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pico23
Sep 25, 2003, 12:24 AM
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Overly simple, but just concentrate on using your feet. When I started seriously climbing a few years ago I had just had spinal surgery and still had a decent loss of feeling in one foot. I tried to jug pull everything and that works for a while but once you get to your jug pulling limit your screwed, plus you get pumped out easily.
What I did the following year was concentrate and using my feet all the time. I kind of let my hands find holds but I didn't search for them to complete a sequence until I'd exhausted my foot options. The result was that I'd retrained myself to climb feet first and use my arms for balance and only a small percentage of upward progress. The end result is that I can often complete tricky foot work problems for the grade that my partners often struggle on looking for the next handhold.
Another method I use is practicing using the smallest foot holds possible while doing laps on a TR. If I've completed the climb once I search for ways to make it more challenging with the foot work. Smears, edges, nubs, lots of intermediate stuff even if there are other big holds nearby. This trains me to understand the limits of what the rubber and my feet are able to keep in contact with.
And finally, down climbing. It's the best way to use the feet. You can jug haul up but it's hard to do it going down.
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pico23
Sep 25, 2003, 12:29 AM
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In reply to: Also...it has already been said, but when you place a foot, make it stay there.
Exactly. I see a lot of people move the foot around looking for an optimal placement. Often the best placement is the first and by moving it around often you train yourself not to intuitively trust your feet. This might not be a problem well below your ability level but when you start pushing yourself you need to be as fluid as possible.
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corpse
Sep 25, 2003, 4:05 AM
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In reply to: Practice down climbing, then you're forced to make your foot placement and then weighting it. When you're moving down it's amazing how important foot placement becomes and how much you focus on it.
I agree with that quite a bit.. Today I down climber about 60 feet of 5.7, not terribly hard to climb up it, but down climbing that far was a whole a new twist - and pretty fun too.. I was totally a different sequence of moves than the on the way up.
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karmaklimber
Sep 25, 2003, 6:55 AM
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Awesome advice so far.
I would have to add:
-Try bouldering up a fairly short wall only using one leg for the footholds and using the other leg for flagging.
-Try climbing a problem but pausing for several seconds before you grab the hold. If you can't pause comfortably, you probably don't have good foot placement to evenly distribute your weight.
-Quiet Feet. Your feet should not be clanging, banging, and making all sorts of ruckus on the wall. Really focus on lifting your foot and placing it deliberately on the hold. Ankle weights may help with this.
-Focus on using your big toe and the outer edge/inner edge of your foot.
-Downclimb routes.
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pico23
Sep 26, 2003, 3:26 AM
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In reply to: Awesome advice so far. I would have to add: -Quiet Feet. Your feet should not be clanging, banging, and making all sorts of ruckus on the wall. Really focus on lifting your foot and placing it deliberately on the hold. Ankle weights may help with this.
I disagree with this as a general bit of advice. I always hear guides say that and I wonder where this came from. I drag my toes sometimes if I can't see my feet to find the hold or to search for a hold. Sometimes coming over buldges it's all you have. Telling someone it's wrong is like the No Knee rule. Sure in most cases it's wrong to use your knees but not in every case (just don't get into a habbit cause on ice your knees don't have quite the grip of sharp crampons).
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jt512
Sep 26, 2003, 2:49 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: Awesome advice so far. I would have to add: -Quiet Feet. Your feet should not be clanging, banging, and making all sorts of ruckus on the wall. Really focus on lifting your foot and placing it deliberately on the hold. Ankle weights may help with this. I disagree with this as a general bit of advice. I always hear guides say that and I wonder where this came from. I drag my toes sometimes if I can't see my feet to find the hold or to search for a hold. Sometimes coming over buldges it's all you have. Telling someone it's wrong is like the No Knee rule. Sure in most cases it's wrong to use your knees but not in every case (just don't get into a habbit cause on ice your knees don't have quite the grip of sharp crampons).
