It's been awhile, but I'm back with a very special video close to my heart. I put a ton of work into this one and hope you enjoy it :)
If you like what you see, do consider subscribing for more content in the future!
TIMESTAMPS
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0:00 Start
1:32 Grading
2:25 Grading Subjectivity
3:20 Different Grading Systems
4:48 My First 3Q
6:31 Training
6:44 Climb Regularly
7:39 Intentionality
8:18 Projecting
8:47 Conclusion
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Huge and Special thanks to everyone that helped to film and be part of the video, especially:
Natalia, Frankie, Nick
Huge thanks as well to the amazing gyms that made this possible!
Boruda, Boulder Planet, Kinetics, Boulder Movement, fitbloc, B8A
TikTok | @casualclimbs
Instagram | @casual.climbs / @zwanzigdrei
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Creative Commons Attributions:
Music: www.davidcuttermusic.com / @dcuttermusic
www.streambeats.com/
Many of the clips I have used were from these channels below, they are huge inspirations for me so do check them out if you haven't already! if you're one of these creators and are reading this, YOU ARE AWESOME keep crushing it :)
Gavin Chiam
/ ashergavin
Pinch Of Salt
/ @pinchofsalt5068
Emil Abrahamsson
/ @emilabrahamsson
Eric Karlsson Bouldering
/ erickarlssonbouldering
Magnus Midtbø
/ magmidt88
Bouldering Bobat
/ boulderingbobat
Adam Ondra
/ adamondra
TAMY Climbing Channel
/ @tamyclimbingchannel800
Bouldering Highlights Bob
/ boulderbob510
Andrea Calligaris Climbing
/ andreacalligarisclimbing
EpicTV Climbing Daily
/ dailyclimbing
Kang
/ @kang546
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For inquiries: onlycasualclimbs@gmail.com
If you have copyright issues, do send me a mail or message!
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#climbing #bouldering
As you said I feel like if you focus too much on grades as a beginner you’ll just end up hating it because of ‘lack of progress’. If you just focus on trying climbs you can almost do or half-do until you can, you’ll feel a lot better and improve faster than tracking how your coins match up to any grading system. Trust your bodies own grading system :)
Well said!
i think there is no point where you can improve your climbing ability more and easier, than as a beginner. otherwise i agree
I'm only coming to terms with this now. I knew from the beginning my progress seemed really good because i came into bouldering with a strong upper body. A few weeks ago i realized my footwork was my downfall now i'm trying to focus more on footwork and flexibility, trying to slow down a little as well as to not just muscle through things, practise better technique and realising when my body feels heavy it's most likely because i need to move my feet up. Things like toe hooks and heel hooks as well as smearing are things i'm needing to utilize more as the grades i'm moving to now require those techniques occasionally. Someone i met recently who i had asked some help for the beta on a problem showed me and while i was attempting it they told me "trust your feet" which is something i never did and i try and remind myself to do so whenever i climb now
Use "I" statements instead of "you" statements and your message will have a stronger impact.
yeah youll hit plateaus, I was stuck at v8 for a solid year until I started to train better and finally im ticking 11s and 12s
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I started climbing about 8 years ago and am 39 now. I typically climb V3-V4, although can go higher V grades depending on the type of boulder and the gym- like you say, they can vary at gyms a lot. I don't like training, so just climb. 1-2 times a week max. I know I'll likely never progress much beyond my current level, but it's such a fun hobby that I almost don't care. So long as I don't get injured I want to do it for the rest of my life.
climbing for life!
Dont wanna brag but (i do actually) i climb V6-7 at 2 months climbing (15yo)
@@pokemonrose6081 one’s self worth isn’t measured by achievements
@pokemonrose6081 if you dont wanna brag then dont say it. Stay humble dawg or else you wont get far in life. Im just warning you now so u dont regret it later in life
@@pokemonrose6081 how to be unlikable:
Honestly, if you're in that intermediate range the best thing you can do is completely ignore grading and just climb whatever interests you. It's really important to make moves on things that you'd generally consider "too hard" and you'll be surprised how quickly that impossible route suddenly becomes a viable project and eventual send. Watch what the really good climbers at the gym are doing, how are they moving their hips and keeping tension instead of constantly cutting and muscling through moves. Most importantly, don't only climb in "your style" or restrict yourself to only routes with familiar holds or climbing styles. If you don't do a lot of slab, start working on it so you can better trust your feet. If you hate overhangs, find juggy routes so you can focus on keeping tension and learning how to properly use your legs to push you up the wall. We often doubt our capabilities and trying things outside of our normal style is what keeps climbing interesting and keeps those happy brain chemicals flowing.
