12 Steps to Climbing Confidence

Emily Pitts provides an insight into her "12 Steps to Climbing Confidence" training program delivered entirely online.

Rock climbing is my passion, but I discovered for myself as I moved from indoor to outdoor climbing that my confidence indoors did not match up with the outdoors. My interest in sports psychology arose from this and from my work with young people who quite often have challenging lives and challenging behaviours.

Last year, under the banner of my business, Womenclimb, I researched through an online questionnaire of 220 climbers (50% male, 50% female). It became clear that women were much more likely to report themselves as having low confidence than men. Women were three times more likely to say that they were worried about people judging their appearance. This has led to me developing online training to help individuals develop the confidence they want for their climbing in a positive and safe learning environment. It is called 12 Steps to Climbing Confidence.

How is the training structured?

Confidence training is a 12-module training that is delivered entirely online. The modules are structured around Robin Vealey's brilliant Sources of Sports Confidence Questionnaire (SSCQ), which helps participants identify where they get their confidence in sport. The SSCQ is based on the nine key areas where individuals gain confidence. It includes mastery, physical and mental preparation, environmental comfort, and social support. Robin's work in this field is incredible, and I have so much respect for the ground-breaking research she has and continues to undertake in the area of sports confidence.

Why 12 modules?

Our training is twelve modules in length. We have chosen to use each of Vealey's nine key areas as individual modules, with the addition of two modules at the start – Introduction & Assessment & Goal Setting, and one module at the end – Planning for the future. All of the content we wanted to include fits pretty neatly into these modules, plus we have bonus content where we can direct participants toward additional resources.

The training content uses evidence-based practice, using sources such as Richard Cox's Sport Psychology Concepts and Applications. We have taken the theory, adapted the examples, and applied the approach specifically to rock climbing so that the program focuses on the specific needs of our climbers' activities.

How do you train confidence in climbing?

There are fundamental foundations to building confidence in any sport, and it starts with goal setting and assessing where you are at from the beginning. We use a basic format of assessment, planning, implementation, and review as a cyclical process. Using the theory of marginal gains, we aim for participants to make small improvements in each exercise they complete. Although the improvements may feel imperceptible week on week, each additional step forward adds to the total. Overall, they see a more significant gain over the whole period of the training.

We use the nine categories from Vealey's SSCQ and bring in training around mindfulness, goal setting, visualisation, and self-talk. When we couple this with things like physical preparation and finding the right climbing partner, these things come together to manage anxiety in the individual and then build confidence.

How does online work for mental skills training?

With the development of technology, online does not mean sitting and reading reams of resources. We have narrated presentations, screencasts, downloads, self-assessments, and comment fields to get a discussion going in the same way that we would in a classroom. Most exercises on the program take under 15 minutes to complete, and there is a mixture of activity types to suit different learner types – visual, auditory & kinaesthetic. When you get down to it, it is not so different.

An essential part of this training is helping participants develop intrinsic motivation and reflective skills within the supportive online environment. By the end of the program, they have practiced and built the skills they need to continue independently, reflect, learn and develop.

You opted for single-sex training. Why is that?

At the start of module 2, we look at Carol Dweck and the growth mindset. I make it clear that I want to see mistakes and people challenging themselves, where learning and development happen. It has to be a safe environment for us to feel comfortable making mistakes and being vulnerable. This time around, I felt that given the results of the surveys and the newness of this type of training as an online program, a single-sex environment would be better. As it happens, no guys signed up, so we are only running the women's program, but next time, who knows, it could be different.

Which research has been most influential in developing the training?

We look at a lot of aspects of sports psychology. As I mentioned earlier, Robing Vealey is the principal sports scientist whose research has significantly impacted the training. Her work is prolific and covers many aspects of what we cover in our training.

We also look at Hardy, Grimmage, and Hall and their work on self-talk. Endler's work on anxiety has been crucial and Steve Peters' chimp paradox, which I have used in my work supporting people in academic and learning achievements in recent years.

So, what will people get from the training – what is the goal?

To become more confident! The aim is for participants to become more self-aware, know and be able to assess their anxiety levels, and have access to the theory behind the strategies such as self-talk, mindfulness, goal setting, imagery, and relaxation that we work through training. It is exciting. We know that women want to find other women to climb with and that they sometimes struggle with this aspect, so if we can help with that too, we will be happy.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

PITTS, E. (2017) 12 Steps to Climbing Confidence [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article221.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Emily Pitts is the Founder and Editor-Chief of Womenclimb.co.uk, a UK-based climbing business aimed at training, supporting, and connecting female climbers. Emily is a qualified rock-climbing instructor who loves the outdoors and facilitating people to achieve their goals. Since 2001, she has worked with hard-to-help young people, helping them to overcome barriers and achieve their goals. She works full time while devoting most of her spare time to Womenclimb.


