Pro Coach Takes V5 Climber to V8 in One Session?

[@aspzx]

I think the lesson we've learnt is that if we want to improve 3 grades then we need an emotional support cat

[@nadrile]

Jus wondering, do emotional support dogs work too?

[@billking8843]

​@@nadrileevery gym has a better vibe when there are dogs there.

[@finlayames6216]

@@billking8843dog at the gym today. Sent a v5 pretty easily that tried once last session and felt hard. Sent my v6 project after like 5 sessions on it (having never even tried the top move before today). Tried a v7 that spat me off the second move before and managed to do the entire first half, including one of the two crux moves. Clearly the power of the gym dog is strong.

[@Josh4mine]

@@billking8843hmmm, so thattttttts why the new gym im going to feels a lil less happy 🤔

[@jiehua5340]

i think i'd pay for an app where louis just speaks encouraging words to me

[@bryanbryan6108]

Pretty soon with AI you can have Louis in your pocket, yeah. Or anyone for that matter.

[@Jack-mj2bs]

ohaiyo!! I have my waifu Rem-chan cheer me on when I’m going for one of my harder V2 projects!!!

[@m3lfbreezy]

about 3-4 years ago, when i was really pushing my bouldering, i always imagined Louis standing right beside me and giving me advice and stuff. Really helped to keep my confidence high somehow.

[@Scott-ir5eg]

I’m glad that app doesn’t exist. It’s much better to invest time in being your own encouragement.

[@timonix2]

I mean.. He works in London. You could fly there and have a session yourself

[@_alex_y.not_]

Louis just casually completely changing Sam's climbing mindset like it's no big deal. Really powerful demonstration on confidence. it's like the heaviest thing we bring on the wall is our doubts maaaannn

[@CommissarIbramGaunt]

well said 👂

[@nichj487]

There’s a concept in performance psychology called “win/learn journaling”, and Louis is doing it in real time here. Every little setback or fall is reframed as “what did I do well, and what did I learn from that attempt for next time?” It does amazing things for confidence!

[@chucumber28]

As someone who studied psychology in college, I find this video super interesting. Louis is so good at nudging people towards reframing situations where they doubt themselves and get in their own ways into ones where they can challenge themselves and appreciate the small improvements. Gonna work on incorporating this into my own climbing and the rest of my life, thanks Louis!

[@jackberdine]

I hope it's going well !

[@kavali6320]

Big thumbs up for Louis being an incredibly precious teacher. His positive mindset and overall optimistic attitude make his training sessions as educational as enjoyable to watch. Well done Sam.

[@LadyLaddy]

Take aways are: - People think they are not strong enough, so they stop trying after a few times or not even starting a higher project --> technic, body awareness and mindset are key. - Don’t retry all the time from the beginning. You can skip parts and work on the move after the one you have trouble with --> it can be very motivating. - Minor step goals can make a huge difference. There are more successful ways of ending a session as topping a boulder. - Work on your weaknesses. + Sam is a really strong person and a better climber than he thinks he is ;)

[@chrisbarrera3095]

I think if holding a cat is a reward for trying hard I would be an expert climber at this point 😂

[@brockmw22]

I was thinking the same damn thing!!

[@NoCokeOnlyIce]

Thank you very much for this wholesome comment chris :)

[@22RedEyeJedi22]

I always climbed alone but I noticed that when I started to ask people for advice and when we are supporting each other, it bumped my climbing 1 or 2 grade easy. Confidence, support and an outside point of view are the best tools to enjoy and improve climbing.

[@cjl6545]

In my opinion this is one of the best videos you've put out. Such good advice on reframing negative thoughts and having a positive outlook!

[@FABouldering]

Please do more of these coaching videos maybe as a long term series were we can follow the progress (and understand why). It's super relatable especially the mindset required for hard projecting. 👍

[@lolzguyl]

Honsestly, my main takeaways, some of which I need reminders of despite knowing quite often: - Positive self-talk plays a significant role in performance. - You can do more than you think and be mindful of attributing physical strength as your primary limitation, chances are there are other things that you can focus on that matter equally! - Don't get "stuck" on the first move. Divide your climb into segments to make the overall goal of completion feel more manageable. Doing those segments individually, not always feeling the need to start from the beginning. - Set short-term and long-term goals. Have your goals be S.M.A.R.T. Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-based. - Celebrate mastery and improvement, even if it seems too small. Acknowledge success based on adjustments or perserverance.