I'm pretty sure we can rule out the bit about the ankle weights, though.
-Jay
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gritstoner
Sep 26, 2003, 3:47 PM
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if you have laces on your shoes. tie them together and then try to climb slabs outside. you have to think alot more when you have less choice of where t place your feet.
we tried this with a friend, just to make shore he really got it we chased him round the boulder. if we caught him, he bought the first round later. it improved his foot work a treat.
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karmaklimber
Sep 26, 2003, 4:17 PM
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In reply to: I'm pretty sure we can rule out the bit about the ankle weights, though. -Jay
I got the ankle weights advice from a really experienced climber (my boss at work and mentor); he's been climbing pretty much his entire life. I've been preparing for a bouldering competition all this month and asked him for advice on training tips. He said that when he used to coach youth climbing teams, he'd give them either ankle weights, wrist weights, or weighted vests (depending on the workout planned for the day), and have them climb in with them.
With the extra weight put on your ankles forces the need for you to lift your foot and place it with precision on the hold rather than just dropping it there. In addition, it can help work your abs by forcing you to use them more so while traversing underneath an arch or doing a really big high-step.
I've been using them for about a month, rotating the weights within my workout days (some days w/ weights, some days w/out), and already, I've seen improvement.
Carrying 2 to 5 lbs. of extra weight really does impact your climbing. Try it out; if you don't like it, there's no harm done.
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sharpender
Sep 26, 2003, 5:01 PM
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When on the rock, don't lean in, lean out. Keep your heels low when your toes or balls are pointed upward. Find the sweet spot on edges - not too far out from the rock, not too far in. think of how the force transfers from your hand to your foot. It's like the two edges of a ladder balancing.
Now train your feet for strength. A great exercise is to shower while standing on the balls of your feet. You can do this right through getting dressed. Stand on a one by three board as you dress. You have to work hard to keep balance. Your strength and balance will get stronger. Next, do sit ups. the abominal muscles are always working hard when your body is off balance and when you move on rock you most often have to go off balance. These muscles are also at work in that transfer of energy from handholds to footholds. Enjoy. Bet your face climbing goes up at least a number grade with this training. 8)
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anothertucsonclimber
Sep 26, 2003, 5:13 PM
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When indoors - Boulder using only the small jibs for feet placement. This will teach you to not only use your feet wisely - but concentrate on core strength as well.
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nagatana
Sep 29, 2003, 1:32 AM
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Tradgirl.com has a couple likeminded tips in its rec.climbing FAQ, along with some links further down.
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revdeuno
Sep 29, 2003, 2:11 AM
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what helped me the most was just simple stick and go. Only place your foot once and do not move it, do not even slide it a centimeter. you will learn how to place your feet the first time and wont waste energy kicking around with your feet. also what i had to learn the hard way after a finger injury was to push and not pull. I always try to only move up if i am pushing with my legs, of corse sometimes you have to pull. but im always saying to my self stick and go, push dont pull. hope this helps, sorry if i'm repeating anything other people said.
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curt
Sep 29, 2003, 2:35 AM
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I agree with the previous posts that recommend seeking out climbs that are dead vertical or even lower angle--with small holds, or even just friction holds. Those climbs simply can not be climbed by brute strength. Good footwork is absolutely required to succeed on these things.
Then, work your way up through the grades on these type of climbs. I guarantee you that if you do this and end up climbing 5.11 and 5.12 thin face climbs--you will have great footwork.
Curt
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punk
Sep 29, 2003, 2:57 AM
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climb easy/medium Slabs for a while....then climb easy/medium overhangs for a while the only way to learn
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punk
Sep 29, 2003, 2:58 AM
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down climb
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drkodos
Sep 29, 2003, 3:05 AM
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In reply to: .....downclimb...
agree 100%.
Best single thing to easily do.
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jt512
Sep 29, 2003, 4:19 PM
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In reply to: Carrying 2 to 5 lbs. of extra weight really does impact your climbing. Try it out; if you don't like it, there's no harm done.
