CLIMBING TECHNIQUE

Here's a great "target-practice" drill for developing foot focus. Pick a technical route (indoors or outside) that's about one full number grade below your on-sight ability. Attempt to toprope the entire climb with a sustained, narrow focus fixed on your feet. With each placement, look for the best part of the hold and actually watch your foot go onto the hold in an ideal placement--try to hit the bull's eye of each target hold. Maintain your focus on that foot as you weight the hold--strive to feel each foot hold and to keep your foot completely still as you stand up on the hold. Meanwhile, place as little focus as possible in other areas such as reading the route ahead, your belayer, and so forth. The goal here is to train footwork, so don't worry about your overall performance on the route. This drill is indeed difficult, but over time you will develop great foot
awareness and, undoubtedly, climb harder!

PERFECT MOVES AND ROUTES BEFORE GOING ON: Becoming an outstanding climber comes only by way of a constant resolve to master techniques and long complex sequences to the point of near-perfection.

TECHNIQUE:
1) Precise Foot Placements That Carry Your Weight
2) Grip Handholds "Lightly" and Let Arms Play a Secondary Role
Left Right movement
3) Maintain perfect economy - move like a cat
Quiet feet
Rhythm of movement -
Step, Step, Reach, Reach (focuses on feet) OR
step, reach, step, step, reach, reach OR
step, step, reach, step,reach, reach
Steady momementum - through the crux. You will have to fight inertia if you don't go through it smoothly and fast

Pace
4) Optimize Use of Rest Positions - Rest positions on vertical to overhanging climbs make complete weighting of the feet more difficult and often impossible. While you still want to place as much weight as possible on the footholds, a significant amount of weight will remain on your arms. In this case it's absolutely vital that you hang with straight arms, so that the bones are providing the support, not the muscles of the upper arm. Still, your forearm muscles will need to
contract in order to maintain a grip on the handhold. The best strategy then, is to attain a stable stance and alternate shaking out your arms every ten to twenty seconds. This way, both arms take turns resting. At some point, however, hanging out at the rest begins to cost more energy than you can recover--it's at this time that you need to begin climbing toward the next rest spot.

5) Flagging - Remember Emily Harrington's picture - left arm straight out way to the left. Right foot way to the right. Want center of gravity as closest to the right as possible so flag with left foot crossing back over ur right heel.
Try Stemming as well on a right angle wall - left arm and right foot,
switch all the way up

Use Flagging to Enhance Stability
Flagging is the alternative technique for maintaining stability when a left-right hand-foot combination is not possible. Suppose you are attempting to use a right hand and right foot combination to propel upward movement. Upon releasing your left hand to make a reach upward, you will immediately begin to barndoor. This sideways rotation is hard to fight, and often results in a fall. However, a simple flagging of the free leg (in this case the left) significantly improves stability and balance by shifting your center of gravity more directly over the supporting (right) foot and under the supporting (right) hand.

Exploit Mantling (push and pull with hands) and Hand-Foot Matches
Another important technique for ascending difficult "big-move" climbs is the hand-foot match. Let’s consider the most common scenario of needing to mantle with one hand while the other hand is pulling. The pulling hand will usually be positioned above your head while the mantling hand will contact a hold somewhere near your torso. Depending on the size of the hold to be mantled, you may be able to press your entire palm onto the hold or, possibly, just your fingertips. The left-right combination of pushing and pulling hands provides great stability, so you will be able to upgrade one or, possibly, both feet. Quite often you’ll need to match a foot to the handhold on which you are mantling. Regardless, the mantle is complete when you are able to weight your feet, gain balance, and upgrade your hand from the mantle.

6) Clever Use of Opposing Forces
More difficult climbs tend to be more devious, so you’ll need to consider all the other possible arm positions—side pull, undercling, and Gaston—and figure out how to match one of these with an opposing foot placement.

Side-Pull Arm and Outside Edge of Opposite Foot
Side-pulling hands are a staple move on almost every moderate to advanced climb. While this move is a bit less intuitive than down pulling, you will quickly gain comfort in its use. Most important is the foot position you select to oppose the side-pulling hand. In most cases it’s best to use the outside edge of the opposing foot, not the inside edge. Doing this may feel awkward at first, but you’ll find a natural sense of stability once you learn to appropriately set your hips over the outside-edging foot. The key is to concentrate on rotating your hips so that the hip opposite the pulling hand is turned into the wall—that is, your face and chest will rotate toward the side
pulling hand. This very stable position will allow you to step up your free (nonopposing) leg and quite possibly your free (nonopposing) hand as well.

Gaston and Inside Edge of Opposite Foot
The Gaston (aka reverse side pull) is the most unnatural and weak arm position for beginners, yet it’s a fairly common move needed to unlock many crux sequences. Use of the Gaston is best opposed by the inside edge of the opposite foot. Combining a Gaston with an outside-edging
foot is strenuous but doable if absolutely needed. Practice this move in a variety of ways to gain comfort and strength in its use. As with all these advanced moves, the bouldering area is the ideal proving ground to experiment with and learn the skills.