[@ianhiggins6203]

6 sigma your way through a boulder problem 😅👍

[@santinosartoris]

Really cool seeing his confidence build. It’s fun to watch someone who doesn’t really know how strong they are discover that. Great video

[@kaibe5241]

He's an amazing coach - exactly the kind of person you want while developing any sort of skill.

[@LiamRappaport]

This is why it's important to climb with people who are better than you. They give you good beta and make you realize you're a lot better than you may have thought. Very impressive climbing on that first one, it looked so smooth in the 2 days later clip!

[@EzekielYM]

Having a emotional support cat is clearly an aid. Jokes aside, that's great coaching, it's very educational and entertaining to watch.

[@over30climbing]

Sometimes people that are great athletes aren't the best teachers, but Louis got it both! Always a pleasure to see his coaching sessions

[@slapthesloper]

Constantly see people in my gym that are loads stronger than me but live on grades well below me. Once people learn to try harder problems and understand why they are falling and fix it their max grade will just shoot up. Also being optimistic is huge, sends and new grades are few and far between but doing just a single hard move is already huge progress to be happy with

[@janeroth8511]

I see that too they probably don't climb that long because my grade is also not really good but for me it hurts seeing them just muscleling through the boulders. I had to learn technique on far easier boulders because I don't have the strength to muscle through everything. It is kind of devastating to see people climb boulders I did after like a year of climbing because of arm strength but it also helped me to find other ways of doing boulders

[@Kaeracter]

I stumbled upon this video after seeing you in the gymnast's vids. I'm not a climber or an athlete - but I felt compelled to comment that the tools regarding mindset you put in your coaching are really wonderful. I struggle daily with significant persistent depression. And some of the tid bits you said in here are things I'm absolutely adding to my toolbox for hard days (and for good days when I'm able to do more). Thank you. I'll be looking at more of your content, for sure.

[@PoochyMishaps]

I was originally interested because it's over a new interest that I love, but seeing this genuinely wholesome and kind interaction is hitting different. In a wonderful way. I keep telling people a big reason I'm drawn to bouldering is the mentality and the people. In a normal gym, it's almost taboo to see another person's eyes. In gyms like this, it's almost nothing but support and love. Sure there'll be exceptions, but this is a pure example of why I'm loving the community.

[@katehirst6046]

I love the way Louis teaches and thinks. The point he makes, about focusing less on the scary overall challenge and more on all the many small improvements/accomplishments is such a practical way to self-motivate and keep high levels of confidence and enthusiasm.

[@stefanopaoli717]

Louis is definitely a great coach. Learning so much from just watching him. Having live coaching sessions with him would be amazing. He’s making me understand more and more the mental part of the game. Thanks! 🙏

[@jonathanrossddsmhs1271]

This might be the best coaching session video I’ve ever seen You’ve got to love Louis’ stoke and Sam’s beginner’s mindset.

[@mattdeady6448]

These sorts of videos where your'e coaching people are by far my favorite of yours. As someone who's *barely* breaking into V3, these are so inspiring and especially informative. They make me want to go climb RIGHT NOW. Thanks for everything, Louis.

[@octaneaandmusic]

The positive attitude throughout your last series of videos really does resonate. I'm normally around a V5 boulderer, but done a number of V6's and some V7's that match my style, and used to not even consider looking at any more V6 upwards. Since adopting a 'can do' and 'let's just give it a go' Louis-style attitude, I've very nearly flashed a V7 (one move, did it soon after) and now try on a lot more hard boulders to what I would normally. Completing them isn't in the agenda, just having a go, but it does highlight some areas where any change in technique won't make any difference unless I train some specific areas (lower back, overall power etc...) -so there's plenty to take from it anyway.

[@nogard8541]

No joke, this was the best video I've seen from you! Makes me wanna go try all the 6s and 7s in my gym, haha. I've got a friend who struggles a lot with self confidence, and he gets in his head a lot about different grades. He'll look at one and never even attempt it because of how difficult it's labeled. He's very much like Sam's mindset where it's hard to see progress if he doesn't do the entire boulder and might get stuck on one move and think that he just can't do any of it. I loved your analogy that doubt is like weights on your feet, because I really think there's a lot of truth to that.

