So, you have finally decided to take your climbing skills to another level by starting to do some bouldering activities. This type of rock climbing presents a new challenge since you are leaving harnesses and the ropes behind while climbing only with your shoes and a bag of chalk.
But the real challenge is how to get better at bouldering? This type of climbing usually presents a problem in every climb and the solution to climb it will depend on the climber. If you are just starting to learn the sport, we have compiled different tips and tricks to help you get better and improve your bouldering skills.
Things to Do to Improve your Body and be Better at Bouldering
There are many things that you can do to improve and get better at bouldering. Learning and getting better at this type of climbing will need you to do different things for you to improve your climbing skills.
Get Into the Best Shape
First and foremost, you will need to get to the best shape of your life if you want to improve this sport. There is a base level of fitness that you need to achieve before you can successfully do bouldering. Running or cross-training cardio exercises can help in preparing your body.
However, if you have already been a climbing practitioner before, changing to bouldering will not be difficult. All you have to do is adjust to the type of challenge that this sport presents. As usual, you need to proper your body to be prepared in doing bouldering climbs.
Build Your Strength
Bouldering requires strength, which means you need to add more strength to the body, both static and dynamic strength. Static strength is your ability to hold a pose without any movement.
The dynamic strength, meanwhile, is the ability to use force repeatedly over time. Hangboarding is the easiest way to improve your static strength, while campus boarding is the way to enhance your dynamic strength.
If you are just starting and want to improve and get better at bouldering, you need to strengthen your hands by applying the technique above. There is no shortcut to this process but to improve your strength and make it to the best level you can be.
However, my advice is to use the methods above once you are on the V5 level. Your body is probably not strong enough if you are still on the lower level.
Incorporate Other Training Exercises
You cannot just focus on improving your strength. Improving your core is also very important. Core means not just your abs but also your lower back. Some of the exercise training you can do are leg lifts, levers, and Russian twists, to name a few.
Other hanging exercises can also help in improving your body because, in bouldering, you will be hanging most of the time. You can do pull-ups but not too much. Ten to fifteen times daily is enough for you.
Climb More Often
Another way to get better at bouldering is to climb more often. Climbing can help prepare your body for the challenge of bouldering as it builds endurance to be ready in the actions to come. Lead climbing will also help prepare your mind by learning different moves, such as positioning the hands and the feet.
Climbing will also get you familiarized with moves that are all applicable to bouldering. It will be put into your mind and will come out once the challenge of bouldering comes in. If you are already into climbing, transitioning to bouldering is the best take to take. Going directly to bouldering will not work for most people.
Climb with People Stronger and More Experienced
As they say, learn from the best to get the experience you need. It is also an excellent way to push yourself to the limit. Moreover, climbing people who are stronger and more experienced will teach you different strategies and techniques in doing a move or route.
In addition, getting advice from more experienced and seasoned climbers will help you in so many ways. Of course, the information you will get varies and may be different from different people’s perspectives, but this situation allows you to get a lot of learning and knowledge.
Learn to Identify your Weak Points
Apart from constant practice, you can also allocate some time to your gym session doing different technique drills while on the wall. Doing this unstructured climbing will allow you to recognize errors and weak points while also identifying how to rectify them.
Do you have endurance and breathing issues? Are your hands one of the limiting factors of your progress? Do you have problems with dynamic moves? All of these questions will be answered when you try to focus on your weakest points while also finding ways to eliminate them.
Try the Next Difficult Level
If you want to improve at bouldering, you’ve got to try the next difficulty level. You can use all the techniques and stuff you can already do and start from there. You can use these skills as warm-ups to get to the next level.
Then, you can keep on working with those skills as you also try to do other things. Trying other skills and techniques are not bad. The best way to go is to do what others are doing. Eventually, you will get there once you push your limit and are brave enough to keep pushing on your limitations.
Picking a more challenging route can be a challenge for you. It may take you thirty tries or more but keep on doing it until you solve the puzzle. Doing this technique is the best way to improve while also not wasting your practice sessions.
Conclusion
If you want to learn how to get better at bouldering, you must start with yourself and your desire to improve yourself. Getting better is all about accepting and doing challenging activities which will challenge everything about yourself. What is essential is embracing that challenge and learning to sacrifice to improve and get better with your bouldering skills.