Antagonistic Setting Needs to Stop

Here are examples of antagonistic setting:

• Placing holds two meters (figuratively) apart to force a "dynamic" move.
• When matching the last hold is the crux of the entire boulder.
• Angling the holds in an un-ergonomic way to force a "hard" sequence.

"Antagonistic" setting is not an industry term. I just made it up.

Beauty is the Beast

Challenging moves are necessary to keep climbers interested. But we can also strive for beauty and elegance -- even on burly moves (who says a beast can't be beautiful?).

An antagonistic approach works like this:

How can I make this sequence hard to force someone to do the beta that I want?

A protagonistic approach works like this:

I want to create this cool move I have in my mind. How can I help my climbers do that move?

Instead of using holds as barriers to force a move, why don't we use them as tools that will help climbers move beautifully?

Maybe the difference between antagonistic and protagonistic is just the framing. But the frame does affect the picture we make.

Affordances

Don Norman's book, The Design of Everyday Things, talks about the concept of affordances: these are features that allow someone to do something. 

For example, the backseat of a chair allows us to lean back.

Maybe we need to start thinking of holds as affordances: things that we give to climbers so they can have fun.

Example 1:

I need to screw holds far enough to force a dynamic sequence.

Alternate solution:

Can I force a body position that forces them away from the next hold? So that they will be forced to use power and dynamism to get to the next hold? Can I use body tension to force a dynamic move if they let go of one limb?

Example 2:

I will make the first and last sequences cruxy.

Alternate solution:

These things work in the Olympics because it's hard to separate the field in top-level competition.

But at commercial gym is really just a leisure center. There's not leisure in not being able to get on a problem or falling at the very top.

I remember when I was climbing in Danao, the bolter (Algin) said he could end some of his hard lines somewhere in the middle. But why not give climbers an extra set of juggy sequences for a victory lap?

I like this mindset. Even the Tour de France ends in a champagne "race" around Paris.

Example 3:

I will angle this crimp vertically so that it makes for a dicey foothold.

Alternate solution:

Awkward footholds, gastons, and undercuts do make a move hard. But consider the wrist and ankle positions that you are forcing. Think: an injured customer is a non-paying customer.

Instead of Teaching Climbing, Why Don't We Teach "Body"?

PS: I've been writing lately because there's no one to speak my mind to.

You've probably been taught this way: This is a heel hook. Here's how you can do it.

I'm not sure if I have an upside-down brain but I prefer to teach a different way:

This is your foot, here's what you can do with it:

• You can step with it (toe).
• You can use it to pull your body towards a hold (heel hook).
• You can use it get above a hold (rock over).
; and
• You can use it for counter balance (flag).

You can use your hips to:

• Change direction
• Put more weight on your feet (twist)
• Reach further without pulling (again, twist); or
• Generate power (by moving it away and back).

The material is the same. It's only a shift in language. But I've noticed that people respond better when you hold their hand as you walk towards an unfamiliar concept; instead of presenting an unfamiliar concept and unwrapping it in front of them.

Why Some People Struggle to Use Their Feet

I have some guesses but treat this as if I'm an Ancient Greek philosopher theorizing about the nature of the atom. Here we go:

• Their ankles are weak. I guess this has something to do with their calf muscles.
• They are uncoordinated. Yes, some people cannot sync the movement of their hands, body, and feet. They may step down on a hold before their weight is above it; then their feet pop. If you are one of these people, you're lucky you found a sport that will help you fix this disconnect. Believe in yourself!

Side note: When you see someone climbing effortlessly, they're actually not. There's always effort involved when you're grabbing tiny things while gravity is trying to pull you away from it. It's just that every bit of their body is working together in harmony so it creates the visual effect of effortlessness.

• They are scared and can't think. Fear is always real: even if someone is two footholds above a 30-cm crashpad that covers the entire gym floor. I do respect this fear but I haven't found a way yet to discuss this with people who are new to climbing.

I take a lot of joy teaching how to climb because I'm helping people understand how their body moves. I think our bodies are important because it holds everything that defines us: our thoughts, emotions, and longings for the sunset.

Yes, our bodies do hold everything that defines us but it does not define us.

Marston Mats are All Over Iloilo

Quick preface: I do not romanticize war. 

If you want to put into concrete terms the havoc it brings, do this: 

1. Grab a hammer 

2. Hit random things in your room for 40 seconds.

War does way more than that. 

This post in an invitation to look into your built environment and encourage you to ask: That looks odd. Where does it come from? 

And off we go.

Perforated steel plankings (Marston mats) is used to build temporary runways or landing strips. Think of them as steel pavements with evenly sized and evenly spaced steel holes. 

Each plank can be interlinked to create a wider surface. 

