Onyx Coaching

Hi! I’m Gill, with over 30 years of climbing experience, I’ve had the honour of competing for Great Britain and my passion is now outdoor climbing in both bouldering and sport climbing. My coaching journey spans more than 12 years, and I currently serve as the Head Coach of the Onyx Youth Team, where I’ve supported numerous young climbers to reach GB level. My coaching journey started after completing my degree in Sports Coaching and I’ve built a solid foundation for my coaching approach. Although a significant portion of my time is dedicated to coaching our youth team, I thoroughly enjoy working with adult climbers as well. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of seeing someone achieve their climbing goals and tick off their projects. My coaching philosophy centres around movement efficiency. I believe that climbers make the most progress by focusing on how they move on the wall. I don’t delve into the scientific aspects of climbing, so I won’t have you hanging from a fingerboard or see how long it takes you to get pumped, but I will teach you to how move better and how to train on the wall. I prioritise helping clients understand how to climb more efficiently and how to plan and structure their training sessions. I draw from my personal experience, having achieved my own goals largely through dedicated training on the wall, and I love sharing this ethos with my clients. I stand by the Onyx motto of "Feel Good Climbing” and I aim to ensure that every client leaves their session feeling positive, inspired, and ready to apply what they’ve learned. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced climber, I’m here to help you progress.

Hey! I’m Naf. I’ve been climbing for about 15 years, and for the past 9 years, I’ve been instructing and coaching climbing all over the world. While I mainly consider myself an outdoor sport climber these days, I can’t resist a good grit bouldering season either. In 2014-2015, I embarked on a climbing world trip and ended up in Australia on a work visa, which is where my journey as a climbing instructor began. After returning to the UK, I worked at several climbing centres, where I developed my coaching skills, earned qualifications, and gained valuable experience, including being the head coach at my previous centre for both the junior and senior academies. A few years into instructing, I wanted to dive deeper into coaching. I became passionate about teaching movement, helping people grasp the fundamentals of climbing, and showing them how to train and find their “flow” both on and off the wall. During this time, I earned the Development Coach Award and became a certified 200-hour yoga teacher, offering yoga specifically for climbers. In 2020, I moved to Squamish, Canada, where I coached the junior competition team at a local climbing centre, focusing on bouldering, lead, and speed. Upon returning to the UK, I became Head Coach at Rock Over Wall, continued my personal development, and completed the Physical Training 1 & 2 awards for rock climbing, as well as a Level 2 Gym Instructor qualification to expand my knowledge in physical training for climbers. Now, I’m over the moon to be at Onyx with legends Gill and Ian, eager to put my knowledge and experience to the test. I’m here to help anyone who wants to become a more well-rounded climber, building a “toolbox” of techniques and tactics to help you achieve your goals, progress, and send your projects.