[@kaku5819]

Please do more of videos like this, you are an excellent teacher, and it is really pleasent to see. Keep up the good work Louis

[@thegzak]

Tucked between all that contagious optimism were very subtle but effective tweak suggestions. Amazingly good coaching session, I’m going to take some of those ideas with me in my next climbing session.

[@daveatutube]

Really good to see Sam send a couple of days later. It's way too easy to forget just how warmed up and in tune with a problem you were, then flail in the next session because you're too psyched to think it through.

[@OmgMyutubeaccount]

17:57: "Man that felt soo....." "Man this feels fine!" "oh.... okay"

[@jmb9701]

FAVORITE video by a longshot and the video I send all my climbing friends. The lesson is that your attitude matters a hell of a lot more than your finger strength. That's the true beauty of climbing, learning about yourself physically but also mentally.

[@GbabyIGuess]

Louis, you have to be the most entertaining climber on this platform. So dynamic both as a climber and witt.

[@chewedsausage4176]

"blind optimism and confidence" spoken like a true pro! That's how I train every session. More people need to stay optimistic! If you got it first try it wouldn't be fun anymore! Gotta grind for the good stuff!!! Some people don't realise that just pulling on to difficult moves makes you stronger! The send doesn't matter if you've just done 5 sets of max effort squeezes lol....😅

[@Gcor239]

I just got my first v8/9 a few months ago- it was raw confidence and piecing it together, just pure projecting. You can pretty much do anything if you believe you can and work to get each piece. Love this coaching and mindset!

[@jacktrussler20]

13:00 another point to mention, he was 100% confident he could do it, fell, and just goes "ta da!". Wasn't demotivated, just thought it was harder than first thought and tried again! Man I love louis.

[@chrisembry3736]

Terrific content and great tips on keeping a positive mentality and recognizing the small victories, not just sending a project. Terrific work Sam and Louis! Sam is going to be a beast.

[@jaimseygirl2594]

Love the idea of redefining a successful session. Went to the gym the other day and decide to spend most of the session throwing myself at a dynamic comp move (foot moves on volumes , which are super spooky) because I always say I want to be better at those move but I never try them. After 30 mins I was super close to sticking it and decided that was success. Next session I did the move in 3 tries. Literally 2 weeks ago I would have said it was impossible for me! Growth comes when you believe you can do it and don’t give up. 💪

[@aspoonfullofadventure3049]

What an incredible gift this coach has. Inspirational, encouraging, observant and engaging. He is just as much a mental coach as he is a climbing coach. Bravo sir

[@GucciFeet]

Your Mindset changed a lot; mainly learning that success is achieving small steps and that strength wasn't the main thing that separates you from a V5 to V7 climber. You went from saying its a "hard" climb to say its a "spicy" climb and that each different move you learnt builds up your 'library' to become a better climber. Good Job! Very Motivating video!!

[@jonathanvanderceelen9441]

This is beautiful stuff! Really enjoyed seeing Sam topping that first boulder. I'm right at the same level and itching to get on the wall again.

[@connorcahill2209]

What an amazing human and coach Louis is

[@Miowa]

Loved seeing him exceed his own expectations. So much to take home from this video. Loved it

[@La0bouchere]

I really wish it was standard to have gyms hide the grades, like put them on the backs of the tags. That way you could genuinely try the climb without having grades affect you're thinking.

[@deslomator]

Indoor climbing helps a lot when it comes to committing against the odds. Having someone like Louis as a guide means a 10x speedup in this process, his empathy and the amount of thought he has obviously put into his craft set him apart.

[@antraxteck]

Nah men I love Louis, he is so kind and encouraging

[@andrewturnbull9304]

Love the positive attitude. It’s like crashing at the 2nd bend and calling success a 100% improvement I crashed at the 1st bend last race

[@YaBoiAdzy]

Louis' positive reinforcement and cheering on is what I strive for in all parts of life!

[@lutherbrown8873]

that's such an awesome calm cat. also i knew sam could do at least V7. great coaching!

[@danwilliams6776]

What a great video, awesome to see the two days later clip of Sam sending it. What a hero 💪

[@ericmetzgar4285]

Louis -- bravo to you. You're what a great teacher should be!!!

[@dutypaidrock]

"If you're still here, we commend your patience" NGL, was just watching the cat at this point.

[@lucymcmanus3451]

Thanks for the great video! 1)Believe you can do the moves. 2)Adopt perseverance. One climb might take a few sessions - doesn't mean you can't do it at all. 3)Try the same move a few different ways incase it goes in a way you didn't expect.

