Foot matching and swapping

You may find yourself in a position where you appear to have your feet in the wrong position for the next move. Rather than making the next move an awkward one it is often possible to shift your feet around in one of three ways, the foot dance, foot match or foot swap – changing … Read moreFoot matching and swapping

Roof’s

Moving around roofs can be strenuous on the arms, the trick is to move past the obstacle as quickly as possible, to a rest above. Place gear as close up under the roof as possible, and even above the lip of the roof if you can reach. Going up and down a few times may … Read moreRoof’s

Laybacking and Arete’s

Cracks, corners or arêtes, many can be con- quered by a series of layback moves. Get it right and you can move quickly and ef ciently, get it wrong and you’ll have a strenuous off-balance nightmare. The basic principle is the rule of opposites, trying to use left hand against right foot and vice versa. … Read moreLaybacking and Arete’s

Corners and Chimneys

Bridgeable features often provide ways to rest the pulling muscles in our arms and make upward progress.   Another trick for ascending corners and grooves is ‘back and footing’, see Chimney Rest. Climb a corner with as many hands off rest as possible, by bridging and back and footing. Climb aagin but your hands can … Read moreCorners and Chimneys

Rock-Overs

One of the more basic climbing movements (which you will have worked out for yourself no doubt) – how to transfer your weight from one foot to the next. Be awarene of your centre of gravity (usually around your belly button). The key is to rock your weight from one foot to the other fairly … Read moreRock-Overs

Advance Climbing Technique

It’s time to combine and develop your techniques – to work your way up between places of rest and conserve as much energy as possible on the way. This section includes further exercises on technique, with the idea to hone your skills and increase efficiency. There are also sections of the Tactic and Mental Approach to … Read moreAdvance Climbing Technique

Basic Climbing Techniques Overview

Mental Skills for climbers

Imagine two identical twin climbers with equal strength, one uses good basic climbing techniques whilst the other doesn’t. The twin who uses their feet and body more effectively will be a far better climber. Rather than stumbling upon basic climbing techniques there are some essential building blocks which you can drill into yourself. In the following section … Read moreBasic Climbing Techniques Overview

Warming Up

Whether you climb indoor or outdoors on routes or boulders you need to do some form of warming up. Failure to do so will often lead to poorer performance and/or injury.  We cover some of the basics of warming up for indoor and outdoor climbers. Warming up for the Indoor Climber At an indoor climbing … Read moreWarming Up