Guest 115-1005574997 Posted February 8, 2002 Share Posted February 8, 2002 Dear Dave (and any other climbers on the board) As you know, i intend to do a bit of bouldering and indoor wall climbing this year but have NO IDEA what im doing, how to start, rock shoes and clothes to get and most importantly technique tips. As this board is for too climbers, i wondered what advice you can give to a beginer? Cheers mate scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the swiss Posted February 8, 2002 Share Posted February 8, 2002 cool. start by finding climbing partners (possibly also starting, or who have just started), and a place to go climbing. buy COMFORTABLE rock shoes. forget ultra-small-precise-expensive shoes for now, despite what the guy in the shop might tell you. any comfortable clothes will do. technique tips: hard to give like this. maybe concentrate on putting as much weight on your feet as you can, the tendency being to pull on your arms like a beast and explode after 5 moves, specially if you are already pretty strong. keep arms straight as much as possible. you can probably ask the guy at the (climbing) gym for a few tips. most important of all: have fun. I don't feel training tips are really worth giving right now. experience the climbing. train hard david Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 115-1005574997 Posted February 8, 2002 Share Posted February 8, 2002 Dave You have been a great help regarding using your feet more than the arms, keep your arms straight and ask around So you recon their is no need for a size smaller rock shoes, or those high arch, non flat bed things i was advised on? So just have fun....definatly I live near to some of the uks best grit stone boulders (the roaches in staffordshire) so thought i may as well get out and enjoy then in the summer but practice on an indoor wall until then. I much prefer the freedom of bouldering than roped up climbing so cant wait to give it a go. Thanks again and i'll let you know how i get on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the swiss Posted February 8, 2002 Share Posted February 8, 2002 the super-shoes will not be of a lot of use to a beginner, but will be very painful. maybe for your second pair, but be prepared to suffer. anyway you're better off with a comfortable pair which is the right size than with an ultra-technical one which you've taken too big so that it doesn't hurt too much. I think you can start going outside as soon as the temperature is about 5°C. bouldering outside is my favourite. also bouldering on grit is a whole sport appart. I miss the time when I started climbing in Fontainebleau! look forwad to hearing about your first impressions! train hard david Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vsmith Posted February 12, 2002 Share Posted February 12, 2002 Scott, I recently (last 6 mos) strated grip training to improve my rock climbing. I've been climbing like you indicated you intend to climb (bouldering outdoors and indoor wall climbing) for two years. In terms of grip workout, I've found that the supporting grip exercises have helped me most. I like thick bar (2") partial deadlifts for time (up to ten seconds, then add weight) and thick bar chins. I use 5' of 2" PVC pipe and slip it over my bar to create a thick bar. I purchased the Titan Telegraph Key from Ironmind to work on pinch grip which has been the second-most help, but have found plate pinching to be just as effective. I climb 2-3X per week, 30-90 mins per session. I do a weights workout twice per week after climbing, focusing on the basic exercises, and a grip-specific workout 2X per week, usually after the weights workout but depending on how I feel and my schedule for the day. Dont worry about shoes and clothes...you'll need shoes, but I bought some low-end general climbing shoes one size (US) smaller than my street shoes and they are great for me. To get started, I would do these things: 1. Commit to climbing twice per week 2. Get some shoes, you will appreciate them 3. Consider a general weights workout 1-2X per week to increase the strength of your body 4. Buy the book "Mastery of Hand Strength" by John Brookfield from IronMind and consider increasing your gripping ability. 5. Check this board regularly...I've found both friendly people and lots of useful ideas. Watch out though, those dang COC grippers are addicting. I purchased the Trainer and the #1 and even though the improvement in my crushing grip isn't as useful as the improvement in my supporting and pinching grip for climbing, working out with the COCs is just plain fun and challenging... VS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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