UKC

I'm completely new to climbing having just finished a beginners course which has resulted in me being signed off to top rope and boulder at my local indoor climbing centre. I will (for now) be climbing indoors, hopefully 2-3 times per week and will be doing a mix of roped climbing and bouldering.

I've seen a lot about footwork being super important in climbing and how newcomers tend to try to pull themselves up the wall with their arms but have found very little info on how to get good footwork and technique. My concern is I'll learn bad habits which will be hard to lose.

As such, does anyone have any recommendations/suggestions/resources for technique for beginners?

I'd really like to make progress but ideally with good technique that will enable me to progress through the grades rather than as far as my arms will pull me. Oh, and if it would help reduce the chances of me injuring myself, that'd be a bonus.

Thanks in advance.

In reply to mtnash:

Firstly, well done on trying to begin the right way, a lot of people wait 6 months to 2 years before even contemplating that there might be some technique involved in climbing, and that includes me!

Get on the YouTube and search for Niel Gresham's Masterclass, it's a series of old but good videos that will get you off to a good start. It used to be a dvd you could purchase but I'm reasonably sure it's all legitimately available online now.

In reply to Dandan:

+1 for the Gresham masterclasses, though aimed perhaps at a little higher than beginner level - particularly at overhanging routes.

Alternatively look for "The Self Coached Climber" - book and DVD combo by Hague and Hunter.

Or, obviously, pay for a more advanced coaching session - there are quite a few simple movement excercises that could be easily introduced and explained in a single session and form good groundwork for more advanced sessions later.

In reply to mtnash:

Just climb.

Read some articles, watch some videos and read some books.

But mostly just climb. It's great.

In reply to mtnash:

Climb slabs and do lots of traverses, both are good for foot technique. and as others have said watch some of the technique videos. Getting outdoors sooner rather than later will also be beneficial as indoors does tend to encourage bad habits amongst newcomers.

Al

In reply to mtnash:
One of the best ways is to just watch people on a route you've done, see how they tackle the bits you struggled with, but beware of picking up bad habits - just cos' everyone you watch does it doesn't necessarily mean it's the best approach for you (especially if you are shorter or taller). Retry the route trying the technique you've seen.

Videoing yourself climbing and watching it back can help you work on particular techniques - it's sometimes easier to see what you are doing wrong from a distance.

Also, talk to people, generally we are a pretty friendly bunch and will happily give a pointer if someone is "stuck" but you probably won't get a pointer without asking (as unwanted advice can be annoying)

Oh and I know you want to be climbing amazing things straight away, but do take care to warm up & down every session, and don't push yourself too much too early its very easy to twang a pulley tendon early on before you've built up strength in your hands and arms.

And remember FEET

In reply to Dandan:


If it's not all on YouTube, you can buy/rent it on Steepedge -- Part 1's got the movement technique advice:

http://steepedge.com/categories/skills-training-films-movies/masterclass-pa...

I strongly second the rec for that and "The Self-Coached Climber" -- I got them both when I was new to climbing and they were gold.

In reply to mtnash:

Get outdoors as soon as you can and climb with and learn from better climbers (plenty of people on UKC will probably offer help). Getting advice from people who never climbed anything hard who think books and video classes are great (they are helpful but only to a point) is inefficient. After a few years, if things are going well, you remain hooked and your tendons have some base strength, get some structured training sorted out. This is how most of the higher performing climbers I know have progressed quickly.

In reply to mtnash:

I found it really helped me to climb circuits with a moderate overhang. Start with an easy one, learn the sequence and climb it a few times at every session. After a while you will find a way to climb it efficiently without trashing your fingers, which means using good technique. Then challenge yourself to climbing it forward and then backwards without resting. Once you find that easy move up a circuit grade and start working that one.

Why, it's great to try new routes to learn how to on-sight and read the routes, but also repeating the same route allows you to refine small parts of your technique that you might otherwise fail to notice.

In reply to mtnash:

Do a lot of "silent feet" drill. Google to find out what this means!

In reply to mtnash:

If a section of your wall has a slab then climb it no handed on a top rope. It'll teach you about staying in balance as you move and surprise you with what you can get up no handed.

In reply to mtnash:

Great that you are asking early on. Some good advice already.
Firstly be aware that as we start off we tend to want to put a large part of the instep of our feet on each hold, this is incorrect and why indoor walls can reinforce poor footwork. Practice using just the patch under your big toe for most moves, this may feel wrong until feet and calfs strengthen. The reason the primary foot position is this, is so you can pivot your foot placement in order to move into other positions. Though never overlook that on occasions using the outside edge of your foot is useful. Good footwork is characterised by accurate first time placement of the foot on a hold. This is why performing drills like "quiet feet" is time well spent, as is learning to pivot feet on holds. Watch your feet, if you bounce test each foot placement or frequently readjust then this is wasting energy and a sign you need to be more deliberate with your placements. The Neil Gresham videos focus on footwork well in most areas except slab climbing and is a good watch.
Indoor holds are by definition big, outdoor holds are smaller and more subtle. Outdoor Slab climbing is a great place to start to learn good footwork.

Wayne

In reply to mtnash:

Try to keep your feet facing the same direction as each other as much as possible. Sounds and feels counter intuitive, but after a while starts to make more sense. It helps to keep your body side on to the wall, which you want because it keeps more of your weight on you feet and off your arms and gives you greater reach without needing to make any dynamic moves. Think about keeping one side of your hips against the wall at all times rather than facing square on.

Straight arms. Holding yourself in a position with bent arms is far more strenuous and uses a lot more energy than hanging on straight arms (unless you're on a slab, sometimes). Think about straightening you arms and pulling your hips into the wall, especially on overhangs.

Silent feet. Already been mentioned, it's really helpful.

Work on one thing at a time until they start to become more natural and then combine them.

In reply to mtnash: These are my videos on technique, i think they are better for beginners than the Neil Gresham masterclasses, which are amazing once you have the basic techniques and strength to move onto Neil's Lessons.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF99DBzXvZRsq_UBX5iv3V2COxN78odJY

In reply to mtnash:

Play Plus1 a lot, with people better than you. stops you thinking about the colour of the plastic and more about where you're going to put your feet.