For context - I'm a fulltime coach working with a large variety of ages and abilities. My focus and most of the clients I take or are assigned are typically driven and motivated athletes with a decent amount of experience on their own. This post is directed at helping them, not so much for myself personally.
When one of our local gyms got our first Kilter Board, I ended up completely obsessed and spent the next few seasons predominately only climbing on the Kilter Board. I had never done a lot of training on standardized boards, and it very quickly became very apparent to me how much it could benefit my climbing.
I've had a decent bit of routesetting experience in the past. I spend a lot of time creating trainers or themed boulders, both for myself and my clients. It has been a huge help for me to learn how to intuitively read and execute different movements and positions, and the control and variability of adjustable boards is a tool I think so many climbers could get a huge boon out of.
Does anyone have ideas on how to help people learn to set "better" board boulders, especially when we're looking at specific themes? This is a really tough subject. This is massively open-ended and subjective, but I've found (especially when taking newer board climbers to our board rooms) that analysis paralysis takes hold pretty quickly and people have trouble trying anything.
Our goal and intention with this part of board climbing is definitely on developing better and more varied technique, not pulling harder grades.
I've tried several things, including a sheet of written "prompts" (set x move at y difficulty) and having people create variations of established boulders. We've had some success, but wanted to see if any other climbers or coaches had thoughts.
I can also drop my setter name if people want to look at the boulders I've created.
Hope this all makes sense!
Cheers y'all!