Well said!
Also when you start climbing you should keep in mind to not overdo yourself. Muscle gain is really fast. It takes a few months to gain good enough strenght for the intermediate routes. But your tendons must develop over a longer time. It takes some time to strenghten them.
Agreed. That how I was able to climb harder grade levels during my time rock climbing. I’m glad u mentioned this 💯
In my main gym I’m a consistent v3 climber. At the gym 50 miles away I am a v7-V8 climber. This experience made me not really care about the grades as much as looking at fun climbs.
that feels way too much of a difference
that sounds like horsecrap, sorry brother. V3 can be done by an average-fit person on day 1, V7-V8 is something recreational climbers may never reach. If you cant do V4 in Gym 1 and V7 or V8 in the other, one of those Gyms is scamming you hard.
@@BatLBV3 cant be done by a fit person on day 1. Source: me, I started a month ago. I did sports all my life and in regards to climbing specific strength I guess, I can do like 10 clean pullups My first day was mostly V0 and maybe some V1 shennanigans, I didnt have the grip strength for anything above that, even with ample chalk. Im pretty sure im more athletically capable than 90% of population. So no, V3 cant be done on a first day unless the grades in your gym are soft. Im starting V3s now but my hands needed like 4 sessions to adapt.
@@LeonEdwardsGoat "I cant do it, and since I am the main charactsr, nobody can"
@@BatLBV3 aren supposed to be done by even very athletic people on day 1.
Grading is just for help to find projects in rocks. People make mistake of measuring their progress by looking at grades. But let me tell you about one boulder that we have in Poland which proves that it's a bad approach. There is a line which is oficially graded 7a. Let me be an example of "short" climber - 174cm of height. I was able to do this 7a before I was level 6c. A friend with 180+ cm height and a very very long ape index did this boulder when he was already on level 7c+ with his boulders, he couldn't do it before that. And the more extreme example. A guy over 190cm was able to do this boulder only after doing several 8a+ boulders (I think he also did one 8b before that 7a). So the grades should be more like: ok, I think I should be around 7a level, so I should check out anything between 6a-7b and just find something cool to climb or project. For measuring progress you would want to use hangboards, weights and see that "oh, I can hang longer with more weight on this 25mm edge, it means progress to me". :) So to answer the question "how long does it take to reach level 7a for average climber" I would say: If you are 190cm tall guy and it happens that your area has this long 7a dyno to a jug, you will do it without climbing in 1-2 tries. And your 165cm tall friend will be climbing for 5 years before he manages to jump far enough to grab that jug. So you should not even care about those grades, you should have fun with challenges that climbing gives you and climb lines that you really want to, not because it's "the grade I should do". :)
This exactly. I find that climbing on the moonboard helps me think less about grades and more about just hard climbs. With the moonboard, I find that the first 1/3 of benchmark climbs at a certain grade are actually that grade, 1/3 are a grade harder, and the last 1/3 are 2 grades harder. So often you’ll be working 3 climbs with 3 different grades that all feel the same difficulty wise
That's a great example, thanks for sharing! Would love to explore projects in rocks too hahaha
Just because some boulders are very morpho that doesn't invalidate measuring progress in grades.
@@Lukas_Seidl he’s saying that only looking at grades is flawed and instead the difficulty of the line for you is the most important factor
@@alexantone5532 It’s flawed based on the assumption that it should always track progress reliably (i.e. any given grade is harder than a lower grade for everyone), but it does not appear flawed as a rule of thumb. I can climb every V2 pretty easily at my gym, something like 50 to 80% of every V3 and like one of the V4 and I can’t even begin any of the other V4s. One counterexample doesn’t mean that V4s are not generally harder than V3s.