Undercling and Inside or Outside Edge of Opposite Foot
Often overlooked by beginner-level climbers, undercling hand positions are actually quite easy to perform. What’s more, an underclinging hand helps maximize your reach with the free hand, and it positions your arm and body in a naturally strong position. Therefore, the undercling
is a move you want to practice and put to frequent use.

Side-Pulling Left and Right Hands
Use of opposing handholds is a key move for unlocking a sequence that lacks any usable down-pull or undercling handholds. Most common are two opposing side pulls that you’ll draw inward to create tension through your arms, shoulders, and upper body. While you will be unable to create much upward movement, this opposition will allow you to upgrade one or both feet. Ideally, you’ll want to upgrade the foot that opposes the better of the two side pulls, so that it sets up a stable left-right combination. This will enable you to release the other side-pulling hand so as to upgrade it to the next hold.

Opposing Gaston holds
Though strenuous, you may occasionally need to grab two Gastons at or just above head-height and pull outward in order to support your weight while upgrading a foot position. This is a most advanced move that requires a high level of base strength. A word of caution, however: Using a Gaston hold on an overhanging wall places great force on the shoulder joint and in rare cases can cause injury. Proceed carefully.

7) TWIST LOCK and BACK STEP on Overhang
Initially limit your practice of the twist lock and backstep to boulder problems that overhangs about 20 degrees past vertical. As you acquire skill, expand use onto even steeper boulder problems as well as onto overhanging toprope climbs.

Use of the twist lock and backstep together helps draw your body in toward the surface of the overhanging wall. This changes the force vector on the handholds, making them feel more positive and secure. More important, this drawing-in of the body places more weight onto the footholds. However, proper execution of these moves requires practice and a significant amount of strength through the core muscles of the torso.

The twist lock is typically used to ease the upgrading of a hand on an overhanging section of wall. For example, consider the situation in which your right hand is on a good hold and you’d like to reach up high with the left hand. While you could attempt this movestraight-on—chest facing toward the wall in a neutral position—it’s far less strenuous to turn your left hip to the wall before making the reach upward (see photo). Proper positioning of the feet is critical for making this move work. Since the left hip is turning to the wall, you’ll need to use the outside edge of your left foot on a hold somewhere below or in back of your body (hence the term “backstep”).
Usually you’ll find a complementary right foothold to help maintain the twist-lock body position. The feet then press in unison while the right arm pulls down and in toward your torso, creating the twist lock. Finding just the right body position is the key to providing a secure twist lock; when you do you’ll notice that a surprising lack of effort is needed to reach up and acquire the next left handhold. This amazingly efficient locomotion over steep terrain is the magic of the
twist-lock technique.

8) Heel Hooking
Your primary use of heel hooks will come when turning the lip of a roof, topping out on a boulder problem, or copping a quick shakeout while on steep stone. In these cases, you’ll likely have your hands on holds at or above head level and intend to place one of your heels on a hold off to the side near shoulder level. Which heel you choose to hook with depends on two factors: the availability of a decent-sized hold on which to place your heel, and the location of the next
handhold that you hope to acquire. This next reach up is best made with the hand on the same side as the heel hook. So if it looks like the next attainable hold is set up for the right hand, it would be best to use a right heel hook. Once set, pull with the heel hook as if it were an extra arm. Often it helps to think about pulling your heel toward your rear end; this will maximize use of the leg muscles and help shift your center of gravity toward the heel hook. Meanwhile, the
other foot should inside-edge or smear on the wall to help contribute to the upward motion. As you gain elevation, make a quick reach to the next handhold and then switch your heel hook into a standard step-down foot placement.

Toe Hooking
Toe hooking is a foot move used mostly in pulling overhangs or in navigating roofs. This technique involves simply hooking as much of the toe and top (laces) portion of your shoe as possible on a large protruding hold. Sometimes you will toe hook onto a hold with a bent leg, and then straighten that leg as your hands move out the roof. Ideally you’ll have one foot toe hooking while the other foot pushes off a nearby hold. This opposing push-pull combination enhances the foot purchase on the holds and lowers the chance your feet will come swinging off the roof (a common problem). Strive to keep your arms and legs in the straight position as much as possible so that your body weight is being supported more by bone than by muscles. Done properly, you can navigate a surprisingly large roof with the limiting factor being forearm endurance. Experiment with this foot technique in the bouldering area and you’ll gradually gain skill and confidence in climbing with your back to the ground!

Knee Locks
Knee locks are a boon on overhanging walls and roofs with large protruding holds—that is, if you know the technique and can find a position to exploit this “thank-god” move. Consider a severely
overhanging indoor climb with no obvious rest positions. Chances are the forerunner has positioned two holds in just the right way so that you can place your toe on one hold and then lock your knee against a larger opposing hold. Such a knee lock can provide surprising purchase
and it will often allow you to drop one hand at a time to shake out and chalk up. When climbing outdoors you will occasionally come upon a knee lock that’s so solid you’ll be able to cop a rare, no-hands inverted rest! Keep your eyes open for a downward-facing block (with an opposing toe hold) or a knee-width crack or oblong pocket--miss such a knee-lock and you've missed perhaps the most important hold of the climb!

