One of the primary reasons we train for adventure sports is to improve our performance. As we spend more time doing what we love, many athletes aspire to accomplish more interesting, complex, and awe-inducing stuff. Sport-specific training is meant to accelerate our progress along the way.
Why it’s hard to measure progress in adventure sports
But what does progress in adventure sports actually look like?
Conventional sports tend to provide straightforward and quantifiable measures of progress (think: basketball free throws, swim or track race times). These sports give us objective measures of progress: you can look at your race time from last year, compare it to this year, and determine with relative confidence whether or not you improved.
Progress in adventure sports, however, can be more challenging to measure because there are so many variables at play. Weather and terrain conditions (such as snow or wave quality, air temperature & humidity) significantly affect our ability to perform. Even something as “objective” as rating systems (e.g., green/blue/black ski slope ratings or YDS climbing grades) can vary widely from one area to another.
What’s more, adventure sports require constant assessment of risk, terrain, and conditions – all elements that are largely absent from conventional sports. It makes little sense to try and quantify your improvement in route-reading and on-the-spot decision-making. (For example, if you retreat from a ski tour because your assessment of avalanche conditions warrants bailing, have you gotten better at backcountry skiing?...)
Adventure sports also require us to cultivate the mind as much as the body. The deeply internal experience of mindset and emotion seems silly to try and quantify. (For example, if you fall leading a climb that you sent on top rope last season, have you improved your climbing ability?...)
Because of these challenges, I’m of the opinion that adventure sport progress must be measured more in feeling than in fact. But what does that feeling feel like?
3 signs you are progressing in your sport
When we train for adventure sports, small, quantifiable steps get muddled by all of the variables at play. It is therefore better to look for signs of progress in the way that things feel; the vibe as a whole. Here are 3 signs that you are improving:
1. You experience an “aha!” moment (aka breakthrough or “lightbulb moment”).
Sometimes a thing finally “clicks” and you’ve unlocked a completely new concept or skill. These sudden moments of insight often arise when we least expect it, and in powerful ways.One common characteristic of the “aha” moment is an inability to fully explain it in words. Almost inexplicably, your brain and body are able to make sense of things in a way that was totally out of grasp before.
Example: A client noticed she could move heavier weight in the gym if she used speed to execute a lift. This led her to suddenly realize that speed could also be used to execute climbing moves that she felt unable to complete with strength alone. As a result, her climbing became more dynamic and she was able to approach difficult moves with fresh ideas.
2. You feel more independent in your decision-making.
As we learn a new skill, it is common to look towards more experienced people for information on what to do (and when). As you improve your own ability, however, you’ll find less and less of a need to consult others before proceeding.
Example: When I first began alpine climbing, I scrupulously gathered as much information about the route as possible before going out. I scoured forums, downloaded photos, read guidebooks, and studied every minute detail available to me. In addition, I almost always went out with someone who was more experienced than I was and looked to them to make most of the decisions along the way. Now, after several seasons of practice, I’m spending more time in the mountains with less prior knowledge of the routes I am taking. It is possible to allow my intuition and subtle signs of the mountain to guide me, and I feel more comfortable guiding other people on my days out.
3. You can predict how other people will move.
When you can guess which line someone will choose, which trick they will throw, or how they will solve a problem, it’s a sure sign you have seriously improved your own skillset! The ability to characterize other people’s movement styles and preferences demonstrates a deep understanding of a sport’s technical aspect.
Example: A client was over-recruiting his neck and upper back to perform pull-ups. Once he adapted his movement to recruit larger, more appropriate muscles for the task, he began to notice a similar pattern in a friend who was experiencing shoulder pain. He mentioned this observation to the friend who adapted their own movement and eliminated their shoulder pain as a result.
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Next time you feel like you are getting better at the sports & activities you love, go ahead and give yourself credit! I feel like you are progressing, too.
Ps. Want to build a training program that brings you plenty of aha moments, self-confidence, and technical insights into your favorite sport? Let’s chat! Sign up for a free consultation here.
