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Attention Climbers
A Shaky Start
Attention Training
AttentionClimbers!
Attention Climbers
A Shaky Start
Attention Training
AttentionClimbers!
Attention Climbers
A Shaky Start
Attention Training
“Optical Occlusion”: Trust Yourself to See and Direct Your Feet By Making it the Only Option
Crystal Ding 7/13/25 Crystal Ding 7/13/25

“Optical Occlusion”: Trust Yourself to See and Direct Your Feet By Making it the Only Option

Train your brain to pay close attention to your feet when it really counts - by making it literally impossible to look at anything else!

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“Smartphone Footwork: A Three-Level Camera Drill for Climbing Precision and Ease”
Crystal Ding 7/13/25 Crystal Ding 7/13/25

“Smartphone Footwork: A Three-Level Camera Drill for Climbing Precision and Ease”

Stop micromanaging your movement - and start simply seeing it happen - with the following infinitely accessible practice.

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“Pendulation”: Rock Your Attention Back and Forth from Fear to Focus to Express Skill Under Stress
Crystal Ding 7/12/25 Crystal Ding 7/12/25

“Pendulation”: Rock Your Attention Back and Forth from Fear to Focus to Express Skill Under Stress

A (literally) dynamic meditative practice to help you withstand your fear.

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Seeing as Momentum: Harnessing the Power of Visualisation to Generate Force
Crystal Ding 7/11/25 Crystal Ding 7/11/25

Seeing as Momentum: Harnessing the Power of Visualisation to Generate Force

A concrete practice you can do anytime, anywhere, to help you link visualisation with movement on and off the wall.

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Craft a Climbing Mind at Home: “The Peripersonal Spatial Memory Palace” Drill
Crystal Ding 7/10/25 Crystal Ding 7/10/25

Craft a Climbing Mind at Home: “The Peripersonal Spatial Memory Palace” Drill

Use familiar, everyday objects and surroundings to sharpen your route reading, sequencing and performance predictions by deeply learning your own dimensions.

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“CaliSPANics”: Bodyweight Play to Build “Peripersonal Awareness”
Crystal Ding 7/9/25 Crystal Ding 7/9/25

“CaliSPANics”: Bodyweight Play to Build “Peripersonal Awareness”

A new flavour of calisthenics - not for reps, time, or to “get a workout in” - but to help your body and brain gain actual confidence and competence in climbing.

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“Comparison is the Key to Joy”: The Fall Necklace Drill
Crystal Ding 7/9/25 Crystal Ding 7/9/25

“Comparison is the Key to Joy”: The Fall Necklace Drill

Even we are not focusing on the send, focusing on the need to create a “progress arc” - still keeps us from pushing the limits of our learning. By contrast - the only way you can “fail” in this drill - is NOT to fall - repeatedly.

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Step, Slide, Send: Turning Stairs into a Climbing Lesson
Crystal Ding 7/8/25 Crystal Ding 7/8/25

Step, Slide, Send: Turning Stairs into a Climbing Lesson

Transform staircase sends into climbing instincts with a little intention and imagination.

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Train Dynamic Accuracy in a 1 Minute Drill: The “Yes/No” Dyno Eye-Line Check
Crystal Ding 7/8/25 Crystal Ding 7/8/25

Train Dynamic Accuracy in a 1 Minute Drill: The “Yes/No” Dyno Eye-Line Check

Forget arms or reach to force a dyno catch - simply see instead.

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Rewiring Technique Through Pet Connection: How Furry Friends Can Help You Finesse Your Climbing
Crystal Ding 7/8/25 Crystal Ding 7/8/25

Rewiring Technique Through Pet Connection: How Furry Friends Can Help You Finesse Your Climbing

How relaxed connection with animals can provide an ideal environment for ingraining hip-led, straight-armed climbing technique.

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Marginal Choices for Motor Control:  When and Why Our Arms Might Bend
Crystal Ding 7/7/25 Crystal Ding 7/7/25

Marginal Choices for Motor Control: When and Why Our Arms Might Bend

How paying attention to changes in your movement patterns while emptying the cat litter, folding the laundry, cleaning the kitchen, or performing any daily task with mild stakes - can translate to cleaner climbing technique.

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“Time under Intention”: A Simple Strength Drill to Train Oppositional Force Production
Crystal Ding 7/6/25 Crystal Ding 7/6/25

“Time under Intention”: A Simple Strength Drill to Train Oppositional Force Production

Practice perfectly opposed skillful strength for climbing in excruciatingly slow movements.

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The Trust Exchange: Slow Weight Transfer Between Fingers and Toe Hooks
Crystal Ding 7/5/25 Crystal Ding 7/5/25

The Trust Exchange: Slow Weight Transfer Between Fingers and Toe Hooks

Train the transfer of trust from hand to foot by noticing minute shifts in the give and take of weight.

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“Frame of Breath”: A Spanned Moment that Teaches You About Tension
Crystal Ding 7/4/25 Crystal Ding 7/4/25

“Frame of Breath”: A Spanned Moment that Teaches You About Tension

A breathing-based drill at full span to reveal hidden tension patterns and improve balance control.

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Water-Based Drills for Climbers: Conditioning Falling, Footwork, and Nervous System Regulation
Crystal Ding 7/3/25 Crystal Ding 7/3/25

Water-Based Drills for Climbers: Conditioning Falling, Footwork, and Nervous System Regulation

A glass of liquid with ice (here - a mocktail!) might seem small, but it’s the perfect metaphor. Contained. Supportive. A tiny pool where turbulence is safe to observe and learn from—just like the swimming pool drills that follow.

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Cleaning the Wall with Your Head: A Sensory Translation Drill for Lower Body Control
Crystal Ding 7/2/25 Crystal Ding 7/2/25

Cleaning the Wall with Your Head: A Sensory Translation Drill for Lower Body Control

Harnessing your head to flush out points of failure in your footwork - literally.

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Contextual Conditioning: Training the Finishing Match with a Balance-First Strategy
Crystal Ding 7/1/25 Crystal Ding 7/1/25

Contextual Conditioning: Training the Finishing Match with a Balance-First Strategy

Teach your brain and body that the finish match is the safest, most stable, most relaxing place to chill.

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Polish Your Climbing Perception: The Art of Rest Day Practice
Crystal Ding 6/30/25 Crystal Ding 6/30/25

Polish Your Climbing Perception: The Art of Rest Day Practice

Train your brain to see and think in climbing positions in everyday life

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Count Your Losses: A 1-Minute Experience to Transform Balance and Overgripping
Crystal Ding 6/29/25 Crystal Ding 6/29/25

Count Your Losses: A 1-Minute Experience to Transform Balance and Overgripping

A classic balance drill with new incentives and a technical climbing twist.

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Take Pride in Breaking the Rules: Climbing, Shame and the Power of Extra Holds
Crystal Ding 6/28/25 Crystal Ding 6/28/25

Take Pride in Breaking the Rules: Climbing, Shame and the Power of Extra Holds

Like beer re-poured into a glass meant for water - using extra holds may look or feel “wrong, weird or bad” due to the subtle “shame-bind” within the rules of climbing culture. Intentionally expose yourself to the discomfort in this practice.

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Hey there! Just so you know: everything here is for learning and inspiration only—not one-size-fits-all instructions or medical advice. The drills and ideas are creative suggestions to play with (not commands from on high!). Images might be artsy or exaggerated to make a point—don’t take them too literally. Please use your own good judgment, listen to your body, and check with a pro if you’ve got health stuff going on. Basically: try things mindfully, at your own risk—and have fun out there!