Congrats on the v5! I remember when I got mine and I was in shock! Seem to be back to averaging a v4 grade every now and then getting a v5 and the odd V6. Chasing numbers is always in my head but try to just enjoy climbing 👍
thank you! Yes I feel the same! so important to remember to enjoy yourself climbing
Same here
Just discovered your channel! I hope you continue making videos to document and share your progress!
thanks a lot, great video :)
Great video, congrats on the progression!
Awesome work, keep it up!
Very well done Video. Your journey pretty much sums up my own climbing story so far. Eventhough many guides suggest to do all kindes of wierd training cycles (Hangboarding, Campusboard or Calistenetics), I agree with the fun part the most. Having fun and just doing your thing, let lose from any grading, is the greatest motivator and makes you innevetably stronger.
thank you! Glad to hear you can relate :)
Great video! Really felt the way you're thinking. Well done. Hope to see more of your upcoming videos! Keep it up man
Thank you! more to come :)
This is one of the best rock climbing videos i've seen in a while, you just have so much soul and its clear in all the research and overall quality. Also, I'm so so happy that you got a V5 dude! congrats!!! these videos are really inspiring but not in a way that's gonna fade by the morning, I'll think about this video when I go climbing again.
thank you so much 🙏🏻 really glad it connected with you in that way ☺️
Great video! Greetings from Canada - Climb on!!!
There’s little better than watching someone send a tough climb. I feel your joy and all the hard work, pain and frustration that got you there. Skills!!
thank you sir!
Great job man!
Amazing VIDEO!!!! KEEP THIS UP DUDE
I got into climbing about a month and a half ago and did my first V4 just last week (aside from an obviously soft v4 I had completed a week or so before). For the next few weeks I'm going to be focusing on V4s, but I think I'm not too far from doing my first V5. I tend to be most limited by strength, so I've been doing at least an hour of workouts at home on top of climbing 3-4 times a week, to get stronger. Feeling super motivated, just wanted to share. Great video, by the way!
Just discovered your channel and am so glad! Great video and I now have to binge your other videos.
Welcome aboard! More to come like this one :)
You seem like a very genuine guy! Thanks for the video :)
I appreciate that! thank you :)
I climbed V5 in 2 different gyms after only 3 months of climbing. I attribute my success to watching strong climbers and asking questions, being relatively fit and strong, and climbing regularly (2-3 times a week, every week). BUT, the major thing in my opinion - is belief. At the beginning , when I encountered a new route that seemed out of my skill level, I would many times try it anyways. it started with many V4 that seemed really really hard in the beginning. I would break down the moves, and try them all separately. Once I understood the beta, I would work on the hard route and eventually climb it after a few times. This mind set of climbing harder routes that I didn't really think I could climb, and then facing them anyway, really improved my climbing a lot, and very fast.
wow great advice, alot in the mind! I do feel that way as well, always gotta believe that you can climb harder and not give up 🙌🏻
V5 in your gym maybe, v2 in mine
@@Jakenbake98 a 12 moves route that starts underhang with 2 powerful toe hooks, mostly crimp holds, 6 first moves in a cave, a must utilization of extreme flags, long-reach shoulders hang on crimps, and a dynamic last move to a sloppy pinch from a compressed position. yea, sure, sounds like a v2 to me, while your ego is definitely that of a 2 year old. jesus.
@@Jakenbake98 v0 when you actually climb on rock
Good. What levels are your projects now? I did my first 6B+/C in 2 months and yes, it's about believe in yourself and train till you do it :)
Totally agree! Ive been climbing 2-3 times a week for about a year now, doing both specific strength exercises and the climbing ofc, and last week I climbed my first 7A. But theres another gym in my town where the grading is harder and there I havent climbed anything over 6B+. Kind of frustrating but at the same time, like you say I shouldnt view it like that. its better to be happy when you climb a boulder that was hard for you and not worry too much about the grade.
Fantastic video mate! Great narrative and message
Thanks a ton! :)
This is well-made content! :D
Hey dude great vibes from your vid!
thank you ser!
