The Rock Warriors Way

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The Rock Warriors Way

Postby Scooter » Wed Apr 04, 2007 12:18 pm

Just picked up this book from MEC-- The Rock Warriors Way. It was recommended to me quite some time ago, and finally bought it today. It sounds like you can learn a lot and is really interesting.

I've only read a few pages so far.

Are there any others out there who have read/ heard anything about it?

Will let you know how I find it as I read the book.
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Book

Postby peter » Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:07 pm

I have read it. There is some good advice in there. I would say list the best five ideas you find in the book, and attempt to apply them to your climbing, and you won't mind having bought and read it.

Personally, I found the North American, self-help style of writing grated after a while, like a "Be All You Can Be" infomercial. I had to push my irritation with this style to the back of my mind to finish the book, but I did finish it. If you want to reflect on your climbing, or on yourself, this book tries to offer a methodology, and points to emotional pitfalls which impede optimum living and climbing.

The main source of his inspiration seems to be the mystical 1960s-70s writer of (fake) anthropology, Carlos Castenada, author of the "Don Juan" books. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Castaneda . While I read some of this stuff as an adolescent, in the 1970s, all I remember are the drug-induced vision quests. Don't try that on a big wall climb.

If I was going to put pen to paper, I would start from a different warrior tradition, that which attempts to combine the Japanese martial arts traditions with Zen Buddhism, of which there are enough examples around. Browse the martial arts section at a few bookstores in town, and cross-apply the ideas.

But if you say to yourself, well, that is just how he has decided to package some good information, focus on the ideas behind the window-dressing, but don't take the style (the key words, stages, labels, diagrams, and expressions) as the real message, it is a good enough read.
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Postby granite_grrl » Thu Apr 05, 2007 7:21 am

I think the book is excellent. I read it a couple of years ago, and I'm at the point that I feel I should spend the time to read it again soon.

With the multitude of ideas in the book I am having to work with battling the ego right now. I cannot climb how I used to at the moment, I cannot lead right now, I now have to find someone else to be the rope gun. Being left behind on trips that I cannot participate in has been a real blow to me in particular.

But in the end what does it matter? I still enjoy climbing greatly, and I'm starting to get stronger, I've even got the green light to start increasing the force I apply when in my harness (so that means seeing what I can do with lead belaying, and eventually leading). My climbing style has to be different at the moment because I have lost so much flexibility and strength in the one leg, but I am happier when I look at climbs I'm working on that day as a learning experiance instead of thinking of the grades I used to pull. I have been working a lot of overhangs at the gym. This is easier on my leg and I've never been very good at over hangs, so it gives me a chance to concentrate on them.

There have been other messages in the book that I have applied over the past couple of years too. Its a long path to mental improvment.
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Postby chossmonkey » Sat Apr 07, 2007 6:56 pm

Its a good book. It helped me work through some issues and push myself further. I never really did the exercises at the end of the book as he describes them, but did/do do most of them in some sort or another. A lot of the stuff you don't really need to practice as they are things you do every time out climbing.
If women ruled the world there would be no wars, just be a bunch of jealous countries not talking to each other.
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