How to get better at climbing

With your own technique, you lay an important foundation for your level of climbing. Even if you are strong, without good technique, you will eventually reach your limits and fall behind in your climbing projects. Here are some important points worth paying attention to.

1. Precision in foot work: actively use your feet! Beginners, in particular, too often focus only on the arms, while working on the feet is just as decisive. Learn to use small foot movements, to push with your foot precisely and to have confidence. Practice shifting your body weight to your feet instead of hanging completely in your arms.

2. Body tension: good body tension allows you to put pressure on your feet and climb with precision. Try to consciously activate your whole body – from the legs to the trunk and arms. A well-trained core helps make movements efficient and makes climbing less demanding in terms of strength, especially on overhangs.

3. Dynamic or static: Not all movements should be performed statically. Dynamic movements, in which you use momentum, can help you overcome long distances. The art is knowing which style of climbing is most beneficial.

4. Hip work: the position of your hips considerably influences the ease or difficulty of a route. Try to keep your hips – and therefore your center of gravity – as close to the wall as possible. Often, it can be helpful to turn or move side to side to reduce the effort of a movement.

A structured training plan is the key to success. Instead of just climbing, you need to work on your weak points and combine different training methods. Here are some tips to optimize your training:

1. Strengthening fingers and forearms: Finger strength is essential when climbing. A gripboard can help you train your fingers in a targeted manner. Be careful not to do it too quickly – fingers and tendons need time to get used to high and unusual loads at first.

2. Endurance: Climbing not only requires strength, but also endurance. Long climbing routes that aren’t too difficult for you or interval training on a bouldering wall are ideal for increasing your climbing endurance.

3. Vary the workouts: try to vary your workouts. Climb different wall inclinations (overhang, verticality, slabs) and consciously climb different styles of routes (dynamic, technical, etc.).

4. Compensation training: Regularly integrate sessions into your training week where you focus on compensation exercises for climbing. Especially if you climb often, you can fight against muscular imbalances. The extensors of the fingers, hands and arms, among others, are less stressed when climbing. The chest and shoulder muscles need extra attention. Possible exercises to improve shoulder stability, for example, are plus push-ups, floor angel or sword pull.

1. Visualisation : before tackling a route, imagine how you are going to climb it. Visualize movements and difficult passages and try to identify rest points. This helps you mentally prepare for the route and reduces uncertainty.

2. Fall training : Fear of falling prevents many climbers from climbing as hard as they could. Regular fall training can do wonders to overcome this fear and gain confidence in the safety partner. Approach slowly and preferably choose overhangs for controlled falls. It is also useful to remember, before starting the route, where it is possible to clip.

3. Concentration : Climbing requires total concentration. Learn to stay in the present moment and focus on every movement. The more you master points 1 and 2, the more easily you will find the “flow” when climbing.

If you are considering a difficult route at your limit, you not only need strength, but also intelligent tactics. Here’s how to do it strategically:

1. Divide the route into sections: Divide the route into smaller sections and work on it little by little. This will allow you to better memorize complex movement sequences and have small successes.

2. Request Info: Chat with other climbers and get advice on how they mastered the route. Sometimes there are simpler or more effective solutions for difficult movements.

3. Use rest breaks correctly: Make sure you consciously relax at the right rest points. Shake your arms and try to control your breathing. Before you start climbing again, you should increase your breathing rate again.

4. Avoid frustration: If you see that you are not making even a millimeter of progress on a project, it can be useful to take a break and work on something else. Changes in perspective can be real motivation boosts.

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Highlights of climbing actions

Take a look back at the best moments from the clash between 24 of the world’s best climbers at Red Bull Dual Ascent 2023.

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