Good video man!
incredible video, keep it up :)
thank you :)
Congratulations on the V5. Enjoyed listening to you and hearing about your journey. My son introduced me to climbing a few years ago and I'm totally hocked. Can flash a 6a and project a 6c. Just love the climbing fellowship. By the way I'm 58😁🇬🇧🧗♂️
climb on!
I've been going climbing every 2 weeks so not as much as I would like to.. I have been doing it for around 5 months and just done my first v5 last week. Great video.
Actually a good video. Keep it up bro
Appreciate it bratha!
Great video... im also a recreational climber... just started back in July at the age of 37... I do more route climbing than bouldering but same principles apply... essentially started at 9d and just climbed my first 11a last week... super addicting...
keep going!!
I actually did v6 before v5, just shows it depends more on your strengths than the grade itself.
Nice one mate 👌
Hey , I'm a "bleausard" climbing since 20 years and traveling for bouldering as much as I could . Also a routesetter in France for quite a few years . Thx for sharing your experience as an indoor climber. It gives me great insights on how people see their progression indoors . Keep pushing ! V10 is only a few steps ahead if you enjoy the process !
glad you enjoyed it! and thank you for the motivation 😊 I would personally love to try routesetting one day as well! looks hella fun
I have climbed for 1,5 years now, and just recently started getting 6C tops, sometimes even flashes. There was a plateau for me to move from 6B to 6C for sure, as the leap between the grades here in Finland is big in my opinion. Biggest factor to succeeding was that I stopped overdoing climbing. I bet we all know the feeling when you just are so excited to climb every possibility you get, and I was doing that. It led to my wrists getting injured and I couldn't utilize them 100%. I started keeping my climbing sessions more reasonable and focused on trying the different problems just 3-5 times and when failing them, trying to think what went wrong and what to do differently next time. Being 100% in climbing condition goes a long way. Also trying the 6C problems and getting the feel for different(harder) holds and moves that easier problems didn't have(and I didn't have the physical knowledge) increased my confidence and little by little the contact/finger strength that was needed for 6C. Consistency is key, don't over do it and think about your failed attempts. That is a good recipe for getting the next grade.
your potential to be abig climbing youtuber is 100%! keep it up :)
thank you Bob 🙏🏻 :)
Nice video👌, greetings from Poland 😁
Thank you! and hello from Singapore too :)
I had my 4th day today climbing, I’m addicted. I bought some Scarpa veloces and just did my first v5 today! Felt amazing can’t wait to get more under my belt.
lets go! i personally am rocking the instinct vs-r!
As an amateur setter and climber, the amount of variation in grading both indoor and outdoor is massive. Definitely would only recommend grade chasing at specific areas or gyms. If for some reason you want to train more for climbing I would recommend taking a look at Hooper's Beta on YT if you haven't already. A lot of what he talks about is recovery and injury prevention so you can enjoy climbing more and more. Congrats on the V5, keep climbing.
Hooper's beta is great! I have seen a few videos, thanks for the recommendation :)
My gym doesn't use grades but colors, but I think the color I'm "in" now roughly corresponds to v5 in US gyms (like an intermediate grade you need to train up to for some time). In my case, what got me past the "strong beginner" phase into these intermediate routes was mostly technique. I think the most important points that changed it for me were: learning the "first rule of climbing" (left hand/right foot and vice-versa), getting experience with turning hips around, concentrating on foot placement, and learning how to switch hands on crimps.
Its actually a combination of technique and "hidden" strength gains in your fingers and lower arms, and shoulders. Also your core getting stronger allows you to do techniques much easier. For myself, I ran into multiple Walls - V4, V5 and now going towards V6 - and I also thought its only technique, but being able to just grab and hold certain holds, or keeping your core tensed when toehooking a boulder 1,5 meters away isnt just technique, but also ALOT of physical strength you just pick up along the way.
It's really charming to find climbing YT'er who's not insanly strong. Not saying you're not a great climber, but most content is like the top 1% crushing V14+ boulder problems, which, granted, is also fun to watch, but ultimately entirely unrelatable. This feels so much more true to heart and something we "normal" climbers can connect with so much more. Keep crushing!
thank you!
