best training & techniques
19 August 2009 - 12:15pm
I've just started climbing at an indoor gym - at this stage that is as far as I want to go (but things may change in the future who knows).
Whats the best way to develop skills and techniques. For example a mate has some rock rings. Are they worth getting ?
Technique wise - am I best just to watch other climbers at the gym or are there specific things I can do to improve (other than time on the wall of course). I watch some guys and they drift up the wall like its a stroll in the park, and then I feel like i am completely unco and scrambling up the wall hanging on for dear life.
Even though it is technique I am mainly concerned with what about strength - I do a good regime of general all round fitness but should I be aiming for 50 chin ups a day and a 5 miles run (aka rocky style) or again is time on the wall the best option here.
any advice is most welcome, thanks
19 August 2009 - 5:16pm
#2
My advice would be to do lots of climbing- on as many different indoor and outdoor walls as you can. Climbing structured walls can be way different to climbing ply and climbing a granite slab will test quite different abilities to overhung limestone.
Also, explore movement on easier climbs: when you're maxed out you can't really try new moves or techniques out since you're so focussed on just staying on. By dropping a grade or two you can relax and have spare awreness for what your body is doing and how the points of contact you're maintaining are being used throughout a move.
20 August 2009 - 1:11pm
#3
I agree with the above comments but personally would advise not to train arm or finger strength untill you have been climbing a year or two.
By staying weak this will give you an opportunity to learn how to take the weight off your arms using technique. Learn technique early and avoid developing bad habits (which take years to undo) and also lower the risk of tendon injuries. If you havn't been climbing long, your tendons won't be ready for the massive increases in force you will be able to put through them.
This is the longer road compared to the quick gains you may get with strength training but I think that developing technique makes climbing more enjoyable and cerebral.
12 January 2010 - 6:37pm
#4
In a few simple words "The best training for climbing is climbing"
14 January 2010 - 1:59pm
#5
if you're after some literature get a copy of "the self coached climber" from amazon - it has heaps of information on improving your climbing, with movement exercises, loads of tips etc. if i remember correctly there is no mention anywhere in the book about chin ups, rock rings, or hangboards. all of the books i have read stress that technique is far more important than strength. strength will come with time, focus on technique now.
i've been climbing for two years and the guys i see making the fastest improvements climb as often as they can without injuring themselves, try to climb in different places (indoors when they need to, outdoors whenever they can, and travelling to different crags when possible), read books like the scc (i.e. don't try to reinvent the wheel), and, basically, suck it up. fear and discomfort are major barriers to some people i climb with. also, the guys who start off with more strength seem to hit a plateau sooner than the guys who need to concentrate on technique. the strong guys never focus on their technique because being strong has always done the job. that only lasts so long, though.
to develop skill and technique i think you need to climb a lot, try to imitate other climbers who do things well, and go out of your way to try different rather than simply taking the most obvious approach to making it up a route. technique is best learned on routes you can climb relatively easily - you don't learn to do a cool move when you're gritting your teeth and are about to fall off. there is a lot of pressure to climb the hardest routes you can and yes, this will probably make you stronger faster. you will get better faster, however, if you concentrate on doing easier routes absolutely perfectly rather than scrabbling up harder routes. concentrate on perfect foot placements, perfect hand placements, moving smoothly.
steve
10 June 2010 - 11:30pm
#6
I agree with alot of point raised in this topic, I think it is real important to get things right first time to prevent learning bad technique. A few things that have seemed to help me are.
Climb easier grades and try climb them as quiet as possiable ie, don't bang around trying to find that right foot hold, place your foot on it precisly
Try climb some climbs with your fingers always pointing down, teaches you to trust your feet.
And get on as many diferent types of rock as possable, if it's only the gym you go to then mix it up between, slabs, over hangs, ladders etc
Ok.. here are my five tips for beginners
1. Dont train... just have fun
2. Don't climb more than twice a week (or you get injured)
3. Take a lead course and stop top roping (fastest way to get strong)
4. Go outdoors (fastest way to learn technique)
5. Train your core (rock rings good for this) and fingers will follow (chin ups are pointless)
After two years+ of just having fun climbing, then perhaps you might benifit from fingerboard/campus broad and a proper training schedule. At the moment your body is probably to weak to use these things and you will just end up with an injury.
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