Disclaimer: This is not an article on how to lead climb or how to take falls!
One of the most common factors that hinder climbing progress, irrespective of grades/experience, is the fear of falling. You might be able to crank down extremely hard on a fingerboard, and stick to a hardcore training plan and diet, but all of it will be completely overshadowed if you are not able to commit to a move, 5 feet above a bolt while climbing on lead. Lead climbing can be very enjoyable with some practice, and most lead falls are usually considered as safe as, if not safer than bouldering falls!
This article would be of value to you if,
You have been top-rope climbing for a while, and find it overwhelming to lead because of all the gear involved.
You’ve never taken a lead climbing fall or have taken a couple of falls, and noticed a pattern of anxiety while climbing on lead.
You catch yourself shouting ‘take’ constantly on moves way under your rock climbing grade!
You find yourself having to top-rope first on every project, dial the moves down and the actual send itself feels more stressful than enjoyable.
The first step would be addressing and accepting that this fear of falling is hindering your climbing progress and seeing it as room for learning and improvement. Imagine going out bouldering every weekend, topping out every problem on the first go, and not ever having taken a single fall in months. Clearly you’re trying stuff way under your limit, and there can be no progress clinging on to your comfort zone. If you’re projecting a route truly at your limit, then like a bouldering project, you’d be attempting the route a good number of times, taking falls, and then eventually sending it! Even if you top rope a project a thousand times, if you’re not comfortable taking falls, the anxiety will creep in during the actual lead attempt and the whole send will hardly be enjoyable. Also, the progress gets way easier and is much faster once you get comfortable taking falls. Whatever the climbing discipline, a major part of the process is just falling, failing!
If you are not falling, you are not trying! — Sonnie Trotter