How to Overcome Your Fear of Falling

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0:00 Intro
0:49 Don't Worry, You're Not Alone
1:57 Free E-Book!
2:32 The Scaling Method
4:16 Removing the Anticipation
5:57 Real Life Application
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If you feel like you’re the only person who’s afraid of taking a lead fall, you’re not. The fear of falling is innate in humans. It’s a built-in survival mechanism activated from the day we’re born. Nobody starts off not afraid of falling, we just have to develop a way to override this fear.

[jonlyons]

If you want to get comfortable falling make practice falls part of your warmup routine. I take 1-3 falls on my warmup route, gets the nerves out since you've already fallen. Really helps if you do practice falls every time you climb, they become boring until you stop doing them.

[IDntfound]

Another good drill is to let your belayer saying when to let go. You have to let go immediately. It completely removes the intention on the climber side, which is nice!

[FlashEscalade]

I watched this video even if I have no fear of falling. and I don't regret it. I know how to help others thanks to you

[zaamhaelim]

Fantastic video.
Have you ever done a similar video about overcoming the fear of falling when bouldering?

[Djdavidnyan]

thank you, I really want to work on it this year!

[NikkG]

I saw you at the gym when you were filming this a few weeks back and I didn’t want to bug you but I wanted to say thank you for making your videos, my wife and I have learned most of our techniques from you since we don’t have any gym buddies but your videos make us feel like we have one! We appreciate your content as I’m sure everyone does, fantastic job and I hope you keep crushing it!

[craigbryant]

I've had so many injuries with lead falls now I find it very hard to control the fear.
With a lot of fall practice I can improve this but it comes back very quickly.
Consistency is everything for me!

[zacharylaschober]

While adding movement into the fall is useful, this is progression alike falling below, at, above, more above, far above the current bolt or doing these with less delay from reaching the predetermined fall point until actual falling. Making a movement to prompt the fall is progress only if there is no delay prior, and should be seen as a potential progression rather than a distinct method.

This is akin to explaining to a belayer where you will fall. Start precise and progress to imprecision, from "At fourth bolt, I will be on those two jugs, clip, tell you I am falling, you confirm you have me, take a breath and then release, " until "In this session I want to find a route which won't simply exhaust me to have to release but which I will fight on a boulder crux and fail."

All progressions.

[Glenners]

excellent video! your voice was nice and clear! would it also be a good idea to play a game with your belayer where they will randomly yell FALL and then you have to fall?

[sentfromdaniel]

Thank you for this video. I have found the way of falling especially in the gym to be way scarier for me. Outside it is what it is, until I started falling in gyms which triggered a mental block outdoors as well as indoors. I try not to climb projects and push the envelope and it has hindered my confidence greatly. Whereas before when I first started climbing outside I just would try whatever my friend that I trusted put me on. Maybe it’s a trust issue as well, But I will practice these. Clipping when slack is out and I’m traversed is my worst fear right now.

[stefanomorandi]

i noticed that having my trusted belayer rather than someone already vetted but not by myself (a friend of a friend) improves my leading A LOT... i wish training courage was easy as training muscles and tendons

[macornman]

Very timely video, I just got my lead cert this week and started lead climbing.

Already sustained a minor “tweak” (injury sounds like too strong of a word) during the training class due to leaning too far back when falling in conjunction with a hard catch that resulted in a spinal extension motion.

It freaked me out and now am much more anxious on the wall particularly if the climb is overhung, i’m worried it will happen again. I’ve been quitting routes I know I can do out of fear

[ScratchRick]

This is super helpful, but I still have a fear of falling, espcially after I got hurt falling from the top of a boulder recently 😞

[flashpke]

I completely tore off the meniscus and damaged the ligament when I jumped unsuccessfully while practicing in boulder. Now I'm still recovering from surgery and I'm not climbing. The main problem was that my muscles were completely tired and failed, so they did not self-stabilize on landing. Be careful in boulder

[Benjamin_Bratten]

I sprained my ankle really badly after a fall bouldering a year and a half ago. I've been back to the gym a handful of times and the fear of falling is still the hardest thing for me now.

[stefanopalermo]

how do you remove the fear of gear failure (quickdraw, harness, belay loop)?

[joewildandworld]

Unfortunately my fear of falling is so strong that I’m afraid on top rope, too 😂

[snake_plant]

Any tips when this doesn't work? For me the "touch and drop" only moves that anticipation to the preceding move and I freeze there instead.

[shinraninja]

what about falling after youre prepared to clip, ie rope in hand and dropping before putting it in the clip as that is another instance that is scary

[j.l.]

For me it’s not the fear of falling, but rather the ability of my belayer to catch me smoothly 😂