So, you have been rock climbing for a while but still feel that your skills are inferior despite the amount of time spent in the gym. But, your desire to improve and be better with your rock climbing skills is always there, which is totally fine.
So, how to get better at rock climbing? Being good at rock climbing is all about learning the proper technique and your ability to incorporate these techniques into the actual climb. This article will show you these techniques and the other ways to be better with rock climbing.
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Proper Rock Climbing Technique
When you are a new climber, you expect your fingers and arms to be strong to have an excellent performance. But that is not the only way to do it as there are other techniques you can do to offload the stress from your arms and fingers when climbing.
Proper Application of Force in the Footholds
One way to properly do it is to apply the inward force when stepping on small footholds. If you are applying the downward force during the climb, you will definitely feel that you are slipping the foothold. This situation will make your arms subconsciously tense in keeping yourself on the wall.
But, applying inward force together with the downward force will make you comfortable by putting your weight on your toes. This rule is also applied when dealing with small slopey footholds. The only difference is that you are applying the inward force to your foot palms instead of your toes.
Proper Engagement of your Core
When dealing with a vertical wall, most rock climbers make their core loose, making them lose a lot of energy. when pulling yourself up using your arms. But, when you keep the core tight, there is actually a big difference because you will be able to climb efficiently.
In fact, when trying to climb an overhanging wall, having a loose core will make you waste a lot of energy with your arms to keep yourself on the wall. Making your core tight will be able to actually put weight on the feet to reduce the stress on the arms.
Turning the Body Sideways When the Opportunity Arises
Turning your body sideways when the opportunity arises will make the climbing easy and eventually improve your performance. This technique is best used when your body is close to the wall. This technique will also make the leg easy to push up.
This technique is like turning your body like a frog. But if you do not do it, your body weight will fall away from the wall in some positions. This situation will make you waste extra core and arm strength in getting to your next position.
Turning your body like a frog will make the body closer to the wall, which means lesser effort is needed to execute the next position. There will be positions that are difficult to exert force from your toes without turning the body. Meanwhile, turning the body in some positions will make it easier for your feet to generate a force, saving some strength in your arms.
Proper Hand Usage
There is always a proper way to use your hand during the climb, especially in different situations. Our hand is the connection of the wall, which means it’s one of the most essential parts of the body when we do rock climbing.
Sometimes, the forearms, responsible for closing our fingers, are the first to give out during the climb. The technique is to use the heel of your hand together with the ring and pinky fingers which are not often used during the climb when grabbing the holds.
The other fingers are used a lot during the climb, so might as well save them for significant usage. So, when your fingers are so tight, you bend your wrist to hold on to the wall while letting your fingers recover.
Another technique when grabbing holds is to take the time when placing our fingers on them. The technique is to take a moment to find the best place for your hand position. Your left hand usually will curve on the hold much better than your right. So, take your time looking for the best position to place your fingers on the hold.
Make Every Climbing Session as an Avenue to Improve
It is normal for every climber to go hard in every climbing session. Whether it is inside the gym or in the crab, a climber always tends to go all out and do his 100% all the time. But there is another technique that we can do to improve quickly.
What about making every climbing session a form of practice that will enable you to focus or master a particular technique? Doing this step will allow you to focus on mastering a technique and improve instead of going all out but having no direction or any form of improvement.
Slow Progress is Still Progress
As the saying goes, “life is not a race.” This principle is also applicable to rock climbing. Many rock climbing practitioners want results immediately, but those world-class climbers did not get to where they are now in a blink of an eye.
Those elite rock climbers did not reach their best grades quickly. They have invested their time mastering the technique, getting their body stronger, and improving each day through constant practice. Doing all of these techniques consistently will definitely carry you to an elite level.
Conclusion
How to get better at rock climbing? It is all about learning the proper technique and applying it to the gym or in the crag. Improving also means you need to climb consistently while mastering a technique every session. Doing this action will make you improve each day until you reach the best level you can be.