Falling isn’t a natural feeling, and that scares many climbers. But overcoming that fear is important.

A Note from Arno

One common fear my students typically experience is the fear of falling. They get overwhelmed by the fear and feel stuck, like they can’t overcome it. We help them by finding a small action they can take, like falling on toprope. This small step leads to the next one, and then the next, and before they realize it they’ve diminished the fear a lot, until it becomes mere background noise.

Frustration is also a typical rigid reaction that hinders learning. I’ve had stude...