S3, E5: Optimizing Motor Control and Motor Learning in Climbing – Joe Manoles

If you would like to listen to the entire interview with Joe Manoles, check out the podcast. If you want to watch the interview, click the YouTube link or any of the timestamps above. If you would like to read quick sample of a concise recap of key interview topics and questions, check out the excerpt from the interview below.

Mastering Motor Learning and Control for Climbers: A Comprehensive Guide

What’s the focus of today’s discussion?

We’re diving into motor learning and control, specifically as it relates to climbing. The goal is to break down key concepts and make them practical for improving climbing performance.

Understanding Motor Learning and Control

Can you explain motor control, motor performance, and motor learning?

• Motor Control: The ability to regulate and direct movement, like reaching for a coffee cup. For climbing, this could be as simple as reaching for the next hold or stabilizing your body during a move.
• Motor Performance: This is the short-term ability to perform a movement, like successfully completing a hard dead point during a session.
• Motor Learning: The process of acquiring or modifying a skill for long-term improvement. It’s what enables you to return weeks later and consistently perform a challenging move.

What are the stages of motor learning?

1. Cognitive Stage: The beginner phase, where you’re figuring out the task. For climbing, this might involve understanding how to latch a hold or manage a heel hook.
2. Associative Stage: The intermediate phase, where you refine movements and strategies. For example, figuring out the exact tension needed for a sloper.
3. Autonomous Stage: The expert phase, where movements become automatic and require little conscious thought.

Practical Applications for Climbers

How does this apply to climbing skills?

Each stage has specific applications:

• Cognitive Stage: Focus on basic tasks with clear, immediate feedback. For example, practicing slopers with solid footholds to ensure success.
• Associative Stage: Work on refining movement patterns. This might include optimizing the amount of force applied to a hold or improving efficiency in sequences.
• Autonomous Stage: Incorporate these movements into complex routes or problems without much thought, allowing for fluidity and adaptability.

Feedback and Practice Techniques

What types of practice can climbers use?

There are several:

• Blocked Practice: Repeating the same movement or problem multiple times to build consistency.
• Random Practice: Mixing different movements to simulate real climbing scenarios and improve adaptability.
• Massed Practice: Intense, repetitive practice over a short period.
• Distributed Practice: Spreading out sessions to allow recovery and better long-term learning.

How does feedback enhance learning?

Feedback is crucial and comes in two main forms:

1. Internal Feedback: Your body’s natural sensory input, like feeling friction on a hold or tension in your heel hook.
2. External Feedback: Input from others, like a coach providing cues or video analysis of your climbing.

What about different feedback styles?

• Concurrent Feedback: Given during the activity, such as a coach calling out beta mid-climb. This works for some but can be distracting for others.
• Summative Feedback: Given after the activity, allowing time for reflection and analysis.

Overcoming Personal Challenges

What’s a real-life example of applying these concepts?

Let’s use slopers as an example:

• Cognitive Stage: A climber unfamiliar with slopers may avoid them. Start with easier problems and provide feedback to build confidence and familiarity.
• Associative Stage: The climber refines body positioning and grip techniques on slopers, using video analysis or specific feedback to improve.
• Autonomous Stage: The climber naturally integrates slopers into their climbing repertoire, focusing more on the overall problem than the individual holds.

Can you share an example of a guided versus discovery approach?

• Guided Practice: A coach provides direct instruction, such as cueing a climber to rotate their hips during a heel hook.
• Discovery Practice: The climber experiments independently, learning through trial and error. This can be effective for self-driven learners.

Types of Feedback for Skill Refinement

What’s the difference between knowledge of results and knowledge of performance?

• Knowledge of Results: Focuses on the outcome, like whether a climber successfully latched a hold.
• Knowledge of Performance: Analyzes the process, such as how effectively the climber positioned their body or applied force.

How does error-driven learning work?

Error-driven learning uses mistakes to highlight areas for improvement. For instance, adding ankle weights during footwork drills can exaggerate poor technique, making it easier to correct once the weights are removed.

What about errorless learning?

This involves minimizing mistakes to build confidence, especially for beginners. For example, practicing sections of a route with ideal conditions (e.g., fresh hands and good lighting) allows climbers to focus on form without external distractions.

Practical Challenges and Strategies

What’s an example of a personal climbing challenge?

One climber struggles with slopers, while another finds high heel hooks difficult.

• For slopers: Start with easy problems and gradually increase difficulty, using blocked practice to build familiarity.
• For heel hooks: Focus on movements that engage the heel through tension and leverage, incorporating external feedback like video analysis.

How do climbers transition between practice types?

Progression involves moving from blocked to random practice, incorporating elements like:

• Bandwidth Feedback: Providing feedback only after repeated errors or significant time intervals.
• Self-discovery: Allowing the climber to experiment with different techniques.

Building a Stronger Foundation

How can climbers optimize their training?

1. Identify weaknesses: Focus on areas like heel hooks, slopers, or specific techniques.
2. Incorporate varied practice: Use blocked, random, and discovery methods based on your stage of learning.
3. Leverage feedback: Combine internal sensory input with external coaching or video analysis.
4. Reflect and adapt: Use summative feedback to plan the next steps and refine skills.

Why is understanding motor learning and control important for coaches?

Coaches can tailor their methods to individual climbers, ensuring that feedback and practice align with the climber’s preferences and stage of learning. This leads to more effective and enjoyable training sessions.

Final Thoughts

Key Takeaways?

Motor learning and control concepts aren’t just academic—they’re practical tools for improving climbing performance. By understanding your strengths, weaknesses, and preferred feedback styles, you can optimize your training and progress more efficiently.

Where can people learn more?

Visit Joe Manoles’ website https://www.dissonancept.com/ for more insights or connect with him on IG @dissonancept to learn more about personalized training and physical therapy sessions.