Over and over

One of the colloquial, somewhat humorous, definitions of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. I disagree. It is almost impossible to do the same thing over and over again in exactly the same way. The key is "exactly the same way". Last night I was at the rock climbing gym and was stuck getting past an overhang. I was on top rope so I could attempt the challenge in several different ways. On my first try, I positioned my feet, one under the overhang, the other around the corner and reached up with my left hand to a higher hold. I successfully grabbed the hold. Now I needed to get my right hand higher and then pull my body weight upwards, past the precipice.

I moved my right foot to a hold about three inches higher, closer in to the wall, beneath the overhang. My chest and hips were parallel to the overhang and, relying on core strength, I reached up and over on to the higher right hand hold. I grasped it but then my hold slipped and I swung left in the air over the corner.

I repositioned myself and attempted the same move the same way. I didn't even come close to reaching the hold. A different outcome doing something the "same way". My friend who was belaying me, suggested moving into a backstep which meant bringing both my feet onto the corner wall, pulling my right side in, and then reaching up with my right hand. I tried and felt unbalanced. A "new way" and the same outcome: I wasn't yet past the overhang.

I reverted back to my original position which was comfortable and reached up for a fourth time. My hand did not reach the hold and again I swung in the air on top rope. I recall saying to myself "you can't quit, you can do this" and I reached up with my right hand in the same way as I had in my first, second, and fourth attempts. This time my hand gripped the hold and I pulled myself up and over, wondering why it had taken me so many attempts when the successful reach was so easy.

The difference between the successful reach and the unsuccessful reach? To people watching, there was no difference. A snapshot would have shown me in the same starting position time and time again. But, the snapshot would have been misleading. There were several differences. At the outset, I was not certain of my technique and not certain that I would pull myself up. A bit of experimentation convinced me that my technique and skill would allow me to pull up. The experimentation also gave me insight into the millimeters of difference in where I positioned my hands on the holds, and in the milliseconds of timing in reaching, pulling and moving my hands and feet up. So, millimeters and milliseconds made a difference. The most important factor, though, was my intent. There was no doubt in my mind when I made the final pull-up. I was going to do it that time. My intention was clear and my body and mind worked together to make it happen.

So, is it insane to do the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome? No. This is how athletes train. They do the same thing over and over, making minor adjustments (and sometimes major changes), until the movements are patterned and reliable. Still, almost every 500 meter run, every triple Axel, every ball pitched, and basket sunk has some minor variation.
The "insanity" is to think that it is possible to do the same thing the same way over and over. The truism isn't true . That said, I do agree that there are times when small change is not enough to produce different outcomes and when boldness is required, but that is fodder for a different day and a different climb.

Namaste