Climbing Technique

Climbing Technique

Whilst there are simply hundreds of thousands of individual climbing movements. There are a few fundamental climbing techniques that will help give you a strong foundation when it comes to developing your climbing skill to be energy saving and efficient. This section includes a series of articles on rock climbing technique, with both exercises and activities for you to carry out to improve your technique or those of whom you coach.

Essentially we are going to initially focus on the 3 B’s of climbing – The Boot, the body and balance. After that we shall look at different handholds, as well as refining our footwork to develop hands off rest. We will then look at more advance skills to climbing specific types of features or shapes that we can commonly find when rock climbing.

List of Attributes for Climbing Technique

Footwork

footwork

Precise and accurate footwork is the foundation of efficient climbing technique.

Balance

balance

Staying in balance is another of the fundamentals of good climbing technique. We look at static and dynamic balance.

Body Position

Another fundamental climbing technique that leads to more efficient movement.

Using Handholds

Handhold Overview

Learn how to utilise handholds of differing types and orientations.

Finding Rest

finding rests

Being able to identify and utilise rest and restful positions when climbing will increase your efficiency and with it your climbing grade.

Climbing Slabs

Slabs

The ability to climb slabs efficiency can help more than just novice climbers improve their climbing efficiency.

Climbing Corners & Grooves

Corners

Being efficient at climbing corners and groove can help you improve as you learn to utilise the often frequent rest they offer.

Climbing Vertical Walls

Gandia - Costa Blanca Climbign Holliday

The ability to climb vertical walls or gently overhanging ones is generally an extension to what you have learnt slab climbing.

Climbing Steep & Overhanging Rock

Climbing overhanging rock is hard and strenuous even at the best of times, but know how to move through it efficiently is key to mastering this terrain

Climbing Roofs and Overlaps

Steep roof

Climbing a roof or an overlap can be as simple as a single pull or it can mean climbing completely upside down for a a series of moves.

Climbing Cracks

Crack climbing is skill for real rock and will often be described as finger, thin hands, hands, off-hands, fist and beyond to off-width.

Climbing Tufas

Tufas

The ability to climb tufts will greatly help those who want to go sports climbing in places like Spain, France, Italy and Greece.

Cross-Throughs and Roll-overs

Cross throughs and roll overs

Crossing through your hands can help you overcome the crux by helping you set up for it or exit it, when the route move laterally or through roof.

Dynamic Moves

Cross throughs and roll overs

Whilst the dyno is the best known of the dynamic movements, we can also lunge for and pop for holds with the speed of movement being an ally to us.

Author: Mark Reeves
23 May 2020