YouTube

A long-time coming, but I have finally released my online climbing coaching YouTube series on ROCUPtv on YouTube.

The purpose of this channel is to share knowledge. Initially it will start with basic principles, but I look at them in detail.

  1. Footwork for example is a topic touched on by many, but I think so many aspects are missed out. This channel will explore and share it all – think of it as your online climbing coach. There will be 6 parts to this.
  2. The I move on to movement and basic techniques – the rock over, step through, drop knee and the inside and outside flags. These are techniques I have drilled and shown to thousands of clients over the last 10 years. Essentially, everything you need to know. Again, your online and virtual climbing coach.
  3. Training: after the basics, we explore how to train. What the pros are doing, if there are any correlations and essentially providing you the information to cherry-pick what works for you.
  4. Lots to see, keep an eye out. Here are the episodes below, starting with Ep 1 March 2020…

Success at the first EYC of 2018

Jo Neame at the British Opens Taken by Rachel Carr

I’ve been flat out over the last 6 months. Too busy to even upload any information to the website. It is an exciting year for me as a coach;

I have 5 athletes competing in the European Youth circuit as well as seniors competing in the World Cups too. Alongside this, I am working with some athletes who have been at the top level and are making come back too! Exciting!

Not to mention the return of the Youth Climbing Symposium, ROCUP Holidays, coaching trips for the RAF, working towards climbing getting into the Invictus Games as well as all of the future Olympians whom I work with too.
I love my job.

This post is dedicated to Jo Neame however. A client who will do everything you ask and more. I have been working with Jo Neame for about a year now. She has developed so much as a climber – she’s put on functional muscle, she’s improved her movement and, in my opinion, is just getting started.

Jo is in her final year competing as a junior in the IFSC EYCs. The first event of the year was at Voiron, France over the 7/8th April 2018. We warmed up Jo really specifically, mimicking the crux moves of her qualifying routes.

She smashed it, qualifying for the finals in 6th position.

The great news is that she came out to finals with a cool head and moved up to 5th, narrowly missing out on a podium position by 2 points! Great work Jo!!

Lattice Assessments

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2016 was a very busy year! RocUp saw the new PopUp sessions and another successful trip to Kalymnos with Alex Megos. We had a whole host of clients achieveing PBs for onsights, flashes and redpoints – “I love it when a plan comes together”!

I was the coach for the GB ParaClimbing Team. We won a series of gold, silver and bronze medals throughout the season in the world cups and Esme Harte even won a silver medal in the world championships in Paris in September.

2017 is going to be an even bigger year. For my climbing, coaching, RocUp and new ventures…watch this space.

It has started well – I was really excited to go up to Sheffield on the 9th January to the Foundry Climbing Centre.

The Foundry was the first dedicated climbing centre in the UK, set up by the infamous Jerry Moffatt in 1991.

I was up there to see Tom Randall and Ollie Torr for their Lattice training day! Look at http://latticetraining.com/ for more info.

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I was out through the test as well as analysing Tom and taken through all of the ins and outs, dos and don’ts as well as the team support that is so useful and welcomed.

Lattice really are pushing coaching in the UK and worldwide and I am really happy to be a part of such a strong and dedicated team. They love coaching, they love helping others and that’s what it is all about. The accuracy of their tests surpasses anything else. I wanted to be able to offer my clients an even more accurate assessment tool – making the training plans more of a success.

Thanks Tom and Ollie!

If you would like to find out more and to book a session, please contact me on coaching@robinolearycoaching.com

To see costs, please visit my coaching page:

http://robinolearycoaching.com/?page_id=259

 

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I also worked with James Downer on a new project for 2017. I’m really excited for it and it will be released soon.

 

 

RocUp Success – now for 2016

Well, this is a well overdue update.
A lot happened for me last year and most notably RocUp Holidays. We spent the entire month of September out in Kalymnos with groups of climbers eager to learn from the best coaches and climbers in the world.
We had Magnus Midtbo, Alex Megos and Sierra Blair-Coyle join forces with British sensations Ben West and Leah Crane.

