Okay, so today I wanted to talk about something I messed around with recently – this whole “james pearson” thing. It’s not as complicated as it sounds, trust me.
First off, I needed to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with it. Was I trying to scrape some data? Replicate a style? Just understand the guy’s work? I decided to focus on understanding his general climbing style and try to apply some principles to my own (very amateur) climbing.
I started by watching a ton of his videos. Seriously, hours and hours. I was looking for patterns. What kind of routes does he tend to climb? How does he move? What does he say about his approach? I made a list of key things I noticed: super precise footwork, a real focus on body positioning, and a mental game that’s, like, 10x stronger than mine. Noted.
Next up: practice. I went to my local climbing gym with a few specific goals in mind based on my video deep-dive. I focused on:
- Silent feet: Trying to place my feet without making any noise at all. Harder than it sounds!
- Engaging my core: Really thinking about using my core muscles to keep my body close to the wall and take weight off my arms.
- Deliberate movement: No more flailing! Each move had to be planned and executed with purpose.
The first session was… humbling. I realized how sloppy my footwork really was. And my core? Apparently, it was on vacation. But I kept at it. I focused on those three things, even when I was getting tired.
I kept going back to the gym, each time trying to refine my technique. I started to notice small improvements. My feet were a little quieter, my movements a little smoother. I still flailed occasionally (okay, often), but I was more aware of when I was doing it and could correct it faster.
To keep myself honest, I even recorded a few of my climbs. Watching myself back was brutal, but super helpful. I could see exactly where I was messing up and adjust accordingly.
It’s been a few weeks now, and I’m still working on it. I’m definitely not climbing like James Pearson (not even close!), but I feel like I have a better understanding of what good climbing looks like and how to move in a more efficient and controlled way. And that’s a win in my book.
The biggest takeaway? It’s not just about strength and power. Technique and mental focus are just as important, if not more so. Time to go watch some more videos and get back to the gym!
