when does movement analysis go TOO far?

We've all seen them: the reels with the arrows, and lines, and shapes littering the screen atop a climber's body. Hell, I've posted these reels myself! 

It's the flashy way to get our attention and "make sense" of what's happening on the wall. "Ohhhh," we say, "now I see why she fell on this attempt, but succeeded on the other."

But when does this type of analysis go too far, and is it really useful?

The fact is that the human body is not a computer. You can't input the data of "correct" angles and body shapes and balance points and get an output of success.

Our body simply does not operate this way. Instead, we learn from experience. We learn from feeling those angles, shapes, and balance points.

Let go of the idea of perfection and get curious instead.

You may be saying, "ok that's all well and good, Juliet, but how do I actually improve my climbing?"

The answer: patterns.

Instead of analyzing every detail of every move, it's time to take a step back and look at your climbing as a whole. What do you consistently succeed with and what do you struggle with?

Here's an example from a recent client:

She described herself as a "drop knee warrior" who is extremely comfortable climbing in narrow positions. But as soon as she has to get wider and use square hip positions, she struggles.

Using this, we could make a plan to target these areas. I assigned her drills to expand her experience and comfort in these positions.

Let me know, what patterns have you noticed in your own climbing and what have you done to address them?