Climbing Technique, Part I

Movement - stay in balance, bend knees to shift weight, don’t lunge

Efficient Positions - hips against the wall, arms straight (or locked off), bend knees to keep arms straight and hips in, relax grip as much as possible

Barn Door Prevention - keep feet wider than hands, flag a foot against the wall beyond a hand if necessary

Matching Feet - bring heel through so you always stand on the ball of your foot

Climbing Technique, Part II

Small Foot Holds - stand on ball of foot, roll foot on to hold, hips in

Sloping Foot Holds - drop heel to get maximum shoe rubber on rock, hips out

High Foot Holds - bring foot up as high as possible, rock weight on to ball of foot, dynamic movement may be necessary after foot is on hold, a very high hold may be hooked with the heel instead of stepped on with the toe

Small Hand Holds - crimp (invert first knuckle), stack thumb on top of fingers if necessary, beware of tendon injuries with this grip

Sloping Hand Holds - Use an open grip and squeeze the entire hold, pinch with the thumb when possible

Climbing Technique, Part III

Dynamic Moves - don’t jump away from the wall, grab the hold at the deadpoint (just as upward motion ends), mantle with hand remaining on lower hold

Twistlock - left arm on hold, body twisted so left shoulder is out, right hip is in, left foot is forward, right foot is backstepping behind, drop the right knee if possible to help bring in the hips, body tension emphasizes contact with the rock, right arm reaches high

Jams - bring body part down into constriction, make body part fatter and/or twist the body part so it wedges in constriction, pull down to set jams, pull in to keep your weight against the wall

Lieback - arms straight, feet high, lots of body tension to maintain opposition between feet and hands

Resting

Rest early, rest often, rest always!

Don’t get tired to begin with - climb with your legs, not your arms

A fed, hydrated climber with warm, stretched muscles will require less rest

Shake out arms whenever possible

Jam, Jam, Jam - wedging a body part requires no muscles

Bring one foot high to take more body weight

Drop your heel to rest an exhausted calf muscle

Stem wide, especially in corners

Use other muscles - wrap a forearm, hook a leg, wedge a shoulder 

Climbing is all Mental

Planning - look carefully at a hold, most are best if used with a specific grip or in a specific direction, plan the sequence of moves to the next good rest

Precision - Pick a place for each hand and foot, then move exactly there and not one millimeter away from the perfect spot, once placed a foot or hand should not be bouncing or shuffling

Balance, Breathe, Focus, Flow, Enjoy