+1 to the subjectivity of grading. My level is around V4/5 currently but I've gotten as high as V8 on climbs that really fit my style (reachy problems, press problems, big dynos). And on steep overhangs I'm like V3/4 at best.
yeah the steep overhangs really kill my grading hahahah
Nice job on the v5. One thing that keeps grading consistent is kilterboard. The community sets the grade. They're generally harder than the gym. I climbed in Chicago a lot and could climb v7 there. On a kilterboard v5 is my project grade.
need to get on one for sure!!
Even the kilterboard isn't a perfect measurement of grades imo. I feel there can be up to a 2 grade difference between the most and least repeated problems of each grade.
@@babsds0 this is super true! I find that just having problems that "fit" your style is key to breaking into a new grade. And having routes that are easier or harder at a grade is very subjective to the person. (For kilterboard, I do more popular route and then try to give grades based on the difficulty of those moves.
One thing about grading is that gyms in particular have made V0 into something it was never meant to be, it was never meant to be a ladder, and there's also a reason VB exists. If we look at something like the Joshua Tree Bouldering Guide, every boulder less than V0 gets a YDS grade from 5.9 down, the easiest climb is like a 5.5, so that gives us five grades *below* V0. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, grades outdoors are consensus graded. So while there is certainly variation in areas, it is less severe than in gyms because in gyms it is merely the setter's, and a few other people's (at most) opinion. If more gyms did consensus grading you'd find things a lot more consistent. Lastly, gyms seem to want some sort of "progress", so they'll have an internal scale of what things you can do on a V2, for instance. Meanwhile outside, difficulty is not created, but found, so the rock does not care what you can or can't do.
Grading also wastly depends on who sets the boulders. There's a gym where I climbed for a long time where the route description was who set it, and the colour of the gradient (blue: V0-V1, yellow: V2-V3/4?, Green V4-V6, Red V6-V7, Black above those) and there was a routsetter whose yellow router were just absolutely crazy they often had more expert climbers gathering around them trying to figure them out, while there definitely are some greens where even I could do them, it just took a shit ton of strenght out of me because they're overhanging or have lots of dynamic reaches.
Some V5s I can do pretty consistently, while others just seem impossible to me, and that's only the climbs in my gym. Grades are a general thing, if the climb looks doable, don't worry about the grade and have a go.
I think the principle of ‘Just climb’ will work extremely well for a vast majority of people, provided you actively have the intention of making improvements and enjoying the process. My primary sport is cycling and I didn’t do any specialized training until 4 years in and I got very strong from just putting in the miles. I would say it’s probably not much different here.
Been pushing v5/6 recently but still an avid v3 enjoyer you can try funky moves that wouldn't be possible on harder routes
Epic video. Sic send.
This video really did make me feel good about myself. As I have just gotten my first 2 6c's after 5 weeks of climbing
the donkey system. lolol great vid! subscribed!
😂😂😂
Climbing a route which I completed before again helped me a lot. You can improve your technique and try different ways to climb this route.
It took 2 months to do a 6B+/C. My project was a long 60° over hang 3 m over the floor (on a spray wall) I failed many times but I felt nice when I did it :) But more than grades is about to do sport, have fun and chat with other climbers :)
It took about 3 years to climb v5 but I'm an outdoor climber and this was in a gym
I have no idea what my first V5 took because it was about 4 years ago and before I took a break of about 2.5 years. Since ive started again thought, my first V5 took the setters putting up a V5 that worked perfectly for my strengths. That was about 2 months ago and I havent climbed one since
This is oddly specific video recommendation for someone who just got his first few v4s...
Nice bro
This vid came out about when I first climbed. As of today I can climb some v5:s
It really does vary a lot. I got in to climbing at 34 and within 8 months I did a v5. Now about 17 months i regularly do v5 but I’ve done only one v6 that barely felt like a v4 especially considering I was coming back from a hand injury. Then again I was on creatine so maybe that helped?
That black 4Q with the dyno looks like the hardest in your video
I definitely can't give my body time to rest and recover. It's just too fun.
