On executing in climbing

"I'm more of a moves guy"

Dogs out on “Earth Matters” V10

Introduction:

Hello all! Welcome back to Macrobeta Climbing. First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for the overwhelmingly positive response I had from my first article. My initial goal was to have 10 subscribers by this point, but we’re quickly approaching 100! I have a lot more ideas for where to take it from here, so keep an eye out!

Alright, back to the topic at hand. Execution in climbing refers to the ability to send a climb as soon as you are capable of doing so. In my experience, no climber has perfect execution 100% of the time, or even close to that, although the best climbers that I know have a much greater level of execution than the rest of us. I believe that execution is the most significant differentiating factor between lower-level and higher-level climbers, for two reasons: First, (and most obviously), one can send harder climbs if they have better execution. Second, one can build a pyramid¹ more quickly and thus reach a higher base level.

What is the goal of execution?

Execution begins with the premise that it is possible for you to send in a given session. From here, a common misconception is that executing properly is the attaining of something, such as in the phrase “achieving flow state.” However, execution (and flow) is actually the combination of a deep desire to send the climb and the removal of internal and external distractions from the mind.² Thus, the goal of execution is to obtain sufficient motivation, and then quiet the mind to allow the climbing to unfold. These two objectives are represented well by the is-ought gap, and the value-action gap, respectively.

As an added note, since the definition of execution is widely accepted, this article will be a framework for achieving high-level execution, rather than a conceptual analysis of it.

The Is-Ought Gap

Although motivation for climbing can seem simple at first glance, it can be a debilitating struggle for many. Here, many climbers encounter what philosopher David Hume called the “is-ought gap.” Hume argued that we cannot determine what ought to be done solely from what is; bridging that gap requires additional justification. In climbing, this manifests in the liminal space a climber experiences when they know they are capable of sending, but struggle to justify giving their maximum effort at the expense of energy, skin, time, and potential failure. This justification requires a value system, which shows up as motivation in colloquial climbing discourse.

A common misconception is that motivation is either intrinsic or extrinsic. In reality, optimal performance depends on a healthy balance of both. Over-reliance on extrinsic motivation can tie self-worth to outcomes, making poor performances psychologically costly. In addition, it is poorly suited to sustaining limit projects, since hard climbing involves prolonged uncertainty, frequent failure, and delayed or ambiguous rewards. When the primary motivation is external, limit climbing becomes an inefficient strategy, as these rewards can often be obtained more reliably through less costly means.

On the other hand, motivation that is purely intrinsic and oriented to “just having fun” is limiting to performance, as sub-limit climbing is much more enjoyable. Individuals who have purely intrinsic motivation for hard climbing do exist, although they appear to be uncommon. This may be because such individuals often select away from public recognition, making them less visible within the climbing community. High level climbers I’ve spoken with have both an intrinsic desire to ascend meaningful climbs, and an extrinsic drive to be at the top of the sport.

Having a balance of motivations is easier in theory than practice. After all, one can’t simply decide what their motivations are. I’ve noticed that athletes who have unclear motivations tend to lack a value system, something that I believe is due to the rise of reductive materialism and the absence of objective morality in western society, although that is an essay for another time. Exploring different ethical frameworks is a great way to pick a value system that’s right for you. For those who, like me, need an objective value system but aren’t religious, I’d highly recommend the book On Beauty and Being Just by Elaine Scarry, Harvard University’s Professor of Aesthetics. Beauty is commonly cited as a strong value among high-level climbers I’ve spoken to, and this book offers intriguing ideas about deriving other values from beauty. (And while I’m at it, I’d like to plug theoretical physicist Åsmund Folkestad, especially his essays “Spirits and the incompleteness of physics” and “Untangling meaning, mystery, and beauty.”)

I also know of high-level climbers who draw upon negative emotions. I’ve only observed this to be successful when climbing is used as a healthy outlet, as all-consuming rage is quite counterproductive to conserving skin, proper tactics, and healthy social relations.

Regardless of your value system, you’ll know you’ve crossed the is-ought gap once you feel a deep, burning desire to send. From here, we must actualize our desire by defeating Akrasia, or the phenomena of acting against our better interests.

