Commands and Eights

Learn it

This is reinforcement, not first exposure. They tied in for the first time last week and have met the commands and the buddy check, so run it as a check rather than a lecture.

The figure eight. Tie one wrong and ask them to find the problem before you tie a right one. Spotting a bad knot is the skill that keeps working after they have forgotten how to describe a good one.

Commands.

• On belay? / Belay is on. Climbing? / Climb on.
• Take? / Gotcha. Lower me! / Lowering.
• Take! / Gotcha! Resting! / Gotcha.

The buddy check.

• Climber: harness, knot, follow the rope up to the belayer.
• Belayer: harness, knot, belay device, carabiner, then the climber's harness, the climber's knot, and the rope.

Apply it

In pairs with a rope each pair, half the group to each coach: one ties in while the other inspects and says out loud what makes it right or wrong, then swap. Then the full buddy check, then the commands.

Once round with you watching, once round with you deliberately not watching. The second round is the point, and it is also what lets a coach cover five: if the pair only works while you are in front of it, they have learned to perform rather than to check.

Demonstrate understanding

• Able to show the difference between a correctly dressed figure eight knot and a bad figure eight knot and say why.
• They catch a deliberately bad knot you tie for them.
• The climbing commands come in order and with names attached.

If the concept isn't sticking

The knot is right but sloppy. Dressing it is part of tying it. Have them redo it rather than fix it for them.

They skip the check because they trust their partner. Trust is not the point. The check is what catches the day somebody is distracted.

Figure eight knot is tied with enough tail, tied unprompted.