I started seriously bouldering this semester (3 months ago). I got through V1-3 pretty quickly (~1 month), but noticed I could only struggle my way through one V4-every other one seemed impossible. So, I picked a new V4 starting in an overhang that was all ball-shaped slopers… and decided that I would get it no matter what. I could only do the first move and sometimes the second when I started, and it became my first true project. I worked at it 2-3 times a week from then on. Each session, I only had about 3 good attempts in me before I was just too used to have the strength to make any more progress (if I had made any to begin with). After 3 weeks, I still could only do the first 3 moves. I decided to give up. The white V4 had defeated me. So I looked at the other V4s and realized I could actually do a few of them by then. Over the next 2 sessions, I knocked out the remaining V4s in my gym. For some of them, I was so tunnel-visioned on my project that I hadn’t seen them. For others, I wasn’t even able to start them when I first checked them out… until then. Within a week, I had done 5/6 V4s in my gym, and I was very proud of myself. But the routes would come down at the end of the next week, and I didn’t feel like I had given it my all unless I committed to getting that white V4. Even though I kept telling myself I had quit my project, I would still come back to it once or twice a session. On the last week, my friend became the first person in my group to send it. He was several moves ahead of me and I felt hopelessly behind. But I also felt strong that day. This would be it. That day, I got past the crux of the problem. I did the move that I couldn’t do the other dozens of attempts I made. But I didn’t finish it. My next session would be my last chance. The day after, the entire wall was being cleared for a competition. If I didn’t get it right then, I’d have been forced to be content with my failure. I didn’t feel strong that session. And I was nervous. But I had to do it. I got past the crux move again, but that time felt different. I felt secure. I knew what to do. And when my hands matched at the top of the wall, I started screaming. I was so happy and furious and proud and completely done with that route. It was my proudest climbing accomplishment and also the bane of my existence. It took me a month to send it-over 3 dozen tries. I never touched it again. But that’s not the only thing that happened that session. There was an “easy” V5 I had my eye on the week prior. I knew I could do every move if I could just figure out the start. I tried a solid dozen times to no avail. Then, on my very last attempt for the day, I tried a slightly different motion as a joke to a friend. And got the move. I looked at the wall and realized what happened. Do it now! This is your chance! So I brought forth what little strength I had left and sent my first V5 that day. I decided to type this long story for two reasons. The first is to show why it’s important to project. The second is to show why it’s important not to focus too hard on that project. Projecting allows us to continue to develop our coordination and strength at the limit of our physical capabilities. Diversity allows us to increase our base threshold for technique and strength. Together, they allow you to use features that used to be bad footholds, much less handholds. And to me, they’re the key to unlocking V5s. Also, just climb hard. A lot. Don’t hangboard just yet though-wait at least a couple years for your tendons to catch up. TL;DR- I told the story of breaking through V4 and sending my first V5. Basically, projecting is good, especially with variety thrown in. And don’t hangboard unless you’ve climbed for a long while.
well said!
I miss living in Singapore. That place is rad
grades in gyms can't be compared to outdoor grades... in gyms i did some 6c+/7a (fb-grading system) but outdoors i see not even a chance on sending a 6c. :( but i think outdoors they're a little more precise because the gyms i visited had a very big span for a specific grading.in the one you will send V5s easily in others a V5 is damn hard work :D (most of the gyms i've been to are in europe)
Nice video that us casuals can relate to. Have you climbed at Boulder+? Was wondering how the color grades translate to V, particularly blue/purple
glad you feel that way :) yes I have! I would say my estimation for their grading is blue ranges from v3/4 to v4 and purple ranges from v4 to v5! sometimes a purple feels super easy to me while other time a purple feels almost impossible so I think it's a rather wide range!
@@casualclimbs I see thanks! Realistically and depressingly I also think purple or maybe the grade above that would be my limit as a filthy casual. At current age, pushing harder in terms of intensity/frequency just results in injury and bigger setbacks to progress.
Hello I'm working on an climbing app for Garmin watch and I would like to know how you use the dankyu system (as in Europe Ive never really came across it) so I could integrate it properly... Is the "2Q" marking widely used or why do you use it instead of "2 kyuu"? And how would you mark "1 dan"? Thanks!
tbh I use 2Q cos it's easier to type and cleaner looking in the videos, but I'm not sure how other people identify it as!
