UKC

hi there!

i'm coaching a group of kids at a climbing hall. various levels and every month new kids join. the kids are between 11 and 16 and have had a basic climbing course. some are climbing for the fun of it some are really competitive.

i'm looking for ideas for fun training sessions. my biggest challenge is, finding excercises that are fun and interesting for all kids. i mix climbing, bouldering and some lead climbing.

all tips will be highly appreciated!

thanks!

mo

In reply to mo:
some of the fun stuff i rememba from wen i started climbing was...
-climbing blindfolded!
-3 legged climbing (as in tie ur leg together with someone else like when u race)
-timed climbing to see how fast you can get!
and one handed climbing can work good cause it helps make you think about feet placements more!?

In reply to mo:

Contact the BMC. Nick Colton, the Deputy CEO will be able to give you advice on some more formal requirements youmay consider worth taking as well as some training advice as well.

In reply to Jules King:

She's in the Netherlands, Jules ( I checked the profile to see whether she was in L & SE so as to offer help if she was).

So unless the BMC is angling to become the EMC, she probably falls outside Nick's formal remit .

In reply:

thanks for the bmc-tip. i am still a member even though i've left the uk (for now). i've read up on all the regulations stuff and will def. check that here.

any (other)practical training tips?

anna: thanks, that's just the stuff i'm looking for. the 3-legged thing sounds fun!

thanks!

mo

In reply to mo:

loop of elastic around the wrists or ankles to limit movement

clip the back loops of their climbing shoes together

blindfolds

let someone else pick where they have to move next

"add a move" take it in turns to go on the bouldering wall. first each person moves one hand, next person does person 1s move then adds one more of their own..continue..if you can't do the move, fall off, forget the sequence etc you are out (feet can go anywhere)

twister...great for a laugh, convince the wall to put up 12 or so holds in twister format then play as normal! i suggest you let the kids pay it hands only (feet anywhere) to start with! variation, both players move at same time

climb with a full rack - they may not need to use it but it will slow them down!

climb easy slabs feet only

climb with one hand/leg etc

In reply to mo: 3 legged climbing - what happens when / if one of the two slips and falls.......

In reply to Ian W:

Both this one and clipping their shoes together would worry me, a simple slip could lead to a nasty injury if you haven't got both feet free to regain your balance. I'd expect serious trouble if anyone was injured whilst climbing like this under my instruction.

In reply to timjones:
Not a problem if they are being belayed properly. You won't get sued for everything yet!

In reply to mo:

Tons of exercises if you want but the single most useful piece of equipment is a laser pointer. It takes over from the old "Stick Training" can be used for boulderers, rope climbers to skip lengthy useless descriptions and you can keep several climbers active at the same time. Plus it takes up no space you can have it on your key ring and it instantly gets kids attention. Two books:

"Coaching Climbing" Hurni. Falcon books ISBN 0-7627-2534-6. Has great exercise like a clipping traverse by lengthening all the first hangers with old rope extensions and the kids have a 2-3m length of rope each tied in to clip (but just runs through as they get further along.

"Rock climbing for instructors" has tons of well explained and photod exercises. Pete

In reply to mo: Further to the traditional Twister, start a pair of kids at opposite ends of a section of the wall (bouldering rooms and traversing walls are best). Instead of just staying on for as long as possible, they have to swop places, climbing under / over / round each other. Winner is first to get to their opponents start point. As they get better you can limit the amount of space they have, or make them start again if they fall off. Using a proper Twister board seems to catch their imagination best. The spectators also get really involved. Have fun!

In reply to mo:

"Take away" - progressive bouldering warm up. Select area of easy/juggy wall about 3m long. Each participant on completion sticks a piece of tape or chalks across one hold free choice. Gets harder they get more inventive. Means you can always use parents to tape off. Pete