ONE ARM LUNGES:
This entry-level reactive-training exercise is just dynamic enough to stimulate fast-twitch muscle fibers and develop contact strength. As a feet-on exercise, however, it's much less stressful on the joints and tendon than Campus training. Use this exercise two a week for several months before graduating to the various campus-training exercises to be covered in upcoming articles. Here's how to perform One-Arm Lunging (also known as One-Arm Deadpoint).

1. Select a section of indoor wall that overhangs anywhere from 5 to 25 degrees past vertical—the steeper the wall, the more difficult the exercise—and possesses numerous medium-size hand- and footholds.Ideally, you can set a few modular holds specifically for one-arm deadpoint training. Set two footholds about a foot off the ground, and then set two nontweaky medium-size handholds, one in front of your face and the other about 2 feet above that.
2. Climb onto the wall and balance your weight evenly on the two footholds. Grip the hold in front of your face with one hand, then let go with the other hand and hold it behind your back.
3. Begin lunging up and down between the two handholds. Optimal technique is to draw your body toward the wall and lunge up to the top hold, doing so all in one smooth motion. This drawing-in of the body facilitates a quick grab at the next hold while upward momentum briefly reduces your load—this is commonly called a deadpoint move. Upon catching the top handhold, immediately drop back down to the bottom hold and, without pause, explode back up to the top hold. Avoid catching the bottom hold with a straight arm--maintaining a slight bend in the elbow limits stress on the elbow and shoulder.
4. Continue lunging up and down for eight to twelve total hand movements, then step down off the wall.
5. After a brief rest, step back up on the wall and perform a set of one-arm deadpoints with your other hand.
6. Perform two or three total sets with each hand.

CAMPUS LOCKOFFS
1. Begin by hanging with both hands from a low rung on the board.
2. Pull up forcefully with both hands, then in a fast, continuous motion, lunge up with one hand to grab the highest rung possible (usually the third or fourth rung, depending on the spacing).
3. Engage the high rung for an instant, and then drop back down to the starting hold and lower to the starting (hanging) position.
4. Immediately pull back up and lunge with the opposite hand to grab a high rung.
5. Again, engage the high rung for a moment before dropping down to the starting hold and lowering to your starting position.
6. Continue in this alternating fashion for up to twelve total touches (six per hand).
7. Rest for three to five minutes before performing another set. Do two to four sets.
# Training tip: You can make this exercise harder by touching, but not grabbing on to, the high hold at the top of each lunge. Try to hold the lock-off and touch for two seconds.

CAMPUS LADDERING
1. Hang with nearly straight arms from the bottom rung of the campus board. Your hands should be about shoulder width or slightly less apart.
2. Striving for brisk, fluid motion, begin laddering hand-over-hand up the campus board using alternating rungs for your left and right hands. Your goal is to ascend the board as quickly as possible.
3. Match hands on the top rung, and then descend carefully by dropping hand by hand down alternating rungs to the bottom position.
4. Perform a total of six to twelve hand moves, never more. To increase difficulty, skip rungs as you hand-over-hand up the board.
5. Rest for three to five minutes, before engaging in a second set.
6. Limit yourself to a total of three sets during your formative workouts. As you gain conditioning, you can do up to ten sets or begin a gradual shift to training with the Double Dynos.
Training tip: Laddering on small rungs tends to train contact (finger) strength more than upper-body power, whereas longer reaches on larger rungs better isolates one-arm power and lock-off strength.

CAMPUS TRAINING DOUBLE DYNOS
1. Begin by hanging from the third or fourth rung on the Campus Board. (It’s good to number your rungs beginning with the bottom rung as “number one.”)
2. Simultaneously let go with both hands and drop to catch the next lower rung (number two).
3. Immediately explode upward with both hands to catch the third or fourth (harder) rung. This is one full repetition, but don't stop!
4. Without hesitation, drop down and again catch the second rung.
5. Explode back up to the third or fourth rung.
6. Continue this double-handed, drop-down-and-explode-up sequence between two rungs for up to six repetitions. Stop prematurely instead of risking a failed downward catch—have a bouldering crash pad in place just in case.
7. Rest for three to five minutes before engaging in a second set.
8. Perform a total of just two or three sets during your formative workouts; however, you can build up to six sets (a combined total of Campus Laddering and Double Dynos) as you gain conditioning and confidence.
9. Limit yourself to just one or two sessions per week, and cycle on and off campus training every two or three weeks.
# Training tip: Execute Double Dynos only on rungs that are 0.75 inch or more in depth. In terms of training stimulus, speed of repetitions is more important than the number of reps, distance traveled, or size of rungs. Specifically, strive to turn around the catch on the lower rung and lunge upward in a quarter second (hard, but ideal).