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Rock climbing is my passion, but I discovered for myself as I moved from indoor to outdoor climbing that my confidence indoors did not match up with the outdoors. My interest in sports psychology arose from this and from my work with young people who quite often have challenging lives and challenging behaviours. Last year, under the banner of my business, Womenclimb, I researched through an online questionnaire of 220 climbers (50% male, 50% female). It became clear that women were much more likely to report themselves as having low confidence than men. Women were three times more likely to say that they were worried about people judging their appearance. This has led to me developing online training to help individuals develop the confidence they want for their climbing in a positive and safe learning environment. It is called 12 Steps to Climbing Confidence. How is the training structured? Confidence training is a 12-module training that is delivered entirely online. The modules are structured around Robin Vealey's brilliant Sources of Sports Confidence Questionnaire (SSCQ), which helps participants identify where they get their confidence in sport. The SSCQ is based on the nine key areas where individuals gain confidence. It includes mastery, physical and mental preparation, environmental comfort, and social support. Robin's work in this field is incredible, and I have so much respect for the ground-breaking research she has and continues to undertake in the area of sports confidence. Why 12 modules? Our training is twelve modules in length. We have chosen to use each of Vealey's nine key areas as individual modules, with the addition of two modules at the start – Introduction & Assessment & Goal Setting, and one module at the end – Planning for the future. All of the content we wanted to include fits pretty neatly into these modules, plus we have bonus content where we can direct participants toward additional resources. The training content uses evidence-based practice, using sources such as Richard Cox's Sport Psychology Concepts and Applications. We have taken the theory, adapted the examples, and applied the approach specifically to rock climbing so that the program focuses on the specific needs of our climbers' activities. How do you train confidence in climbing? There are fundamental foundations to building confidence in any sport, and it starts with goal setting and assessing where you are at from the beginning. We use a basic format of assessment, planning, implementation, and review as a cyclical process. Using the theory of marginal gains, we aim for participants to make small improvements in each exercise they complete. Although the improvements may feel imperceptible week on week, each additional step forward adds to the total. Overall, they see a more significant gain over the whole period of the training. We use the nine categories from Vealey's SSCQ and bring in training around mindfulness, goal setting, visualisation, and self-talk. When we couple this with things like physical preparation and finding the right climbing partner, these things come together to manage anxiety in the individual and then build confidence. How does online work for mental skills training? With the development of technology, online does not mean sitting and reading reams of resources. We have narrated presentations, screencasts, downloads, self-assessments, and comment fields to get a discussion going in the same way that we would in a classroom. Most exercises on the program take under 15 minutes to complete, and there is a mixture of activity types to suit different learner types – visual, auditory & kinaesthetic. When you get down to it, it is not so different. An essential part of this training is helping participants develop intrinsic motivation and reflective skills within the supportive online environment. By the end of the program, they have practiced and built the skills they need to continue independently, reflect, learn and develop. You opted for single-sex training. Why is that? At the start of module 2, we look at Carol Dweck and the growth mindset. I make it clear that I want to see mistakes and people challenging themselves, where learning and development happen. It has to be a safe environment for us to feel comfortable making mistakes and being vulnerable. This time around, I felt that given the results of the surveys and the newness of this type of training as an online program, a single-sex environment would be better. As it happens, no guys signed up, so we are only running the women's program, but next time, who knows, it could be different. Which research has been most influential in developing the training? We look at a lot of aspects of sports psychology. As I mentioned earlier, Robing Vealey is the principal sports scientist whose research has significantly impacted the training. Her work is prolific and covers many aspects of what we cover in our training. We also look at Hardy, Grimmage, and Hall and their work on self-talk. Endler's work on anxiety has been crucial and Steve Peters' chimp paradox, which I have used in my work supporting people in academic and learning achievements in recent years. So, what will people get from the training – what is the goal? To become more confident! The aim is for participants to become more self-aware, know and be able to assess their anxiety levels, and have access to the theory behind the strategies such as self-talk, mindfulness, goal setting, imagery, and relaxation that we work through training. It is exciting. We know that women want to find other women to climb with and that they sometimes struggle with this aspect, so if we can help with that too, we will be happy. Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: PITTS, E. (2017) 12 Steps to Climbing Confidence [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article221.htm [Accessed About the Author Emily Pitts is the Founder and Editor-Chief of Womenclimb.co.uk, a UK-based climbing business aimed at training, supporting, and connecting female climbers. Emily is a qualified rock-climbing instructor who loves the outdoors and facilitating people to achieve their goals. Since 2001, she has worked with hard-to-help young people, helping them to overcome barriers and achieve their goals. She works full time while devoting most of her spare time to Womenclimb.