*Use of a clip stick/ simple aid to work routes
*Strategies for identifying rests/ crux
*Lead belaying/ equipment went working routes
*mental strategies to aid simple repointing - islands, being on/off, 4×4’s
*writing a plan
*equipment to help success; ropes (wall vs onsight vs repoint) harnesses, pre-placed gear, racking, shoes
Other areas can be explored in performance sessions if required. Although taught indoors many of these concepts transfer to outdoor sport climbing and trad head pointing.
I always enjoy helping individuals access their ambitions either in the mountains or crags. Mountaineering goals usually involve upskilling movement, navigation or fitness to access higher or more complex routes within the UK.
Performance climbing sessions tend to revolve around movement, psychology, physical training and planning rather than hard technical skills
Common areas of focus:
*Using your feet better to remove weight from your arms
*Incorporating novel moves to expand your options
*Improving the ability to use/ find rests
*Incorporating mental strategies such as boxing, islands, visualisation
*Tactics for training for crux moves - isolation, simulation and power endurance work.
*Planning - periodisation, specificity; the 50-50 rule, scaffolding and micro cycles for trips.
Many of these areas/ ideas are widely available in climbing literature but i’m always happy to talk about adapting them to your personal situations. If I feel like I can’t help I would be delighted to signpost/ introduce you to some other fantastic coaches further afield. The majority of theses sessions are taught indoors unless you’d like an introduction to real rock.