It was great to work with these guys and I very much look forward to working with them all again very soon.

(Quote Alex Megos)

2016, is going to be a big year for RocUp and Robin O’Leary coaching. With sessions popping up worldwide, I really am going to be busy. But, I wouldn’t change it for anything.

If you want more info on these trips, be sure to get in touch.

Ben West climbing the impressively steep Aegialis in the Grand Grotte in Kalymnos (7c).

Ben West climbing the impressively steep Aegialis in the Grand Grotte in Kalymnos (7c).

Chamonix – a scary, but wonderful place!

Wow, what an experience!!
I’ve been back from Chamonix with a little over a week and this is the first time I’ve had to reflect on what a great trip it was.
However, I will start this post with a bit of a warning.
It is interesting to see the experiences of well known climbers such as Sasha DiGiulian and Carlo Traversi and will be good to see how Caroline Ciavaldini finds it too, but alpine climbing is a BIG adventure!
The multi-pitch routes are bold and scary! I’d advise people to ignore the grades, leave their egos at home and just take it step by step. The French are strong and bold (or something like that anyway?).
Quite often we found ourselves with loose blocks surrounding us, bits of crappy tat and some huge runouts (10+m). It wasn’t just the trad climbing either. The multi-pitch sport routes had a bolt here and there, but not what someone operating at the grades would expect…scary indeed. We saw people operating at their limits and they were having a super tough time.
I admit, I am mainly a sport climber and boulderer, but have done plenty of trad too. I am new to alpine climbing and it was well out of my comfort zone, but what a learning experience.
I found myself doing what I tell myself and my clients not to do: worrying about clipping, locking off to clip as high as possible, holding my breath, over-gripping…man I was papping myself!
However, after a few days, you start to get used to the experience, the exposure, the runouts and you can enjoy the environment.
Once you do this, you can really appreciate how cool the outdoor industry really is. We would be climbing and look out to see mountain bikers, kayakers, trail runners and mountaineers well below 30+ paragliders.
Suddenly you’d hear the screams and whoops of the base jumpers and wingsuit flyers jumping over your head…
I loved it.
I’ve learnt a lot from it and hopefully it will make me a better climber as a result.
Until next time Chamonix!!!
As usual, thanks to Lyon Outdoor for all of the equipment. It really did make me feel safe! Crimp for keeping me warm and Climbskin for keeping my skin in good condition!
PowerFingers La Sportiva Petzl
DarkVentures Ltd – for providing all of the Climbskin products, thanks Pat!chaminx22

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Cheddar Gorge – first 8as for youth squad!

What a cracking day in Cheddar with firsts all – round.
First lead climb outside by Matt…A 6b+ with one arm first time out was incredible!
James’ first time in Cheddar and climbing really well.
Very close to his first 7b+ for Jake.
And both Luke and Sam getting their first 8as outside! (Plus a 7c 2nd go for Sam too).
Climbskin
DarkVentures Ltd
Lyon Outdoor
Petzl
La Sportiva
Crimp
PowerFingers
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Do you want to climb with Sierra Blair-Coyle?

Copyright Sierra Blair-Coyle

Copyright Sierra Blair-Coyle


Did you get to watch the IFSC World Cup this last weekend in Vail? Wow – it’s so good and full of surprises, I’m loving it!
It is great to see RocUp coaches Leah Crane and Ben West compete on the world circuit as well as Sierra Blair-Coyle.
Although I am co-founder of RocUp, it still amazes me that you can get coaching by all three of these guys in Kalymnos this September. I can’t wait to coach alongside them.

I’m really routing the team on for the next round in China and hope you will too.

Remember, if you want to book onto the holiday with Sierra (and spaces are booking up fast!), then click on the link below now!!!
Climb with Sierra Blair-Coyle

Many of my clients have booked on already and we have limited spaces left.
If you climb at 5.11d/7a upwards, you may also be interested in climbing with Magnus Midtbo and Alex Megos? Click on the link above and scroll across to their pages.

See you in Kaly!