The difference between practice days and performance days lies in the desired outcome. Practice days are for maximal improvement of climbing skills with little concern about performance outcome. Performance days are simply about rad redpoints and "V-hard" sends with no focus on learning or practicing specific climbing skills.

With the exception of elite climbers, practice days should rule. On these days you are free to work on new moves, experiment to find clever rest positions, try new tactics and strategies, all without any concern or pressure not to fall. This curious and carefree approach will yield steady gains and an occasional major breakthrough!

Unfortunately, many climbers are plagued by the need to perform all the time. Not wanting to make a mistake and fall, they climb tentatively and are gun shy on trying chancy moves. Even worse, as insurance for good performances, they do the same routes, at the same areas or overdose on the local gym. The value of this approach is negligible.

Elite climbers are a different breed. With highly honed technical skills and fewer inhibitions, they generally don't hesitate on new moves and have little regard for the pressures of performance. In fact, performance days are their bread and butter. A heavy focus on outcome-based performance will train the few critical skills they may still be lacking: tactics, strategy and the mental game. Plus, after years of hard work honing the zillions of basic skills, now's their time to bag some savage routes and win a big comp. Besides, nothing beats trial by fire for training elites in any sport.

CONCLUSION: Practice days have a greater training value than performance days for all but elite climbers. Each day you train or climb, pre-determine whether the goal is practice or performance. If you are a beginner or intermediate climber, strive for a 3 to 1 ratio of practice to performance time.

 

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Jonathan Houck practicing on some steep stone at Morrison, CO. Horst photo.