It took me 1 month and 10 tries to do V5❤❤❤
If you are not competing or not a pro, then don't care about grades. Climbing higher grades is a challenge you set for yourself only and you're only progressing for that sense of achievement and fun after all :)
Well said!
What watching Magnus on yt learn me is that on som grades there are boulders that suits you and there are some that dont, and it may be easier to do some v5’s than some v4’s
can relate indeed
Great video man, but I think it is VERY important to note that indoor grading is generally much more generous than outdoors. On real rock a V3 will feel much harder than a plastic V5
that's insane how much of a disparity there is!
Noob... I climb on Jupiter. 2.5 times earths gravity. Your outdoor V3 would be a VB
Nice
There was a 6b (i think thats like a v4 or v5 but idk) in my gym. I tried it 2 sessions long (like 4hours total) until I got it and these slopers fucked up all my fingertips but it was worth it. edit: the first problem was a jump over a little edge, so not much muscle strength, so I was able to try many many times with little power
Wish there was an international standard for grading, would make things easier overall in my opinion. With international friends too, which is very common in 2022, it’s easier to talk shop when we all have the same standard. Norway uses Font, my US friends use the V scale, my British people uses another. So confusing 😂
i know right! even in one country alone there are so many differences from gym to gym already!
hey man what are the best gyms in SG in your opinion? going to make a trip down to sg soon
personal favourites are Boruda, Boulder+, fitbloc, BFF, boulder world for the "bigger space gyms". for smaller cosy vibes I'd go w boulder Movement, Kinetics, OYEYO!
@@casualclimbs cheers man ill be visiting in may haha which one has the most fun setting? (not dynos or cool moves lel)
awesome! for fun setting I personally would say boruda/boulder+/BFF/boulder planet are comparable and around the same standards
If that black comp-style dyno is a 4Q maybe that's why japan is so good at climbing!
First time I've ever heard of a gym outside of Japan using the Dan-Kyu system which is interesting cause the point of using it in Japan was to inject an element of Japanese culture into the gyms there. But also it's pretty much a mess not only among gyms but amongst the different hobbies/sports/arts that use it. And to further make things a mess, for no reason YDS is also used in Japan.
yeah this is the first for me as well! I think a lot of the inspiration for this gym was because the owners or at least one of them have climbed a lot in Japan and wanted to bring that back to Sunny Singapore!
@@casualclimbs That makes sense, in my experience in Japan, the country definitely "exports" a lot of culture to Singapore.
V6-7 at 2months climbing 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
insane!
Great video! Grades don’t matter except for your own progress tracking purpose. I managed to do v5s after 1 year of climbing 3-4 times a week, and some additional strength training in a regular gym once a week. I did mainly lead/top rope/autobelay high wall climbing which I found to really help build endurance as compared to pure bouldering sessions, where I would initially need a long rest in between attempts. (Never did hangboard/moonboard/kilter) I think the main factor was that I never stopped trying something just because I felt it was out of my V range, or cared how stupid I looked or how people might judge me based on my skill level. If I think the route looks doable, hell you bet im gonna try it, even if it’s out of my grade range. Just enjoy the climb rather than focus on the grade, and that will help you to improve tremendously in my opinion.
thank you! and you are so right with never giving up just because it was out of your range!! love it
Try out the moonboard! There u will see if ur Gym is Soft or hard Grading
That's a great idea! More international as well yeah, will defo try some routes on a moonboard in the future
@@casualclimbs Just a warning: the moonboard is much harder gradewise than many gyms in europe. might be similar where you are.
about what he said about having to train to get to a certain point, i don’t really know about that. For example myself, I climb V10 and I have no training routine whatsoever. I am in the the gym about 5 times a week tho.
gaurenteed you are climbing at a gym that doesn't know how to grade. climbing v10 without training isnt possible, go to literally any ourdoor boulder and you'll see those "V10"s are really like V4s lmao
@@kingluck257 bruh literally I climb V10 outside too, my gym grades the same as outdoor. I'm also in the american southeast which is notoriously sandbagged compared to some other places like out west. And more so I have personally met plenty of people and are friends with plenty of people who are as strong or stronger than me and don't have a training routine either. Now what I can guarantee is that you have no idea what you are talking about because V10 is more than possible without a training plan and is more about technique and footwork than just raw strength or endurance alone.
