UKC

Hi Guys
just looking for some advice on how to take my bouldering/climbing to the next level.

I have started about a year ago, once in a fortnight, now I can climb up to 6a Climbing and V2 Bouldering,

strength wise I don't think I am bad, I can do the wood grip the thick ones up and down ..normal pull up 20 x 5
I see people who can`t do this much reps but somehow still manage to solve harder problem than I manage to..

Can you advice on what should I concentrate on so I can improve and be able to do harder routes given the above ?

Thanks

In reply to Matrix: Train more frequently; at least 3-4 sessions a week. When your at the wall, have structure e.g target strength, stamina, power etc. Get plenty of bouldering in and do max effort sessions where you work problems at your limit.

In reply to Matrix:

Try to identify your weaknesses, if you have any, in particular climbing styles. For me i was terrible at steep climbing, even with huge holds, i just could not hang on for more than a couple of moves. Some weaknesses could be for technical climbing, being dynamic and not overly static, trusting small feet or even a certain grip type such as open-hand or pinching. For me i used to crimp everything, but as soon as it became a half-crimp or open hand i would be terrible. If that is so force yourself to grab holds in a different grip style, open handing as much as you can will protect you from injury well too.

Do you use volumes, aretes and smears on the wall as well as you could. Some people get tunnel vision and just use the holds on a problem and no features that may be in.

In my case i was terrible at steep jug hauling but a few months dedicated to exactly that helped me past a plateau in my ability. Watch others climb the same problems as you and see how they do it better. Ask others you climb with to assess you as you climb a route, looking at body position and footwork.

I'd avoid getting tempted to start fingerboarding or dedicated finger strength exercises as the biggest gains you can make in the first years of climbing will be through climbing alone. If finger strength is truly a weakness then get onto the overhanging walls and start climbing on small holds.

Sorry for the essay, i am no expert but have seen my way through countless plateaus and have avoided injury completely. All this is just opinion gained from countless googling and UKC forum searching in the same way you are now.

Good luck!

In reply to Matrix:

if you can do 100 pull ups in a session (and by wood grips you mean campus board?) and are climbing v2 only, you just need to climb more! 4, 5, 6 sessions a week, you will see improvements rapidly.

In reply to Matrix:

As the others have said, you need to climb more. Once a fortnight is a really low amount. You'll be hard pressed to get past that grade (and then hold at v3) if you're not going to put the time in.

In reply to Matrix:
you need to climb much more than once a fortnight, even if you had the perfect session once a fortnight I wouldn't put much money on that you'd improve at a decent rate, if at all after some initial technique improvements, your body learns from the moves you do as much as you get stronger.

Strength is only part of the equation too. At 6a/V2 if you don't weigh a ton I would wager that your way to quick improvement is in improving your tactics and techniques. Watch good climbers and see how they position their body, which part of the foot they're using/does it change half way through a move? Where are they putting their centre of gravity between moves, where are they clipping from on routes, how much rest are they taking between boulder problems, which way are they facing, how do they get the reach they need etc. You can then try/adapt some of these things in your own climbing and see what works. No easy answers, climbing is a very complex sport with a pretty simple goal - get to the top!

TL;DR? Climb more than once every 14 days...

In reply to Matrix:

Climb more, as people suggested. Find a climber who can climb better than you and talk with each other while climbing. It really helps!

I have a friend who is technically very fit (does pull-ups with weights, for example). While bouldering, he can climb overhangs with hands only on jugs. However, where technical climbing starts, he is not that good (but not bad!). If I manage to climb route, he can follow my movements easily. Now he does way much better, but I don't see him a lot at wall.

In reply to Matrix:

Just climb more, sounds like your strong but not actually very good at climbing. Climb everything as much as you can and dont worry about training. Just try really really hard.

In reply to Matrix:

Thank you guys for the time you have taken to reply, I will try to concentrate on my weaknesses i.e overly static, steep climbing, foot work body positioning..and watch and take advice from those that are better than me.
instead of once in a forthnight I ll try to do it every week

Cheers