The Value-Action Gap:

The value-action gap describes the disconnect between one’s intentions and their actual behaviors, illustrating why we fail to follow through on our goals. I’ve observed that mistakes, “mental diff,” or poor tactics are all common perceptions of this gap. Therefore, it can be overcome by aligning one’s thoughts and actions with their true values. Here are common ways this gap manifests:

Poor tactics:

The simplest and most significant way to align your values and actions is to be more patient and proactive in tactics. By not brushing the holds, having proper rest, managing conditions, etc. you are actively acting against your own self interests. It takes very little effort to control these minor variables, yet myself and many other climbers often fail to give ourselves the best possible odds of sending. Furthermore, each unmanaged variable contributes to uncertainty, which causes your nervous system to physically hold back.³

Fear of falling/bodily harm:

Like the previous section, being proactive with safety gear is very important. Having an extra friend who can bring one more pad makes a huge quality of life difference, and the same goes for a rope and harness to suss out topouts. However, I’d like to acknowledge that fear of injury is not always rational; I myself have dealt with health issues which made me exercise irrational caution when climbing. If you’re constantly considering injury or health risks, or you have a known trauma response, it may be wise to seek therapy. Having anxiety around climbing is the biggest way to kill your execution. With that being said, if you have a condition or injury that could cause acute harm, consult a medical professional.

Being a “never-ready”:

A common line of thought, especially in outdoor climbing, is that you can simply become stronger than the climb until it feels easy and the pressure of execution is off. This is an unsound position because you’ll always be climbing submaximal boulders, which means you won’t be able to climb at your full limit. Execution is, in-part, a skill,⁴ so you’re also robbing yourself of valuable practice for those limit boulders.

A parallel fallacy is thinking in terms of probability: Believing that you can calculate the odds of sending the climb based on the probability of each move, and that success comes down to luck. In reality, once you are physically and technically capable of doing a climb, sending it depends primarily on execution.⁵ Of course, having an excess of physical or technical attributes can create some margin, but they cannot replace the ability to execute under pressure.

Value Drift:

Focusing on the result of sending, whether positive or negative, can cause an implicit shift toward extrinsic motivations as the primary focus, making you perceive not sending as a threat. For a negative example, comparison with others can cause your value to implicitly become sending = defeating someone. For a positive example, daydreaming about an Instagram post can implicitly shift your value to sending = x number of likes. When the primary directive to your nervous system becomes “don’t fall” rather than “try to send,” climbing is interpreted as a threat.⁶ This can lead to overgripping, moving frantically, or even opting out of climbing entirely. In severe cases, value drift can destabilize motivation enough that the climber effectively re-enters the is–ought gap. Therefore, it’s extremely important to maintain focus on the act of sending, or the execution itself, as the immediate objective.

Conclusion:

Finding a value system that resonates with you allows the attribution of meaning and purpose to your climbing, creating a subjective feeling of passion and desire to operate at your limit (bridging the is-ought gap). Combined with the alignment of your thoughts and actions to your values, execution should feel free of friction. Thank you for making it this far, and please consider subscribing if you found this insightful. I’d also like to thank everyone that I’ve discussed this subject with over the years, especially Eric Zhao from Boulder Thoughts for proofreading my essay. Please check out his work here. As always, feel free to reach out to me for questions or constructive discussion. ‘Till next time!

1. A pyramid refers to the number of climbs of each grade that one has sent. Usually this distributes into a nice pyramid pattern, e.g. 25 V11’s, 15 V12s, 5 V13’s, and 1 V14. The size of a climber’s pyramid is heavily correlated with their ability level, and it can be argued that it is the most useful metric of such.

2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/bookseries/abs/pii/S0079612317300742?via%3Dihub

https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-022-02135-8

https://podcast.testpiececlimbing.com/160-hamish-mcarthur/ — I hate having to cite a podcast, but there are very few publications in this sport (shocker).

3. https://www.physiology.org/publications/news/the-physiologist-magazine/2025/november/the-brain-in-a-chaotic-world?SSO=Y — This one has a real source!

4. I know that last week I said that the only skill in climbing was timing, however that was in the context of technique. It can be argued (extremely pedantically) that execution is a part of technique, but execution clearly falls under the mental domain.

5. The Wind and Grass

6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36906243/