[@helenlawson8426]

'Doubting yourself is like carrying actual weights around' Tomorrow will be only my third time bouldering and this video I think is going to help me start control my anxiety and slowly piece some climbs together. Not necessarily finish them but definitely enjoy working on finding the pieces to the puzzles. I'm going to imagine my own little Louis on my shoulder whispering encouragement in my ears. :)

[@Matthew-wm8tt]

This was an awesome video. It was so great to see him send that first V7! I also definitely struggle with the optimism, I might not be as pessimistic as Sam in this video, but I definitely am not bubbling courage like Louis. I've been climbing for just over a year, since end of Aug '22 and it now being beginning of Nov '23. I've started to hit some sends on V6 routes, my first being at least a couple months ago. And during that whole time I rarely try V6 routes as I don't feel I am good enough to send most, but when I see some that I look at and think, "Oh I might actually be able to do that" I hunker down and make myself try it. Which now I've been able to send like 5 or 6 V6 routes which is awesome and I would never think I could do them. So just keeping with it in a positive mental attitude helps tremendously. I hope I can be confident enough to start trying some V7 routes, even just to get the first move or two to show to myself that I can do hard climbs. P.S. I also have a black cat and would love to take him to the gym with me. I loved seeing your cat at the end in the carrier, that's such a great idea and a cool looking carrier. I've not yet see one like that until now.

[@coopersimson4440]

this guys a phenomanal coach not just in climbing but in general, a truly special coach

[@Infernoinflux]

9:15 “DAaamn iiiiit” after finding out he has no excuses. I felt that

[@937olter]

Watching sam pushing his limits to doing these dynos is amazing. Louis is the GOAT❤

[@johnmcho]

I went from V6 to V9 in two months and it was a similar process to what I'm seeing here. I was actually strong enough for some* V8s out of the gate, but I psyched myself out that I wasn't because I never had. Once I actually tried V7 in earnest, I found I could do about 20% of them after a few go's. Then I tried a V8 that my friends were working on and got it after about 5 attempts. That gave me a huge confidence boost to keep hammering away at all the other V7s and V8s in the gym. I added some more challenging training on top of my climbing and hit a V9 in my style shortly after. I'd say it was 80% mental and 20% training since I was pretty close to strong enough the entire time but I never knew it.

[@ollie-d]

Really motivating stuff. I've had a lot of ups and downs climbing, but never really got out of climbing V5. I've finished a few V6s, but injuries have slowed my physical progress and my mindset has slowed my general climbing progress. This series but this video specifically highlights the positive mindset required for progress and it's very refreshing, thank you.

[@ianhiggins6203]

Perfect timing for me, for the first time I've got projects - 2 hard V6's & a V8. I'd stumbled into a phase of self belief just need to crack the last move on the V8! Climbing can be a session of mostly failing but I need to upgrade my anchored mind set of self doubt to optimistic & little bits of success. Thanks Louis, this might help me out side of climbing too.

[@ozkirimli]

I am not a climber but Louis' mentorship and coaching style are inspiring. Great video and well done Sam.

[@samuelnavarro5450]

this approach is amazing. One of the best videos I've seen for a intermediate climber

[@ashhodson2063]

I think Sams main takeaway from the session is that Ink is a climbing aid! Epic content, super cool process and casual wizardry from Louis as per. :)

[@stone_cold_climber]

This is one of the best concepts for a climbing video I’ve seen in a while. Thanks guys!!

[@MiddleAgedBoulderGuy]

I think I need a coaching sesh with Louis. 😅 When he coached Hannah Morris through those slopers and now this session it really shows what a fantastic job he's doing. Brilliant!

[@NoahRayPersonal]

Amazing. This kind of coaching video is awesome. Sam is also great!

[@atelieralpha4552]

Probably one of the more insightful coaching videos I've seen on KZbin. Great content!

[@jufgnarri]

Wow, I think this will help me getting into the right mindset in the future sessions! Great visible progress here! 👏

[@justy256]

Louis = Honesty + Kindness + Positivity 🤩

[@georgerobinson9267]

'you have earned a cuddle with the cat' had me in stitches. what a coach hahah

[@tomrender89]

Great to see how the change in perspective enabled Sam to complete the climb more than any technique - although of course there were technique points too.