Marston mats are all over Iloilo City, particularly in Molo and Mandurriao. You will also see bits and pieces of them all over Oton. It got me wonder: where do these all come from?

I haven't found any photo of airfields in WW2 Iloilo that have Marston mats installation. But I've found that there are a number of airfields that served US forces during the Second World War: 

Mandurriao Airstrip aka Law Airstrip: It later became a civilian airport until Iloilo International Airport opened in Cabatuan.

Sta Barbara Airport: I saw this referenced on PacificWrecks.com as a "single runway surfaced with clay." The clay was likely padded with Marston Mats. However, on Cabatuan.com, I've read that: Sta Barbara Airport is in fact Tiring Landing Field. 

Tiring Landing Field (TLF): An unpaved airfield where the WW2 Japanese forces surrendered. It is now called Iloilo International Airport, part of the Municipality of Cabatuan.

How to Name a Sports Climbing Route - NOT a Guide

Some ways to name a route

After a person (not my favorite): I won’t comment because I don’t want to offend anyone.

After the characteristics of a climb: In Cebu, there’s a route called Hait (sharp) because of its previously razor-edged jug. Years of mobbing the route have made it skin-friendly.

After the characteristics of a climb and some random humor: In Thailand, there’s a line called “Best Route in Minnesota.” It’s hideous, especially in the rain. But apparently, if it were in Minnesota, it would be the best line out there.

Also, there’s Resteficken in Laos. It’s a great line if there’s nothing else to climb. 

After a distinct move on the route: There’s a boulder in Liloan, Cebu called “One Hit Wonder” because everything else is easy except for a blind, barn-door slap to a sloper.

There’s also another boulder in that area called “Lefter is the Best Medicine.” A climber was trying that route and the FA was giving a running beta. The climber kept feeling for the left-hand hold but couldn’t find it. The FA was yelling “left, more left! lefter!”. 

Circumstances around the bolting or sending of a route: In Iloilo, there’s a line called Engagement. The bolter projected it when he was contemplating his marriage to his long-term partner.

My other favorite is Blackfoot. Apparently, one of the climbers in the bolting team stepped onto a ditch on the day it was sent.

One of the unbolted areas in Ilog. Photo by Eric Paulo.

Routes that I have named

One time I bolted a route with another climber. I suggested the name “What Is Essential is Invisible to the Eyes.” I thought a long name would make a guidebook interesting. But, in retrospect, it might be a mouthful to talk about at the crag.

I did a first ascent on a route that I named “Run Free Chikoy.” Chikoy was a dog at the homestay in Cantabaco. He was poisoned the night before the FA. He performed the roles of a receptionist and a guard-on-duty. If anyone worked to get paid in love and head pats, that was Chikoy.

“Name and Claim”

In sports climbing, the bolter reserves the right to name a route. The most prolific bolter in the Philippines is Kuya Mackie. Almost always, he gifts the naming right to the first ascensionist. Which is why, as a younger climber, I just assumed that the FA gets naming rights.

Giving a route a good name is important to me. I don’t know why. I haven’t reflected on it yet.

I recently FAed a route bolted by Kuya Mackie. I named it Élan because of its high-spirited, energetic sequences.

For context, this is in Ilog, Negros Occidental. I discovered the climbing potential in that area when I was living in Bacolod. A few months after I left, local climbers and Philippine Bolting Fund have put up the first sports climbing crag on Negros Island.

My time in Bacolod has been meaningful. That’s why I wanted to name the route after something that is specific to Bacolod– or at least something that alludes to the place.

Élan didn’t meet that category. So I asked the bolter if I could rename the route, one day after I declared its name. Hence, the name “Yarda.”

Yarda 6c+

Yarda (yard) is the unit of measure used by upholstery and tailoring stores in Bacolod’s central market. In Cebu and other places, they use meters. (I know because I DIY random stuff even if people might think that I do nothing else except climb.)

When I first bought a length of strap at a store in Bacolod, I told the store attendant that I needed two meters. She said they sold in “yarda,” not metros. In my mind, it was tomato-tomato so I said yes I will go for two yards.

Sometimes, I lament my lack of precision but I think there’s also power in good approximations. I managed to scrape a meaningful life months after I’ve foregone the differences between a meter and a yard (although such tolerance doesn’t work in the NFL or Mars Rover missions).

Grades and route names are approximations of the joys that we want to frame in nifty little words (or numbers).

I’m sticking with the name because:

• It’s easy to pronounce.
• It represents something that is distinctly Bacolod.**
• It’s in harmony with the routes next to it: Yuhom and Paglaum. Same language, one word.
• It has a meaning that is a bit contrived but I’d still like to push: approximation works.

**If you can’t relate to it, maybe you need to spend more time in Bacolod’s Central Market.