Shadowing Practice: Trying hard is a skill. Here's how to train it. - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B2
⏸ Paused
HARD!
112 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
HARD!
2
HARD!
3
HARD!
4
Most climbers think they're trying hard, but trying hard is actually a skill and most people aren't training it.
5
I'm here in Oliana at the moment and I have a project just up there up there.
6
It's requiring a lot of try hard from me.
7
I think the challenge level feels a little too high still
8
so although there's some moments where I'm in flow on my
9
attempts there's also some moments where I've really got to dig deep and try really hard.
10
Some of my best climbing experiences have been in flow where everything feels almost effortless
11
and automatic and you're totally absorbed in what you're doing.
12
I sent routes like Mind Control and Fisheye here at this crag and they were flow experiences.
13
But there's another state that sports science calls clutch.
14
In this state you're really focused and absorbed in the task so you're really present but it feels high effort,
15
high strain, high perceived difficulty and that's the difference between clutch and flow.
16
Oh my god.
17
Oliana is the home of a lot of hard climbing and
18
because of that you have a lot of good climbers climb at this crag trying really hard.
19
In climbing you might have heard the phrase amwete which means to the death.
20
The best climbers don't just know how to flow, they also fight really hard.
21
and often both states can be accessed on the same climb.
22
The best climbers are also the best at trying hard.
23
The nuance here is that trying hard isn't just about more effort, it's about the right level of activation to be efficient.
24
Trying hard isn't just about intensity, it's about useful intensity.
25
Sometimes the challenge level really demands high activation, focus and determination.
26
Some climbers are under aroused which means they never really switch on
27
and get their energy levels up to the place they need to be for the task.
28
So what exactly is trying hard?
29
Trying hard isn't just about how much you can power scream or grunt, although power screaming is a fun part of trying hard.
30
It's not a performance, it's a state of mind and body activation.
31
I like to think of it as a form of expression.
32
Sometimes you're trying your absolute hardest and it doesn't look dramatic from the outside
33
and it's kind of irritating when someone tells you to just try harder when you know you already are.
34
For me try hard are those moments when you fall
35
or you manage to send with everything committed
36
so all of your inner resources are focused in an effortful way to stay on the wall
37
or those moments when you surprise yourself with how improbable it is that you're staying on.
38
You maybe hold a hold that you thought there was no chance that you could catch.
39
Or you feel like you're coming off but you're still on.
40
And it's not just all about physical resources, but it's also about mental capacity too.
41
You're completely focused on the task at hand, your mind is only directed towards that task.
42
And usually when I feel like that, I'm content even if I fall, because I know that I've given it everything.
43
Alright, so if trying hard is a skill, how do we train it?
44
There are three things that I see over and over again that stop climbers from developing this skill.
45
The first one is stop saving it for when it matters.
46
Most climbers don't practice trying hard.
47
They save it for the red points and of a project that only happens a few times a year.
48
But that's not many reps.
49
If you only try hard when it matters, you won't be able to access it reliably.
50
You need to try hard on routes you might not send, in a training context, on climbs that don't matter much for you, on moves that feel out of reach.
51
If you can't try hard when it doesn't matter, why would you expect to access it when it does?
52
The second thing is to fix your relationship with failure.
53
The mistake people make is thinking that really wanting to send will be enough to try hard.
54
But actually it can cause you to give up and that's for a few reasons.
55
One is that the more you want it, the more you fear not getting it, the more anxious you get.
56
And carrying fear of failure up a route is like carrying a weight vest.
57
If you're thinking about the chains halfway up, you're not fully invested in the move that you're on
58
and you can't try hard on that move if half your brain is anxious about sending.
59
The other reason is that focusing too much on the outcome means that you don't value that one more move
60
unless you're sure you can send.
61
So I've found that people with this mindset say take more often, They don't train try hard and they don't surprise themselves.
62
Sometimes I've climbed with that just one more move mentality and managed to unsight my hardest route,
63
an 8a plus that was actually graded 8b slash plus in the guide.
64
I had no sense that I could have done it.
65
In order to try hard you need to value trying hard in and of itself not just for the send.
66
Trying hard requires full attention in the present, not thinking about the outcome.
67
Trying hard exposes you, it feels vulnerable sometimes because
68
when you give everything you remove the excuse and you show your commitment for everyone to see.
69
If you fall you really fell and that can feel uncomfortable.
70
A lot of that comes down to motivation.
71
If you're climbing mainly for external outcomes, the grade, the validation, proving something, not looking stupid, then every move carries risk.
72
Because when you're scared to fail, you make failure more meaningful.