[@abelabel3664]

Don't mind me crying at this video. Not being able to climb for the past two months and with a lot of healing to do from a ligament injury while missing my cat who died recently, this one hit me... Thanks guys :)

[@benbobben]

I just sent my first v5 after watching this video! Positive mindset and believe in yourself!!

[@TheodorBourelius]

wow, such a good mental coach!

[@erikarose2187]

I think people underestimate how much of climbing is psychological instead of strength based. Climbing is scary, no matter your age, experience, the height you climb, or your body type! Yes, being strong can help, but your brain and your confidence is usually the only thing between you and sending. Thanks for the awesome vid!

[@katehirst6046]

I stayed watching at the end... for the cat. ❤😂

[@BenixKO]

I would definetly love more videos of this kind. It was so educational to me and this would make a great series!

[@Olixer109]

What a fantastic coach, very enjoyable teaching style. Personally I'm not exactly infinitely optimistic but anytime I encounter a boulder that's really hard and I think "well that sucks" I want to do it more and keep looking for different possibilities until it clicks. I guess what matters is the confidence to keep going and not getting discouraged!

[@muumarlin1731]

Love this video - so much learning about how to learn / progress. Thank you and I hope you keep making more of these!

[@tacticalchunder1207]

Louis seems like an amazing coach. That part about scary slabs resonated with me, I’m always terrified of slab because of slipping down the wall.

[@patrickmdrew]

So happy to see more of this kind of content! I love it! Please, more!

[@bnbuescher]

This is one of the coolest climbing videos I've ever seen. This makes me psyched to try stuff that I have deemed as "too hard"

[@kaipham4861]

Typically even as a climber i find climbing content kinda boring but this was very entertaining and educational. Lovely video 👍

[@goobs3669]

Best climbing content on KZbin!

[@chriswatts5921]

"you've earned a cuddle with the cat" dream motivation 😍

[@grimbot]

These videos are so fun to watch. Keep them coming Louis!

[@jakelevi1996]

I think this is my new favourite climbing video! Also, was that "match cut" (cinematography jargon, although it sounds like it should be climbing jargon) at 15:45 (and again at 17:18 ) intentional? In the whole context of the video that was some cinematic beauty right there

[@kevsherrill]

Great session; so cool to see the progression, mindset, and sports psychology with the coaching.

[@andrewserrano3176]

This video is great! I currently feel the same way that Sam does, where I feel strong enough to climb these harder grades but I keep making mistakes that is preventing me from making progress. All these tips and information that Louis provided are gold. Thanks for sharing this video!.

[@danrkelly]

I coach my son at Yonder. It's hard cos he's a massive defeatist but I just channel my inner Louis and we always manage to make a little progress.

[@brigittebell7782]

Super cool to watch - crazy how big a difference mindset makes!

[@phnx_eth]

This is the best kind of video. Super relatable and informative. Nice one Louis

[@sujaymadhok5700]

What a phenomenal teacher!! Brilliant :)

[@Exi01]

We all need a Louis

[@melissarobinson8638]

This is great Louis! I learned so much from watching this video. You’re a great coach and motivater.

[@ReactiveDogDiaries]

You had said something that I’m going to meditate on later 😂 “motivation is more tangible when there’s success” 7:47 just a few seconds before the time stamp

[@yungrut6553]

So good just everyone well done when of the best coaching videos I've seen thanks

[@wisconsinair]

This video is inspirational! Also, Sam is so good in front of the camera!

[@nom8]

This was such a good video! I think Sam learned to not take climbs at face value as much and maybe to spend some more time of climbs that he thinks he can't do instead. I myself am a fairly solid v4 climber with my limit being around v5-v6 but last night at the gym I got further than expected on a v7 which I'm thrilled about and can't wait to go back and try again. This video has given me even more confidence in trying harder boulders. Great videos as always Louis! Keep them coming brother! 🤙

[@k12balla]

Such a great attitude and teacher. Great video!

[@nickemery3101]

Great video and coaching. I'm in Sam's camp with no confidence but what I think is reasonable finger general strength. Also very down on myself when I don't succeed need to change that mind set.

[@sampanurag]

I've been stuck on V4-V5 for a year now, and I wish I had a coach like Louis

[@ianhiggins6203]

Find some pals at your local, if you see a climber whos style you like just say "hey, that was cool, how did you do that?" Nobody can resist 😉