9 Out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes by Dave MacLeod Review (2026)

What the book covers

9 Out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes is built around the idea that most climbers plateau because of a small set of recurring habits rather than a shortage of training advice, since the sport already has plenty of tips circulating among climbers and online. Author Dave MacLeod, a Scottish climber known for hard trad, sport, and winter routes as well as a background in sport science and coaching, uses the book to walk through the reasoning behind training and technique decisions rather than simply listing exercises. The full title references navigating the maze of advice available to self-coached climbers, which frames the book as a filter for existing information rather than a brand-new training system.

Format and length

The book runs 176 pages in its print edition and is sold both directly through MacLeod's own site and through general booksellers including Amazon. It is organized as a series of focused discussions on common climbing mistakes rather than a structured week-by-week program, which shapes how it is best used. Readers looking for a printed plan to follow session by session will need to build that structure themselves from the concepts MacLeod lays out, since the book is closer to a collection of coaching insights than a workbook. It has stayed in print for well over a decade since its original release.

Author's background and credibility

Dave MacLeod has climbed at a high level across multiple climbing disciplines and has worked as a coach and sport scientist, which is the credibility base the book draws on. Rather than presenting himself as a neutral summarizer of research, MacLeod writes with a direct, sometimes blunt style about what he considers wasted effort or misguided training habits, drawing on his own climbing and coaching experience as evidence. That firsthand angle is part of what distinguishes the book from more generic training guides, since the observations come from someone who has both performed at a high level and coached other climbers through the same plateaus the book describes.

Who gets the most from it

Climbers with at least some training background tend to get more out of this book than complete beginners, since its value is in reframing habits and decisions rather than introducing climbing training from zero. It works well as a companion to more structured programs, since it addresses the thinking and self-assessment side of training that a fixed workout plan does not cover. Climbers who already follow a periodized program from another book or coach may find MacLeod's book useful for spotting habits that undermine that plan, such as poor session pacing or misjudging rest and recovery.

How it compares and what to expect

Compared with more prescriptive training manuals that lay out weekly schedules and specific exercises, this book leans further toward analysis and mindset than toward a ready-made program, which is worth knowing before buying it expecting a structured plan. That approach has made it a respected reference among climbers who want to understand the reasoning behind training choices rather than just follow instructions, but it means readers who want a plug-and-play program should pair it with a more structured resource. At its price point, it remains a relatively low-cost way to get a coach's perspective on common training mistakes without hiring a coach directly.

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