UKC

As a newbie to bouldering, I've seen lots of people recommend regular climbing sessions as being the best way to progress your skills, and quite a few warnings about the perils of too much strength training too early in your development as a climber - all sage advice, I'm sure.

Unfortunately, what I haven't been able to find is much specific guidance on what you can do if you're in the position of only being able to get to the wall once a week. With the exception of "foot pointing" i haven't come across any excercises that can be practiced at home to focus on skills, rather than strength. Any suggestions?

In reply to The Wise Old Elf:

I've never heard of any technique drills you can do without a wall.

Watching something like the Neil Gresham masterclasses on YouTube is probably the closest I can think of.

In reply to The Wise Old Elf:

Don't worry about getting stronger! Most techniques are better practiced in good form when you are strong enough to hang on for some useful period of time.
Most skill drills just target core strength anyway. Do some core and balance exercises at home. Add in some flexibility training and you're good to go.
Indoor techniques are quite blunt and the best techniques are learnt on actual rock where holds are small and vary in texture and you need to be more creative.

In reply to The Wise Old Elf:

Treat it like any other skill acquisition, you identify what you want to do, you make an easier version of it so you eliminate every other factor other than you doing said skill. Then you drill it thousands of times, making more challenging variations once you mastered the core skill.

Think how you learned handwriting as a kid.

In reply to The Wise Old Elf:

Some other ideas:

Home.
1. Rock up onto your desk/table/worktop/window sill/mantelpiece.
2. Do it again without your hands.
3. Walk up the stairs without using them.
4. Imagine you're a cat.
5. Yoga.
6. Watch Danny MacAskill for inspiration on daft things to get on top of.

Out and about.
7. Walk along any form of wall or kerb.
8. Walk on the cracks in the pavement.
9. See 6 above.
10. Figure out how to climb the outside of your house/work/local public buildings.

Have a great time!

In reply to alx:

In hindsight I should have really reread your OP!

So at best when your climbing well you have an awareness of what different parts of your body (proprioception) are doing without having to put conscious effort into doing it. You seem to take a back seat in the whole thing and you think your way through the process. But when thinking, your not consciously thinking left arm, right arm etc, it's more like I need my right hand there and it happens.


I would google, gold medal bodies and check out their fundamental basics videos. Bear crawl, frog, gecko and movement patterns you can do on the floor and crawl back and forth, they use similar pattern movements but horizontal rather in the vertical.

Good luck!

In reply to The Wise Old Elf:

I agree with Jimbo. If you can't climb regularly then focus on getting stronger. I've heard of people who come from a calisthenics background get into bouldering and are able to get to get to V6 in just a few months. Interestingly the Russians view strength training somewhat differently to us. They see strength as a type of skill too. You can train your core fairly hard without worrying too much. Go a little easier on stuff like fingerboards and pull ups - 2 - 3 times per week should see you improve without too much risk.

I think yoga is pretty good too, though you'd definitely want to augment with some pulling exercises, as it's focus is more on core and pushing strength (as well as flexibility and breathing of course).

One thing you could do at home is watch top climbers in the numerous videos. The boulder world cups are just about to start. It's interesting to see the way different top climbers tackle the same problems. If you focus on their techniques and how they differ from one another then you'll learn quite a lot about technique that way. Not as good as actual climbing though obviously.

In reply to The Wise Old Elf:

Climbing walls are very good for particular types of climbing, but very poor for others. Vital skills are footwork and crack-climbing. Nothing beats slab or very steep slab climbing on almost non-existent holds for teaching footwork, and that can only be done effectively on real rock; and nothing beats proper cracks on real rock for improving crack climbing. Indoor walls are great for strength and technique on the overhanging. .