73
A fail says something about you as a climber.
74
But if your motivation is intrinsic, if you genuinely value the effort itself, then trying hard becomes easier and you're able to tap into a deeper level of try hard.
75
With this mindset, effort becomes the reward, not just the mechanism.
76
And this is exactly how it feels for me.
77
It's for those moments of clutch and flow that I climb.
78
When this is your big why, the reason why you go climbing, then it's so much more natural to tap into that try hard.
79
The third thing is to remove fear of falling as a barrier.
80
So unfortunately it's almost impossible to try hard on lead or on top rope or on bouldering if you're scared to fall.
81
Fear of falling prevents you from climbing at your physical limit, either at all or in certain situations like a height above a bowl or crash pad.
82
If that feels like you, then you really need to think about doing some full practice, but please get guidance with it because it's very easy to get it wrong.
83
If you want to access TriHard quickly, you can take a few short, sharp breaths with a focus on the inhale.
84
This essentially brings your arousal levels up.
85
And it works better for bouldering or hard cruxes on a climb when maximising aerobic efficiency is less of a factor.
86
You can also use a mantra, listen to kind of intense music that gets you into that higher energy state.
87
Not even tired.
88
But the main thing though is motivation.
89
Are you motivated to try hard because you like trying hard?
90
If that's the case then you don't need to worry about these tricks.
91
Alright so why does all this matter?
92
I'm not a particularly strong climber but I've managed to get up a lot of climbs by tapping into certain performance states, especially flow and clutch.
93
If I couldn't do that then there's no way I would have been a professional climber.
94
I haven't always been this good at trying hard and it's been a skill that I've developed over time.
95
Every time you go near your edge, you expand your capacity to go there again.
96
But the main thing I've developed is the love of trying hard
97
and it's that motivation that is the best thing for accessing that state.
98
Here's a little paradox.
99
Trying hard is also letting go.
100
So there's kind of like a deeper layer here.
101
Clutch isn't about forcing.
102
Sometimes you try so hard not to fall that you overthink every move, you overgrip, you don't flow efficiently between moves.
103
So accessing states like flow and clutch and try hard can be like kind of surrendering into the effort.
104
It's letting your body climb, trusting your intuition.
105
It's hard to explain how trying hard can also be a form of letting go, but that is kind of how it feels.
106
It's full commitment, focus and effort, but without forcing.
107
Hey guys, if you're into this stuff, I have a whole free webinar on how to access flow
108
and clutch so that you can climb at your best and have a great time doing it.
109
If you're psyched, check out the link below.
110
The most memorable moments in climbing aren't the easy ones, they're the battles, the all out fights where you don't know if you'll stay on but you keep trying anyway.
111
Working hard isn't a trait, it's not something you have or don't have,
112
it's a skill and it's a skill that's easier to develop with an underlying mindset and you can train that mindset.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
The Climbing Context: A Real-Life Lesson in "Trying Hard"
The video takes us to Oliana, a crag known for tough climbing, where a climber shares insights on "trying hard" as a skill—not just brute effort. This scenario mirrors real-life challenges where success demands more than talent: it requires focused, efficient activation of mind and body. Whether you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or tackling a personal goal, the lesson of training effort applies: practice makes it reliable.
Useful Chunks & Collocations to Boost Your English
- Dig deep: To use inner strength ("I’ve got to dig deep to finish this task"). Perfect for english speaking practice when describing resilience.
- Red points: A climbing term for completing a route without falls, but it’s a great example of niche vocabulary. Learn such chunks to sound natural in specific contexts.
- Perceived difficulty: How hard something feels, not just its actual challenge. Useful for discussing tasks in IELTS speaking practice.
- Inner resources: Mental and emotional strength ("I used my inner resources to stay calm"). A powerful collocation for describing personal effort.
- Out of reach: Unattainable at first glance ("That move felt out of reach, but I practiced"). Great for talking about goals in everyday English.
Your Shadowing Challenge: Train Your "Try Hard" for English
Shadowing—repeating audio in real time—is a proven way to improve english pronunciation and fluency. Here’s your task: Use a shadowing app or play the video, pause after 10-second clips, and repeat the climber’s words. Focus on mimicking their tone when they say "dig deep" or "inner resources"—these phrases carry emotion, which is key for natural speech. Do this daily, even with short clips, to build "try hard" habits for English. Remember: Just like the climber practices on easy routes, you can learn english with youtube by shadowing casual, real-world dialogue. The more reps, the more confident you’ll sound in english speaking practice. Ready to start? Hit play and let’s go!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.