working with fellow celts!

Today I had a great day working with Colin and Kevin, a Scot and an Irishman respectively.  They spent a day with Silvia Fitzpatrick (my friend and colleague) yesterday working on movement and tactics,, and today we covered body awareness, mental warmups and anxiety management techniques.  The rain held off for most of the day so we were outside bouldering for much of the day before a quick trip up to the slate quarries to finish off.

Both Kevin and Colin were initially not that into bouldering (but were converts by the end!), but it is a great way of putting into practice the anxiety management techniques.  Essentially its about refocusing yourself back into your body through visual tricks, breathing techniques, and muscle relaxation.  Trying progressively harder and/or higher problems allows people to master the techniques within their comfort zone, and then take small steps out of their comfort zone to practice the techniques again.

Both Colin and Kevin did really well, sending some good problems, and putting into practice everything they had learnt over the two days - well done guys!