I'm not so sure that there's no harm done. Ankle weights are stressful on the knees.
-Jay
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mike
Sep 29, 2003, 4:32 PM
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A lot of what I thought was fancy footwork turns out to be more the manipulation of your center of gravity. Look through the topics on this site, the stick figures make it easier to understand.
http://chvc2.netfirms.com/climb.htm
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cracklover
Sep 30, 2003, 1:46 AM
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I'm sure you'll find lots of good advice on the net as you search around. Some folks have already mentioned quiet feet, looking down, slab climbing, and keeping feet in a single position once placed. All excellent advice, and much repeated throughout the net.
Here's one thing I have never heard mentioned in footwork manuals before, but I've found to be an excellent way to improve balance and counterpressure over your feet. It helped me, and it has helped several beginner\intermediates I've worked with. Go to your local rock gym, and find a corner of a room - literally - a corner - where the two walls come together. It should be straight up and down, (no overhangs and no slabs) the walls should be exactly 90 degrees from each other, and there should be plenty of holds. Now climb it without using your hands. I mean, you can brace your hands against the bare walls, but your hands may not use any features or holds. If you don't get it first try, don't worry, I've never met anyone who did. But if after 15 minutes you still can't do more than a couple moves, come back and I'll give you some hints!
GO
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one900johnnyk
Sep 30, 2003, 1:52 AM
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slabs
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fixedpin
Oct 1, 2003, 5:08 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: Climbing in a gym (even practicing all the good ideas people have suggested) will NOT teach you how to use your feet well. You need to climb outside, a lot. Climb a variety of routes (sport, slabs, steep face, even cracks) the longer the routes the better. Using your feet well is not intuitive and takes practice ..thats funny..!!! .....are you sure.....I mean....is that the definitive answer....or are you always right?
Using your well is not intuitive nor can you learn to use your feet well in a gym environment. Just because I stated one thing that is true, doesn't mean I think am "always right". You, on the other hand, with your years of experience (what gym was that), seem to think you already know it all. Eh?
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sharpender
Oct 1, 2003, 5:48 PM
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Curt wroteIn reply to: I guarantee you that if you do this and end up climbing 5.11 and 5.12 thin face climbs--you will have great footwork.
Meanin no disrespect Curt, but you won't climb 5.11 and 5.12 thin face climbs unless you have "great footwork" 8)
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coclimber26
Oct 11, 2003, 1:41 AM
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Runout slabs are great for forcing good footwork and good mental focus.
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nagatana
Oct 26, 2003, 7:42 PM
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And from buckyllama's post in another thread:
As an occasional trick to help bounce your feet to a particurlarly akward hold this is a fine tactic to take.
But if you are doing it all the time then you need to work more on body positioning. First, before you move you feet at all, decide where you want your foot to go. Then move you hips away from that hold until the foot you are trying to move can naturally come off the hold it is one. So if you are trying to pick up your right foot, move your hips to the left.
It's best to practice this sort of footwork on lower-angle to vertical routes.
A good excercise is to choose a route that is somewhat easy for you. Let's say you are climbing 5.9s pretty regurlarly and working some 5.10s. Choose a 5.7 that has a lot of balancy moves. While climbing: after picking your foot up from each hold, hold it just above the hold for a second without touching the rock. Then move it to it's destination and hold it over the new hold for a second without touching. Then weight it and repeat. Practice shifting your weight around until you find the spot that makes this easy to do. Try to avoid routes with a lot of highstepping or a lot of weird backsteps or anything for this kind of practice.
Once you have the route wired with your new-good footwork. Do some speed drills on it while always focusing on your feet.
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twiz
Nov 9, 2003, 5:04 PM
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Lots of good advice!
Another thing I have used is no hands bouldering.
No other option than to use your feet...and work on balance.
Two thumbs up for downclimbing!
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