@@amethyst8399 cope, seethe, and mald
@@amethyst8399 also, i definitely call bullshit on people climbing v10 without training.
@@kingluck257 I dunno what you want me to say, you're just straight wrong and I'm proof of that
I just hit my first two v5’s last session!
congrats!!!
I've been climbing for 7 months and did my first v6 a few months ago, I cang get any higher tho😒 on top rope I've been able to do a 7a+/7b which is equivalent to like a v8. I think that my gym has accurate grading cause the route setters set for aton of other gyms in my area
Sounds like great progress right off the bat! Although I wouldn't say toproping that grade is like a V8, it's a very different skillset. Most balanced climbers I know climbing around that TR grade boulder around V4-5 though.
@@ResidentHooook I'm sure it wouldn't convert like that but with conversion sheets it says that 7a+/7b is like a v8🤷♂️
Ah! That's because you're looking at the conversion between the European bouldering grade (Font. 7A+/B) and the American grade, V8. But rope climbing uses a different grading scale, which isn't convertible to a boulder grade. It confuses many people though because both European bouldering and rope climbing grades follow a 6a, 6b, 6c, 7a, 7b.... style progression.
@@ResidentHooook I'm not sure if I am, in a nicas booklet which is a European climbing exam thing it says the same conversion
Haha yeah, I used to teach NICAS kids and it was a common question. But that conversion doesn't mean anything, a stab in the dark at best.
I think you might have made that 3Q harder than it seems. I would consider bumping up the right hand along the edge and reach for the end with the left
oh that's a great suggestion! wish I could retry it that way now to explore but it's been rotated out already sadly 😭
"casual climbing" ->has a personal coach
On v5 in my first month but it’s a big plateau
👍
it took me around 3 months to hit v5
I disagree with the "Projecting" Part. I have seen, ESPECIALLY in asia, people love to throw themselves against a route they cant do, for hours on end. If thats what you enjoy, thats cool. I would never recommend it tho. All my routes I couldnt do before I was able to return to later, by stopping to try an "impossible" route and doing other stuff. Maybe you find a route that uses similar tech as the one you struggle with , where you can practice it. Trying the same route over and over and over again can not just be demotivating, but also cause injuries due to frustration and loss of patience. Do not think you NEED to finish every route, move on, climb something else and come back stronger and harder.
Joshua Tree V0 is like a gym V4 or V5😂
👀 outdoor bouldering is a different game altogether huh
@@casualclimbs For sure! I climb around V4 maybe V5 in the gym and even an outdoor V0 can be really hard for me. Great video by the way. Appreciate the content. 😊
I climbed several v5s with only being able to do 4 pull ups at a time. just saying
If you start as a a lean and reasonably fit/strong young person it should take a few months. After 3 months I could do a lot of the V4s on moonboard and most V5s at my gym.
A pinch of salt? That's quite a few grains.
😂 too true
The first time I rock climbed I was able to do a V5, although previously I did calisthenics.
i’m on v7-8 after 5 months and the biggest things that help me are adequate recovery days and hanging with really good climbers, their skill kinda just rubs off on you
Cool Shoes
😎 thanks!
The grading is really depending where you are. Our gym has a system from 1 to 6. 1 is fb 1 2 is fb 2-3 3 is 4a - 4c 4 is 5a - 5c 5 is 6a - 6c 6 is from 7a Let me tell you the routes labeled with 4 are sometimes really hard already. The 5 graded routes require seroius technique and really good strenght. There is no way these routes are a V5. I would say atleast V6. Some are definately V7. The 6 routes are way harder. I barely see some people climb them. So the grades depend hard on the gym. I think they are more suited for the outdoor boulders.
omg! I've also climbed my first 3Q in Japan and man, I definitely was like... this can't be a V3 no way. I would really like for you to talk about climbing systems and their differences around the world because comming from Mexico, I really felt that the grades I used to climb back home were much harder here, that's why no matter what this 3Q actually was, it made me feel super proud :D great video and hope you keep improving!