■ About Yoshida
When I start climbing in Yamanashi in 2015, I was learning from past climbing guide Kazumasa Yoshida who had climbed 5.13d in 1989 in Mars, Jogasaki(Now it is graded 14a so if it was properly graded then, he was the top climber at that point. this is a very famous story in Japan)
He was the one whom I asked for a secure climbing technique. But he died before I learn how to master a secure cam setting from him... more precisely I was climbing 5.8 crack on-sight back then so I did not really needed to fall on a cam.
I needed a stronger jamming technique, perhaps as strong as I can climb 11a on trad with top rope, then move on to lead.
But I wanted to learn how to set a secure protection(cam, or nuts=passive), before I move on to the next level... so when I came to Kyusyu, in 2017, I was easily climbing 10a,b kind of trad climb, as a second( on a top rope) but struggling to lead that climb, since in lead climb, I need much bigger risk margin.
Back then, the climbers I was hanging, did not understand this, they were a kind of climber whom cams had been popping off when he fall on them... 3 cams came off and he still alive! was his victory... so I was horrified than impressed.
Now, I get a cam placement advice from reliable source.
So this is how:
ーーーーーーーーーHow to set a secure protection ーーーーーーーーー
Know the climb by top rope
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Using the top rope as a backup, place the protections.
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Make an experimental fall on the protection you've set. Back up will catch you.
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Test failed -> protection fail
test succeeded -> protection catches your fall
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THINK!!!
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feed back your thinking and adjustment to the setting
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Now, move on to the lead climb
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RP
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Do your mock lead!
With a ‘mock lead’ you can also build awareness of how far you would fall if your gear failed or if you fell while trying to place it.
It’s the best and safest way to learn lead climbing, even for sport climbing.