UKC

How do I learn good technique, short of paying to take classes?

So I started climbing in a local climbing gym around December and after the first month have been going about 3 times a week and I do both top roping and bouldering. My goal is to lead climb and hopefully Trad climb at some point, but that's a little further down the road.

Anyway, I went to a different gym just to try some new problems and noticed that there was a climbing class going on for little kids and it made me think that I should concentrate more on my technique since I'm still relatively new to climbing. Any websites/videos/books I could check out (I've had a TR partner mention a book called the self coached climber)? Should I just ask people at the gym? Should I just bite the bullet and pay for classes?

In reply to wolfkinara:

Watching good climbers helps too.

In reply to wolfkinara:

Mileage, don't chase grades. Stay tied in and repeat relatively easy routes a few times, apart from being a good warm up you can try moves differently, position your body differently, different hands.. 

Read up about different moves, watch YouTube..  laybacking, mantleshelving, edging, stepping through, under cutting, smearing..  don't forget it is more about what you do with your feet and body position, not your arms. 

In reply to wolfkinara:

you've got the right idea. a lot of people starting out aim to get stronger to improve. technique will get you much further! 

i never had classes and i don't know anyone who has. that's not to say you shouldn't take classes but you can definitely get good at climbing without them! 

i'd just focus on having fun and not worry too much about grades, if you are at the wall regularly then you will see improvements, watch better climbers and ask for advice if you like, most people would be more than willing to offer advice and you'll get to know new people in the process!

maybe check out Neil Gresham's series of articles on this site:  https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/skills/series/neil_gresham_technique_an...

In reply to summo:

Try a lot of different holds with your hands: crimps, pinches, slopers and everything in between. Experiment with hand position and what fingers you engage (including the thumb) when holding. Vary body position too and remember you can also push off as well as pull on a hold.

In reply to wolfkinara:

Neil Gresham's climbing masterclass is really good, it's split up into a lot of short sections so you can watch one or two and then focus on them during the next climbing session, and then build on that each time. Warm-ups are a good time to pick something (eg really precise footwork or body positioning) and focus on that for a few easy routes/problems. 

In reply to stevevans5:

Definitely! and also John Kettle's book. 

Finally - I would make sure you do lots of stuff below your grade and make sure you have absolute and utter obsession with footwork precision. It's the one thing that will pay off massively if you can get it hard wired.  Obsess over it, try to be over-accurate, slow down just before hitting the hold, keep your eye on the hold until your foot is down. This will pay off!

In reply to wolfkinara:

Don't discount paying for an hour or twos coaching. Will probably be cheaper than you think, especially if you go along with another climber of similar standard.

Oh and yes most of the above. Most coaches will be drawing on all the above plus a lot more resources. 

In reply to wolfkinara:

Pay close attention.

Want to move a hand or foot? Figure out what to do with the rest of your body and limbs so it releases under control and reaches its target under control with minimal effort. This idea of releasing a limb by shifting your weight and tensioning your body can be developed into learning to exploit increasingly unlikely rests.

Watch what others do. Try their body positions, grips, movements, see which work for you, which don't, see if you can find a better solution. You're always chasing efficiency of motion, sometimes the solution is finding the right balance position, sometimes it's figuring how to flow from one to another. Working backward can help solve a stubborn problem, get the position you want to end a move in programmed then work back from it as far as you can, it can really help you figure out the path your body has to follow to link positions.

Basically play about on holds, consciously, a lot. Doing it with others helps, another pair of eyes and mind is a valuable problem solver.

jk

In reply to wolfkinara:

There are various climbing games that can be pretty fun and make you think about movement as you are normally handicapped in some way.

https://www.climbing.com/skills/training-16-climbing-games/